List of blind people
Encyclopedia
Activists and organizers of the blind
- Tilly AstonTilly AstonMatilda Ann Aston , better known as Tilly Aston, was a blind Australian writer and teacher, who founded the Victorian Association of Braille Writers, and later went on to establish the Association for the Advancement of the Blind, with herself as secretary...
- Founder of the Victorian Association of Braille Writers. - Louis BrailleLouis BrailleLouis Braille was the inventor of braille, a system of reading and writing used by people who are blind or visually impaired...
- Known for BrailleBrailleThe Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
. - Francis Joseph CampbellFrancis Joseph CampbellSir Francis Joseph Campbell was an American anti-slavery campaigner, teacher and also the co-founder of the Royal National College for the Blind in the United Kingdom....
- Anti-slavery campaigner and co-founder of the Royal National College for the Blind - Kenneth JerniganKenneth JerniganNorman Kenneth Jernigan was the longtime leader of the National Federation of the Blind.- Background :...
- Long-time leader of the National Federation of the BlindNational Federation of the BlindThe National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in the United States...
. - Helen KellerHelen KellerHelen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
- American deaf-blind writer, lecturer, and activist. - Juan Carlos González LeivaJuan Carlos González LeivaJuan Carlos González Leiva is a blind lawyer and human rights activist in the communist Cuba. He created the Fraternity of the Independent Blind of Cuba and the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights.He has accused the regime of harassing and torturing him....
- Cuban lawyer, who founded the Fraternity of the Independent Blind of Cuba and the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights. He has been harassed, imprisoned and tortured by the communist regime. - Sabriye TenberkenSabriye TenberkenSabriye Tenberken is a German socialworker and co-founder of the organisation Braille Without Borders.- Biography :Sabriye was born near Bonn, Germany, and she became gradually visually impaired and completely blind by the age of thirteen due to retinal disease. She studied Central Asian Studies...
- Braille Without BordersBraille Without BordersBraille Without Borders is an international organisation for the blind in developing countries. It was founded in Lhasa, Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 1998.- Overview :...
co-founder.
Adventurers
- Miles Hilton-BarberMiles Hilton-BarberMiles Hilton-Barber is a British adventurer who, despite being blind, undertakes a variety of expeditions all around the world to raise awareness and money for a charity organization, and blind people in general. His recent trips include flying from London to Sydney in a micro-light, climbing Mont...
- British traveler and climber. - James HolmanJames HolmanJames Holman FRS , known as the "Blind Traveler," was a British adventurer, author and social observer, best known for his writings on his extensive travels...
- British man known as the "Blind Traveler." - Tofiri KibuukaTofiri KibuukaTofiri Kibuuka is a Norwegian athlete. Ugandan by birth, he competed for Uganda before obtaining Norwegian citizenship. He has participated in both the Winter Paralympic Games, in cross-country skiing and in the Summer Paralympic Games, in mid- and long distance running...
- Ugandan-Norwegian athlete. One of the first three blind people to reach the summit of Mount KilimanjaroMount KilimanjaroKilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
(along with John Opio and Lawrence Sserwambala). First African competitor at the Winter Paralympic GamesWinter Paralympic GamesThe Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Winter Paralympic Games are held every four years directly following the Winter...
. - Takeichi NishiTakeichi NishiColonel/Baron was a Japanese Imperial Army officer, equestrian show jumper, and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He was a tank unit commander at the Battle of Iwo Jima and was killed in action during the defense of the island....
- Colonel in the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
During World War II. Commander of the 26th Tank Regiment in the Battle of Iwo JimaBattle of Iwo JimaThe Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. He was blinded during battle. - Erik WeihenmayerErik WeihenmayerErik Weihenmayer is the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on May 25, 2001. He also completed the Seven Summits in September 2002. His story was covered in a Time article in June 2001 titled Blind to Failure...
