Blind people have been successful throughout the history of the world, they have become beacons of inspiration for many generations including our own. The following are lists of blind individuals who have made themselves a success in the world. Individuals blind from birth:

• Homer, author of many novels including the Iliad and the Odyssey
• Surdas, a Hindu poet, saint and musician of India
• Alec Templeton, jazz musician
• David Blunkett, (born 1947), British ex-cabinet minister

People who became blind:

• Johann Sebastian Bach(1685–1750), famous musical composer
• Louis Braille, (1809–1852), invented the brail system of writing and reading for the blind
• Ray Charles, (1930–2004),famous musician
• Galileo Galilei(1564–1642), famous scientist
• Stevie Wonder, famous musician
  

Over the past 15 years, due to new technologies and advances in modern medicine, the number of blind is significantly decreasing in the US and even in third world countries. This, coupled with the lack of education of the blind, is leading to a decline in the number of highly successful blind persons in our world today.