Dorina Nowill’s 100th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates the 100th birthday of Brazilian educator and advocate Dorina de Gouvêa Nowill, whose tireless efforts made Brazil more responsive to the needs of visually impaired.

An unfortunate illness left Nowill blind at the age of 17. As the first blind student to enroll in a regular school in São Paulo, she found it difficult to find the books she needed. As a result, she began advocating for all students’ access to culture and information. Becoming a teacher at her alma mater, Nowill implemented training for education of the blind and won a scholarship to further her studies at Columbia University in the United States. In 1946 she and some friends established the Foundation for the Book of the Blind in Brazil with the country’s first large Braille press, enlisting volunteers to transcribe various publications.

After working to found the Department of Special Education for the Blind, Nowill helped pass a law guaranteeing blind people’s right to an education. Such accomplishments led to new opportunities on a wider scale. Elected president of the World Council of the Blind in 1979, she went on to speak at the United Nations General Assembly and campaigned for the creation of the Latin American Union of the Blind.

Having won numerous philanthropic awards, Nowill’s legacy lives on in the work of her nonprofit organization, Fundação Dorina Nowill, which prints braille editions for Brazil’s Ministry of Education as well as everything from menus to airline safety cards. The foundation also distributes audio and digitally accessible books to schools and libraries all over Brazil, ensuring the just and inclusive society that Dorina Nowill foresaw.

Happy birthday, Dorina Nowill!

Doodler Up Close

Today's Doodle was created by UK-based Doodler Pedro Vergani, who shares his thoughts on Dorina Nowill below:

Q: How did you first learn about Dorina Nowill?

A: I first heard about Dorina and her incredible work as I was preparing to work on this Doodle. I was amazed to see the reach and impact of her work and life. She’s touched so many lives throughout her career, it is really inspiring.

Q: What part of her story do you find most inspiring personally?

A: Dorina was a fierce advocate for education and inclusion of the visually impaired, and she dedicated her life to that cause. I find the love she had for helping people around her and all over the country really inspiring and an example to be followed.

Q: What aspect of her life and/or work did you seek to express in your Google Doodle?

A: Dorina worked hard to provide a structured education for the visually impaired through teaching and advocating for their rights. In this Doodle I wanted to make a reference to that structure by juxtaposing both Braille and written letters in the spelling of “Google” in the background.

Q: What was your process in researching and creating this Doodle?

A: Dorina once said “Na escada da vida os degraus são feitos de livros,” which translates to “in life’s stairs, the steps are made of books.” So I thought reading everything I could about her would surely be the best way to start my research. I followed that by watching several interviews online and studying the effects of her work that are, to this day, still making a difference in countless people’s lives.

Q: As a visual artist, what does the gift of sight mean to you? Could you imagine living life without it?

A: As a visual artist, I confess one of my biggest fears is losing the ability to see, but I am sure I would learn how to appreciate life in a different and beautiful way and, thanks to people like Dorina, would have the support of amazing people around me.