- First blind person to reach the summit of Mount EverestMount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
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Acting and performing
- Jack BirkettJack BirkettJack Birkett was a British dancer, mime artist, actor and singer, best known for his work on stage as a member of Lindsay Kemp's theatre company, and in the films of Derek Jarman. He was often billed as Orlando or The Incredible Orlando. Most of his best-known work was done when he was totally...
- also known as "Orlando" and "The Incredible Orlando"; camp actor, dancer, mime. Best known for his roles as Borgia Ginz in the Derek JarmanDerek JarmanMichael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
film JubileeJubilee (1977 film)Jubilee is a 1977 cult film directed by Derek Jarman. It stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, and a host of punk rockers. The title refers to the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.-Plot:...
, and as Caliban in Jarman's version of The Tempest. Though his best-known and most prominent roles have been with Jarman, he has had roles in other films, including 1984's The BrideThe Bride (film)The Bride is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, released in 1985 and directed by Franc Roddam. The film stars Sting as Baron Charles Frankenstein and Jennifer Beals as Eva, a woman he creates in the same fashion as his infamous monster....
and in televised productions of Shakespeare - Dana ElcarDana ElcarDana Elcar was an American television and movie character actor. Although he appeared in about 40 films, his most memorable role was on the 1980s and 1990s television series MacGyver as Peter Thornton, an administrator working for the Phoenix Foundation...
- Played Peter Thornton (MacGyver)Peter Thornton (MacGyver)Pete Thornton is a fictional character in the MacGyver television series played by Dana Elcar. He is Angus MacGyver's best friend and boss at both the Department of External Services and the Phoenix Foundation...
. He lost his vision during this time and it was written into the character's story. - S. Robert MorganS. Robert MorganS. Robert Morgan is an American television actor. He guest starred on Home Box Office drama series The Wire as Butchie from the second season until the show's fifth and final season. Morgan lost his sight in his twenties due to macular degeneration. Morgan is from Fort Washington, Maryland and...
- A small role in The WireThe Wire (TV series)The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
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Music
- Tsutomu AragakiTsutomu Aragakiis a Japanese tenor.He was born in Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture. He was blinded shortly after birth when a midwife put overly-strong drops in his eyes. When he was a year old, his parents divorced and his Mexican-American father went back to the United States. His mother, who was Japanese, remarried...
, Japanese tenor, blind from just after birth. - Frankie Armstrong - English folk singer and community musician, increasing visual impairment, some sight regained following 1990 operation.
- The Blind Boys of AlabamaThe Blind Boys of AlabamaThe Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind....
- Gospel group. - Andrea BocelliAndrea BocelliAndrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
- Operatic popOperatic popOperatic pop, pop opera or popera is a subgenre of pop music that is performed in an operatic style, or a song, theme or motif from classical music stylized as pop. The term popera and adjectives poperatic and popical are used by some media editors and music reviewers...
singer. - Henry CalderaHenry CalderaHenry Caldera was a Sri Lankan Singer/Songwriter/Musician.Caldera was born on August 19, 1937. He went completely blind at 14 and attended Seeduwa Deaf and Blind school. Caldera became a radio artist in 1968 and had his first hit song with Thara Petia in 1972...
- Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n singer/songwriter, blind since age 14. - Jessica Callahan - Singer/songwriter and pianist
- Turlough Carolan - Harper and composer blinded by smallpoxSmallpoxSmallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. - Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
- Pianist and singer inducted to varied halls of fame. - Fanny CrosbyFanny CrosbyFrances Jane Crosby , usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne, in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. During her lifetime, she was well-known throughout the United States...
- Christian hymn writer. - Reverend Gary DavisReverend Gary DavisReverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
- Gospel blues guitarist. - José FelicianoJosé FelicianoJosé Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
- Grammy Award-winner. - Five Blind Boys of MississippiFive Blind Boys of MississippiThe Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was a post-war gospel quartet. Powered by lead singer Archie Brownlee, their single "Our Father" reached the Billboard R&B charts in the early 1950s, one of the first gospel records to do so.-History:...
