 Braille was determined to fashion a system of reading and writing that could bridge the critical gap in communication between the sighted and the blind . In his own words : " Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge , and that is vitally important for us if we [ the blind ] are not to go on being despised or patronized by condescending sighted people . We do not need pity , nor do we need to be reminded we are vulnerable . We must be treated as equals – and communication is the way this can be brought about . " 
