Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1834, Azevedo was one of the first educators in Brazil to be concerned with the education of blind people. At the time, there were not many schools or institutions aimed at this public, which made access to education more difficult.
In 1844, Azevedo traveled to Europe to study new teaching techniques. It was there that he got to know the Braille System, which had been created in France by Louis Braille in 1824. Azevedo was impressed with the effectiveness of the system, which allowed blind people to read and write with total independence.
José Álvares de Azevedo attended the only school specializing in the education of the blind in the world, the Royal Institute of Young Blind People in Paris, as a boarder, between the ages of 10 and 16.
Álvares de Azevedo actively worked in the initial activities for the founding of the Imperial Instituto dos Meninos Cegos in Brazil, Azevedo managed an audience with Emperor Pedro II, in which he exposed the proposal for teaching the blind in Brazil, so the Monarch authorized the creation of the then Imperial Instituto dos Meninos Cegos, which would later be called Instituto Benjamin Constant, located in the Urca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro.
José Álvares de Azevedo died prematurely, a victim of tuberculosis, aged 19, on March 17, 1954, exactly six months before the inauguration of the Imperial Instituto dos Meninos Cegos. Despite his brief stint in life, he left a legacy that inspired many other educators to follow in his footsteps.
Azevedo's work was crucial for blind people in Brazil to have access to education and to be able to fully develop in society.
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