- The original line-up of this gospel group was blind, some later members were not. - Blind Boy FullerBlind Boy FullerBlind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
- Blues guitarist and vocalist. - Geoffrey Gurrumul YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is an Indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language.He was born in Galiwin'ku , off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. He is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu and his mother from the Galpu nation...
- indigenous Australian singer-songwriter. - Diana GurtskayaDiana GurtskayaDiana Gudaevna Gurtskaya |Georgia]]) is a blind Georgian singer residing in Moscow, Russia. Following a failed attempt in Belarus the previous year Diana, on March 1, 2008, won the Georgian national final with 39.4% of the vote, therefore she represented Georgia at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest...
, pop singer from the ex-Soviet country of Georgia - Ed HaleyEd HaleyJames Edward "Ed" Haley was a blind professional American musician and composer.- Biography :Ed Haley was born in August 18851 on the Trace Fork of Big Harts Creek in Logan County, West Virginia. His father, Thomas Milton Haley, was a well-known fiddler in the Guyandotte and Big Sandy Valleys. His...
- Appalachian old-time fiddler. - Jeff HealeyJeff HealeyNorman Jeffrey "Jeff" Healey was a blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock vocalist and guitarist who attained musical and personal popularity, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
- Blues-rockBlues-rockBlues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
guitarist and vocalist. - Al HibblerAl HibblerAlbert George "Al" Hibbler was an American baritone vocalist, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra before having several pop hits as a solo artist. Some of his singing is classified as rhythm and blues, but he is best classified as a bridge between R&B and traditional pop music...
- Jazz pop vocalist. - Heather HutchisonHeather HutchisonHeather Lynn Hutchison is a singer-songwriter/pianist from St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.-Early life:...
, pop singer - Blind Willie JohnsonBlind Willie Johnson"Blind" Willie Johnson was an American singer and guitarist, whose music straddled the border between blues and spirituals....
- Slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
ist who's been termed "influential" and "the apogee" for the instrument. - Rahsaan Roland KirkRahsaan Roland KirkRahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
- Jazz multi-instrumentalist. - LachiLachiLachi is a singer-songwriter, pianist and author based in New York City. Her music is often described as jazz influenced, piano driven alternative rock.-Early life:...
- Visually impaired Nigerian American singer-songwriter, pianist and composer out of New York City - Francesco LandiniFrancesco LandiniFrancesco degli Organi, Francesco il Cieco, or Francesco da Firenze, called by later generations Francesco Landini or Landino was an Italian composer, organist, singer, poet and instrument maker...
- Fourteenth century Italian composer and organist. - Blind Willie McTellBlind Willie McTellBlind Willie McTell , was an influential Piedmont and ragtime blues singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues, although, unlike his contemporaries, he used exclusively a twelve-string guitar...
- Blues guitarist. - Raul MidónRaul MidónRaúl Midón is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, based in New York City. He combines his distinct voice, strumming, beats, and vocal mouth trumpet sounds to create a one-man performance. His unique style shows influence of virtually every musical genre which came before him,...
- Singer-songwriter. - Ronnie MilsapRonnie MilsapRonnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
- Country and pop singer. - MoondogMoondogMoondog, born Louis Thomas Hardin , was a blind American composer, musician, poet and inventor of several musical instruments. Moving to New York as a young man, Moondog made a deliberate decision to make his home on the streets there, where he spent approximately twenty of the thirty years he...
- Outsider musicOutsider musicOutsider music, a term coined by Irwin Chusid in the mid-1990s, are songs and compositions by musicians who are not part of the commercial music industry who write songs that ignore standard musical or lyrical conventions, either because they have no formal training or because they disagree with...
ian born "Louis Thomas Hardin." - Paul PenaPaul PenaPaul Pena was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist of Cape Verdean descent.His music from the first half of his career touched on Delta blues, jazz, morna, flamenco, folk and rock and roll...
