William Moon
Encyclopedia
William Moon, Hon. LLD, FRSA, FRGS (December 18, 1818 – October 9, 1894) was an Englishman
who created Moon Type
, the first widely-used practical reading alphabet for the blind.
, Kent
. As a small child, he lost sight in one eye
from scarlet fever, and by the age of twenty-one he had become totally blind
. He moved in with his widowed mother and sister in Brighton
, East Sussex
. He became a teacher, and taught boys how to read using the existing embossed reading codes.
Moon realised that the boys found these reading codes difficult to learn. He devised a new system, Moon Type
, based on a simplified Roman alphabet, which he designed to be easier to learn. He first formulated his ideas in 1843 and they were published in 1845. Moon Type
was subsequently replaced in popularity by Braille
but it is still important for people who have difficulty reading Braille.
Moon achieved several distinctions during his lifetime: he was elected to fellowships of the Royal Geographical Society
and the Royal Society of Arts
in 1852 and 1857 respectively; he was also awarded an honorary LLD degree
by the University of Philadelphia in 1871.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who created Moon Type
Moon type
The Moon System of Embossed Reading is a writing system for the blind, using embossed symbols mostly derived from the Roman alphabet...
, the first widely-used practical reading alphabet for the blind.
Life and career
Moon was born in HorsmondenHorsmonden
Horsmonden is a village in Kent, on the Weald. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railway station is Paddock Wood, Horsmonden railway station having closed in 1961.- History :It was an important centre of the medieval...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. As a small child, he lost sight in one eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
from scarlet fever, and by the age of twenty-one he had become totally blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. He moved in with his widowed mother and sister in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. He became a teacher, and taught boys how to read using the existing embossed reading codes.
Moon realised that the boys found these reading codes difficult to learn. He devised a new system, Moon Type
Moon type
The Moon System of Embossed Reading is a writing system for the blind, using embossed symbols mostly derived from the Roman alphabet...
, based on a simplified Roman alphabet, which he designed to be easier to learn. He first formulated his ideas in 1843 and they were published in 1845. Moon Type
Moon type
The Moon System of Embossed Reading is a writing system for the blind, using embossed symbols mostly derived from the Roman alphabet...
was subsequently replaced in popularity by Braille
Braille
The 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...
but it is still important for people who have difficulty reading Braille.
Moon achieved several distinctions during his lifetime: he was elected to fellowships of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
in 1852 and 1857 respectively; he was also awarded an honorary LLD degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
by the University of Philadelphia in 1871.