Thomas Lucas (educator)

[2] It was around this time that Lucas became interested in teaching the blind to read and he soon came up with the solution of using simple shorthand characters which could be felt as well as seen.

[2][3][1] In February 1836, 16 prominent Bristolians including Lucas formed The Bristol Society for Embossing and Circulating the Authorised Version of the Bible for the use of the Blind, to provide funds to print a portion of the Bible using the Lucas system.

Lucas also delivered public lectures to promote his system wherein his blind pupils would demonstrate their reading ability.

[1] The Lucas system continued to be used after his death and there are two surviving examples of Lucas system books in the Royal National Institute of Blind People collections, The Gospel According to Saint John (1837) and Mother's Last Words (1868).

[10] A rare – perhaps the only surviving – example of embossing apparatus used for the Lucas system is held by the Science Museum, London.