, American blues musician and throat singer. - Joaquín RodrigoJoaquín RodrigoJoaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez , commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success...
- Spanish composer and pianist. - Diane SchuurDiane SchuurDiane Schuur is an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Deedles", she has won two Grammy Awards, headlined many of the world's most prestigious music venues, including Carnegie Hall and The White House and has toured the world performing with such greats as Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, B. B...
- Grammy winning jazz singer. - Charlotta SeuerlingCharlotta SeuerlingCharlotta Seuerling or Charlotte Seuerling , was a blind Swedish concert singer, harpsichordist, composer and poet, known as "The Blind Song-Maiden". She was active in Sweden, Finland and Russia. Her last name is also spelled as Seijerling and Seyerling...
- George ShearingGeorge ShearingSir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...
- British jazz pianist. - Tom SullivanTom Sullivan (singer)Tom Sullivan is an American performer, author, and motivational speaker.-Personal life:Sullivan was born and raised in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Marie C. and Thomas J. Sullivan, who owned a saloon. His premature birth caused him to need oxygen treatment while in an incubator...
- American musician, author and motivational speaker. The 1982 film If You Could See What I HearIf You Could See What I HearIf You Could See What I Hear is a 1982 biography/drama movie about blind musician Tom Sullivan, starring Marc Singer and Shari Belafonte, directed by Eric Till.Tagline: The true story of a born winner!-Plot summary:...
is based on his autobiography. - Bertha TammelinBertha TammelinBertha Carolina Mathilda Tammelin, née Bock was a Swedish actress, operatic mezzo soprano, pianist, composer and drama teacher.Bertha Tammelin was born to Karolina Bock and the musician of Kungliga Hovkapellet, C. Bock...
- Art TatumArt TatumArthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement AwardGrammy Lifetime Achievement AwardThe Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."...
and Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
Jazz Hall of Fame, partial sight in one eye. - Lennie TristanoLennie TristanoLeonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
- Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
Jazz Hall of Fame, critics choice. - Ostap VeresaiOstap VeresaiOstap Mykytovych Veresai , was a renowned minstrel and kobzar from the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire...
- Noted kobzarKobzarA Kobzar was an itinerant Ukrainian bard who sang to his own accompaniment.-Tradition:Kobzars were often blind, and became predominantly so by the 1800s...
. - Doc WatsonDoc WatsonArthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
- Guitarist in several genres. - Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
- Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
and Songwriters Hall of FameSongwriters Hall of FameThe Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
inductee. - V. Hemapala Perera - Sri Lankan Classical Musician.
Visual artists
- Esref ArmaganEsref ArmaganEşref Armağan is a blind painter of Turkish origin. He was born both unsighted and to an impoverished family. As a child and young adult he never received any formal schooling or training; however, he has taught himself to write and print. He draws and paints by using his hands and primarily oil...
- Turkish painter, born blind. - John BramblittJohn BramblittJohn Bramblitt is a blind painter of American origin. He began painting after losing his sight in 2001 after a series of severe seizures. His art has been displayed in over 20 nations and he has been the subject of numerous media stories including a documentary that won several short film awards...
- American painter. - Keith SalmonKeith SalmonKeith Salmon is a British fine artist. His work is principally semi-abstract Scottish landscapes which are created based upon his experience as a hill walker. Even though he is blind Salmon has climbed more than one hundred Munros, many of which have been captured in his artworks.-Education and...
- English painter & sculptor, blind through diabetes retinopathy.
Writers
- HomerHomerIn the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
- Ancient Greek orator of the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. According to legend, he was blind either at birth or due to disease or injury. - Jorge Luis BorgesJorge Luis BorgesJorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
- Argentine writer blind in later part of his career. - Didymus the BlindDidymus the BlindDidymus the Blind was a Coptic Church theologian of Alexandria, whose famous Catechetical School he led for about half a century. He became blind at a very young age, and therefore ignorant of the rudiments of learning...
