Celebrating Tilly Aston: A Legacy Of Braille, Advocacy And Independence

*Main image above shows Tilly Aston teaching braille to children as a young woman.  

More than 130 years ago, an Australian woman changed the future for people who are blind.

Her name was Tilly Aston.

Born in regional Victoria in 1873, Tilly lost her sight completely by the age of seven. At a time when opportunities for people who were blind were limited, even more so for women at the time, she refused to let that define her future.

Tilly became the first blind Australian to attend university and later the first blind teacher in Victoria. But her greatest legacy came through advocacy.

In 1894 she founded the Victorian Association of Braille Writers, establishing Australia’s first Braille library so that people who were blind could access books and education.

Just one year later, she co-founded the Association for the Advancement of the Blind, an organisation that would grow into what we now know as Vision Australia.

Her work helped secure voting rights for blind Australians and improved access to education and information.

Tilly understood something that still resonates today: Access to information creates independence.

Carrying That Legacy Forward

When designed and manufactured correctly, Braille Tactile Signs do more than satisfy a standard. They enhance safety and inclusion within the community, with a specific focus on supporting people who are blind or have low vision to move through the built environment with dignity and independence.

This International Women’s Day

We celebrate Tilly Aston and all the women who have shaped the path toward a more inclusive world.

Because independence begins with access, and access to information, whether through Braille books or Braille Tactile Signs, empowers people who are blind or have low vision.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give To Gain, reminds us that when women like Tilly Aston give their determination and leadership, generations to come gain new opportunities.

A close-up of Tilly Aston's signature. (Image Credit: Victorian Collections)

Tilly Aston, born in 1873, with partial blindness and lost her sight completely when she was seven.