Carl Strehl was a German educator born in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

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In December 1907, Strehl lost his eyesight while working in a chemical factory in New York. Later, after returning to Europe, he commenced with studies in Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. In 1915, he was hired by University of Marburg ophthalmologist Alfred Bielschowsky

Alfred Bielschowsky

Alfred Bielschowsky was a German ophthalmologist. His specialty was physiology and pathology of the eye, particularly in regards to research of eye movement, space perception and diagnosis of oculomotor anomalies....

 (1871-1940) to assist with World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 soldiers who were blinded by shell fragments and poison gas.

In March 1916 Strehl and Bielschowsky established the Verein blinder Akademiker Deutschlands (German Society of Blind Academicians), an association to provide higher education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 assistance for the blind. Shortly afterwards he founded the Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt (German Blind Study Institute; aka Carl Strehl-Schule) for the visually impaired, which today is a nationally recognized institution in Marburg

Marburg

Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...

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In addition, Strehl was vice-president of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, and was a prominent member of the International Council of Educators of Blind Youth.