- Ecclesiastical writer of Alexandria. - Ed LucasEd LucasEdward Lucas is a blind sports writer, broadcaster and motivational speaker.As a reporter for the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, Lucas has covered the playoffs, the World Series and the All Star games. He has interviewed hundred of sports figures and celebrities over his fifty-five-year...
- Sports writer. - John MiltonJohn MiltonJohn Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
- Poet who was blind for the last 22 years of life. - Helen KellerHelen KellerHelen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
- American writer who was both blind and deaf - Helen Aldrich De Kroyft - American writer who was blind
- Ved MehtaVed MehtaVed Parkash Mehta is a writer who was born in Lahore, British India to a Hindu family. He lost his sight at the age of four as the result of an attack of cerebrospinal meningitis...
- an Indian/American writer who was born in LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
(now a Pakistani city) to a Hindu family. - Aldous HuxleyAldous HuxleyAldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
- British philosophical writer, partially blind. - Taha Hussein - Egyptian writer and intellectual who became blind at the age of three.
Athletes and sportspersons
- Lisa BantaLisa BantaLisa Banta is an American goalball player and athlete. Her Paralympic debut won her a silver medal for discus at the 2000 Summer Paralympics; she also competed in goalball at those games. In December 2001 she took part in the torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City...
- GoalballGoalballGoalball is a team sport designed for blind athletes. It was devised by Hanz Lorenzen , and Sepp Reindle , in 1946 in an effort to help in the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II veterans...
player. - Anthony Clarke (athlete)Anthony Clarke (athlete)Anthony Clarke OAM, ASM is a world class judoka who has been ranked in the top 10 worldwide, in the top 3 in Australia and as the top player in South Australia....
- World class JudoJudois a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
ka. - Chris Holmes (swimmer)Chris Holmes (swimmer)Chris Holmes MBE is a former British swimmer. Prior to the 2008 Summer Paralympics, he was "Britain's most successful Paralympic swimmer", having won a total of nine golds, five silvers, and one bronze medal at the Paralympic Games. Holmes represented Great Britain at four Paralympics, from 1988 to...
- He has won multiple Paralympic gold medals for swimming. - Greg Rando IFBB professional bodybuilder.
- Marla RunyanMarla RunyanMarla Runyan , is an American track and field athlete, road runner and marathon runner who is legally blind. She is a three-time national champion in the women's 5000 metres.Runyan was born in Santa Maria, California...
- Legally blind Olympic and Paralympic runner. - Zohar SharonZohar SharonZohar Sharon is a blind Israeli golfer who has won titles in Israel as well as Europe. He lost his sight in a chemical accident while serving in the Israel Defense Forces. In 2003, he won the World Invitational blind golf tournament in Scotland...
- Blind golfer. - Henry WanyoikeHenry WanyoikeHenry Wanyoike is a Kenyan athlete. He is blind and competes in the Paralympics and in marathon racing.-Early career:Wanyoike is one of the world’s fastest runners...
- Long-distance runner with 95% vision loss. - Trischa ZornTrischa ZornTrischa Zorn, born June 1, 1964 in Orange, California, is a United States swimmer. Blind from birth, she competes in Paralympic swimming . She is, at present, the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games, having won 55 medals, of which 41 are gold...
- Swimmer who's the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympic GamesParalympic GamesThe Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
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Mathematicians and scientists
- Gustaf DalénGustaf DalénNils Gustaf Dalén was a Swedish Nobel Laureate and industrialist, the founder of the AGA company and inventor of the AGA cooker and the Dalén light...
- Swedish inventor and Nobel Prize winner, who continued to make inventions and lead his company despite being blinded in an accident. - Bernard MorinBernard MorinBernard Morin is a French mathematician, specifically a topologist, born in 1931, who is now retired. He has been blind since age 6 due to glaucoma, but his blindness did not prevent him from having a successful career in mathematics....
