Month of June is a Prevent Blindness America to remind people how to recognize early signs or symptoms that might lead to loss of sight. There are even occasions created in order to observe this event such as Fireworks Night for Sight Months, Vision Research Month, and Light the Night for Sight Months which are all themes for this month. Blindness is defined as a eye condition where individuals lack visual perception that can be caused by neurological factors or physiological effects. There are also causes of blindness such as glaucoma, corneal opacities, cataract, onchoceriasis, trachoma, and childhood blindness. This happens if sanitation is not observed and illiteracy in education and health services. With these information, there are people who suffered, and it’s not an easy life for them especially to those who were given normal eyes, and at the later part of their life, due to accident or reasons that they don’t have controlled of they lost their vision or sight. Nonetheless, there are people who managed to become successful in their life despite of their eyesight issue. It did not hinder them to achieve what other physically able and normal people have accomplished. They became excellent in their own way and might.
10. James Thurber
Photo Source: www.nndb.com
He was born on December 08, 1894 and became popular as a comedian. He lost his sight while he was playing with his brothers Robert and William wherein, the latter accidentally shot him in his eye. This became a discovery of his other ability in writing where he focused his mind in creating articles and content. Moreover, he has made tremendous contributions as a cartoonist in New York Magazine. He died on November 02, 1961.
9. John Milton
Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org
He was an English poet where he specialized in epic poem construction. His poetry was not the typical love, romance, and idealistic. In fact, it’s more on radical scrutiny about republican religion. He was once a civil servant and prose polemicist. He had a fight with his tutor since he had a hard time adjusting in school life that resulted to school expulsion. When he lost his sight in 1651 at age 43 that’s the time that he started writing books that contain tons of quotes that he personally composed. He was inspired despite of the misery that he had felt of losing his vision, but he used to get something that would inspire him more and that is through quotes.
8. Andrea Bocelli
Photo Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
He lost his eyesight while playing football when he was 12 where he was hit in his head. Nevertheless, he made himself successful even before meeting the accident where he played flute and saxophone. He also loved to sing and even got the opportunity to sing with famous singers in the world like Pavaraotti.
7. Galileo Galilei
Photo Source: timetoast.com
Everyone knows Galileo Galilei who was born and raised in Italy on February 15, 1564. He was the great astronomer, physicist, mathematician, and philosopher since he led the scientific revolution. He has accomplished a lot of things that have been part of the history such as accelerated motion, telescope, and astronomical information. He was instrumental in discovering the four largest satellites in the universe which includes Jupiter. He also developed the original design of compass and in total opposition of the geocentric views because of the things that he has learned. Despite that his sight gradually deteriorated when he turned 68 years old, he never stopped discovering even at the moment that he completely lost his vision.
6. Alec Templeton
Photo Source: www.soundfountain.org
He was a known pianist and satirist who was born in Wales on July 04, 2009. He later moved to United States where he excelled in playing with different orchestras that paved the way for him to perform on the Rudy Vallee Show as his first radio performance. Who would have thought that he would gone that far despite that he was born blind, but did not hinder him to continue his passion, and improving himself. He would ask someone to assist him in reading the script that he had to memorize and he does it for 20 times until that he knew the script well. He was able to perform in other radio stations like Kraft Music Hall, The Magic Key, Sanbourn, and The Chase.
5. Louis Braille
Photo Source: www.myhero.com
Among all the blinds listed on this list, his blindness was caused of his action. She accidentally stabbed her eye using her father’s awl. Instead of grumbling and weeping over it, she even invented the popular Braille writing which was named after her last name. This is one of the best aids to all blind people to read through organized bumps that represent letters. It is one of the greatest inventions that made Louis Braille recognized across the globe even in this generation. Imagine the life of those blinds before, and those who would be born blind in the future, were it not for accident that she had, she would not be able to create this reading device.
4. Harriet Tubman
Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org
She was born in 1820 although she did not experience the kind of life that other blinds have had on this list because she was a slave while growing up. She was able to enjoy her freedom when she escaped from that despicable slavery and moved to Canada. Her escape brought her impaired vision which happened because of the head injury that she got where she experienced seizures until she lost her eyesight. Nevertheless, she became the hero and symbol of true freedom to all slaves because of her bravery to end captivity in order to achieve liberty.
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Photo Source: tautur.blogspot.com
He became the 32nd President of the powerful nation in the world, the United States of America and he also assumed a big role in World War II. He became an instrument in alleviating unemployment and destitute circumstances of the people that time. He restore order and peace in the US, and was popular because he was elected four times because of his governance and excellent leadership skills that help America recovered from sluggish economic condition. Despite of his physical disabilities including blindness, he was able to accomplished much than those Presidents who have held the key for Presidency in the US history.
2. Stevie Wonder
Photo Source: www.theguardian.com
Who would have not known Stevie Wonder because of the songs that he popularized that are still being sung by the young generations of today. He was born on May 13, 1950 but his original name was Steveland Hardaway Judkins and it was changed to Steveland Hardaway Morris. He was one of those natural blinds on this list, but he was outstanding and remarkable as a record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter. He started in the music industry before he turned 12 years old.
1. Helen Keller
Photo Source: www.ablerc.org
Her full name is Hellen Adams Keller born on June 27, 1880 and died on June 01, 1968. She was not born blind and deaf, but when she turned 19 months old, the doctors diagnosed her of having an acute congestion in the brain and stomach that became meningitis. It led to her lost of sight an hearing. Nevertheless, she became prominent as an activitist, lecturer, and American author. In fact, she was the first person who graduated in College as a blind and deaf person. Until now she is being remembered because of her advocacy to those people who have disabilities like her and other causes that she strongly promoted.