This man learned Braille and taught himself to read using his lips and the tip of his tongue, the only remaining parts of his body with a sense of feeling. This required so much effort that his tongue and lips literally bled.
| Title | Reading with his tongue |
|---|---|
| Title(Original language) | 舌読 |
| Year | 1971 |
| Country | Japan |
| Location | National Sanatorium Kuryu Rakusenen, Gunma |
| Genre | Photography |
| Owner | National Hansen’s Disease Museum, Tokyo, Japan |
|---|---|
| Copyright | Kimiko Saito (wife) |
| Note | 指先に知覚麻痺のある視覚障がい者は唯一残る舌先や唇の感覚を使って点字を覚え、自分自身の力で本を読もうとした。舌読の習得には舌先、唇から文字通り血がにじむほどの努力が必要だった。 |