- topologist from France. - Abraham NemethAbraham NemethAbraham Nemeth is an American mathematician and inventor. He is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan.-Early life:...
- Developed Nemeth BrailleNemeth BrailleThe Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics is a Braille code for encoding mathematical and scientific notation linearly using standard six-dot Braille cells for tactile reading by the visually impaired. The code was developed by Abraham Nemeth....
for blind students in science and math. - Joseph Plateau - Physicist who went blind at forty-two when he gazed too long at the sun. After his blindness his scientific work diminished, but did not entirely end.
- Nicholas SaundersonNicholas SaundersonNicholas Saunderson was an English scientist and mathematician. According to one leading historian of statistics, he may have been the earliest discoverer of Bayes theorem.-Biography:...
- English mathematician who went blind at the age of twelve months, held in high esteem by Isaac NewtonIsaac NewtonSir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
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Politicians
- Abdurrahman WahidAbdurrahman WahidAbdurrahman Wahid, born Abdurrahman Addakhil , colloquially known as , was an Indonesian Muslim religious and political leader who served as the President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001...
otherwise known as Gusdur - former president of Indonesia - Richard H. BernsteinRichard H. BernsteinRichard H. Bernstein is an American lawyer, practicing at The Law Offices of Sam Bernstein. He also is an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan and served on the Wayne State University Board of Governors for one eight-year term, including two years as vice chair and two more as chair,...
- Elected to Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
Board of Governors in Michigan. - David BlunkettDavid BlunkettDavid Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
- Labour Party (UK)Labour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, former cabinet minister, and Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. - Kristen CoxKristen CoxKristen Cox is a blind American politician and current Executive Director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Previously Cox served as Maryland Secretary of Disabilities. Kris Cox was the running mate of Maryland Governor Robert L...
- Cabinet secretary in UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. - Matthew A. DunnMatthew A. DunnMatthew Anthony Dunn was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
- Member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. - Henry FawcettHenry FawcettHenry Fawcett PC was a blind British academic, statesman and economist.-Background and education:Fawcett was born in Salisbury, and educated at King's College School and the University of Cambridge: entering Peterhouse in 1852, he migrated to Trinity Hall the following year, and became a fellow...
- Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. - Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of LonsdaleIan Fraser, Baron Fraser of LonsdaleWilliam Jocelyn Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale CH CBE, , known as Ian Fraser, was a British Conservative Party politician, a Governor of the BBC, a successful businessman and the first person to be awarded a life peerage under the Life Peerages Act 1958.Fraser was blinded in World War I and...
- MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for St Pancras North for eleven non-consecutive years, blinded in World War I. - Thomas GoreThomas GoreThomas Gore was a Democratic politician. He was blind and served as a United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1907 until 1921 and from 1931 until 1937. He was the maternal grandfather of author Gore Vidal.-Life and career:...
- US SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. - Louis the BlindLouis the BlindLouis the Blind was the king of Provence from January 11, 887, King of Italy from October 12, 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. He was the son of Boso, the usurper king of Provence, and Ermengard, a daughter of the Emperor Louis II. Through his father, he was...
, 10th century European king, blinded after being captured. - Colin Low, Baron Low of DalstonColin Low, Baron Low of DalstonColin Mackenzie Low, Baron Low of Dalston, CBE is a British politician, law scholar and member of the House of Lords....
, Member of the British House of Lords. - David PatersonDavid PatersonDavid Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
- Governor of New York. - Bob C. RileyBob C. RileyBob Cowley Riley was an American educator and politician who served as Acting Governor of Arkansas for 11 days in 1975. He had previously been a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1946 to 1950, the mayor of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in 1966 and 1967, and the eighth Lieutenant...
- An acting governor of Arkansas. - Thomas D. SchallThomas D. SchallThomas David Schall was an American lawyer and politician. He served in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate from Minnesota. He was initially elected as a Progressive but later joined the Republican Party.Schall was born in Reed City, Michigan, and moved...
