Mélanie de Salignac (1741-1763)[1] was a blind French musician whose achievements in the face of her disability were mentioned in the accounts of Diderot.
She was born blind long before the invention of Braille in 1829, but taught herself to read using cut out card letters and achieved much more through her sense of touch.
She devised a tactile version of music notation, which she used to read compositions and correspond with friends.
[7] He took inspiration from her skills and believed that blind people should be educated based on their existing skillset, rather than their lack of sight.
[8] It is believed that he was inspired by De Salignac and another blind musician, Maria Theresia von Paradis.