November 13 - International Day of blind people , attracts public attention on one of the most difficult problems of our time. According to the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness , about 284 million people have vision problems , of which 39 million do not see at all. Eye diseases affect more than 19 million children.
    November 13 is chosen by chance as another reminder of the day that we live among the people for whom the world is closed colors and shapes. This is - the birthday of the great French tiflopedagoga Hauy Valenti ( 1745 - 1822 ) .
    In 1749, Denis Diderot wrote and anonymously published his famous work, "Letter on the Blind for the edification of the sighted " for which three months he was imprisoned in the castle of Vincennes . It not only made ​​a strong impression on his contemporaries , but also had a kind of historical resonance , causing more and more smart people to think about the problems of visually impaired citizens.
    Valentin Hauy was one of those people. Teacher , opened in his own house the world's first school for blind children. He is known for having invented unitsial - font for blind and published the first book on which people deprived of trained before the advent of Braille