- A US Senator from Minnesota, blinded by an electrical shock before his time in office. - Vasily II of Russia, the XV century Grand Prince of Moscow
Political activists
- Shelley DavisShelley DavisShelley Davis was an American attorney and activist best known for her advocacy of rights and better working conditions for farm workers, particularly child, migrant and seasonal laborers.-Activism:...
- American lawyer and labor advocate. - Chen GuangchengChen GuangchengChen Guangcheng is a blind civil rights activist in the People's Republic of China who drew international attention to human rights issues in rural areas. He was placed under house arrest from September 2005 to March 2006 after talking to Time magazine about the forced abortion cases he...
- Lawyer and Ramon Magsaysay AwardRamon Magsaysay AwardThe Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
winner imprisoned in China. - Jacques LusseyranJacques LusseyranJacques Lusseyran was a blind French author and political activist.Lusseyran was born on September 19th, 1924, in Paris, France. He became totally blind in a school accident at the age of 8. He soon learned to adapt to being blind and maintained many close friendships, particularly with one boy...
, French author and political activist during World War II.
Saints
- LutgardisLutgardisSaint Lutgardis was a Flemish saint. Born at Tongeren, she was admitted into a Benedictine monastery of St...
- Catholic saint, blind in the last 11 years of her life. - SurdasSurdasSurdas, the 15th century sightless saint, poet and musician, is known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. Surdas is said to have written and composed a hundred thousand songs in his magnum opus the 'Sur Sagar' , out of which only about 8,000 are extant...
- Hindu saint, devotional poet and singer who lived during reign of king Akbar (1542–1606).
In Fiction
- Daredevil (Marvel Comics)Daredevil (Marvel Comics)Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
- Blind "superhero." - Geordi La ForgeGeordi La ForgeLieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is a regular character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature films, played by LeVar Burton...
was blind since birth but uses a VISORVisorA visor is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects....
and later occular implants that allow him to see the electromagnetic spectrumElectromagnetic spectrumThe electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
. The character was created by Gene RoddenberryGene RoddenberryEugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
as a positve role model for the disabled. - Toph Bei Fong from the show Avatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz...
was born blind, but uses her Earthbending abilities to sense vibrations and "see" things that are in contact with the earth. For this reason, she hates flying and sailing, as she lacks contact with the ground and is truly blind. - Tommy, the titular character of an album by The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. His blindness, along with his deafness and mutenessMutenessMuteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
, are actually psychosomatic. - Xerxes Break from the anime and manga series Pandora HeartsPandora Heartsis a manga series by Jun Mochizuki. Originally starting serialization in the shōnen magazine GFantasy published by Square Enix in June 2006. Currently fourteen volumes have been released in Japan. The manga series was licensed for an English language release by Broccoli Books but has been dropped;...
became almost completely blind in issue 42 as a result of overusing his powers. However, he still retains the ability to recognize objects if they are placed directly infront of him, although he explains he will lose that ability soon as well.
See also: Fictional blind characters
Others
- Morris Frank - Opened The Seeing EyeThe Seeing EyeThe Seeing Eye, Inc. is a guide dog school that is located in Morristown, New Jersey in the United States. It was founded in 1929 as the first guide dog school in the country...
, the first guide dog school for the blind in the United States. - Mary IngallsMary IngallsMary Amelia Ingalls was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls...
- Sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author. - Princess Christina of the NetherlandsPrincess Christina of the NetherlandsPrincess Maria Christina of the Netherlands , Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, is the youngest of four daughters born to Queen regnant Juliana of the Netherlands and her Prince consort Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.-Birth:She was born Maria Christina at Soestdijk Palace,...
- youngest daughter of Queen Juliana and sister of the current Queen Beatrix. - Gary O'DonoghueGary O'DonoghueGary O'Donoghue is an English journalist, currently working for the BBC.He was born to a semi-professional footballing father who worked as a taxi driver, and his mother taught ballroom dancing...
- Political correspondent for the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.