Isle of Man, 1981, Year of the Disabled 4 x One Crown Coin Set (Sealed coins)

Isle of Man, 1981, Year of the Disabled 4 x One Crown Coin Set (Sealed) - Cupro-Nickel - see photos for condition. 

This set of four crowns were released in 1981 to commemorate the United Nations International Year For Disabled Persons.  The four coins commemorate the following people: Louis Braille, Sir Frances Chichester, Beethoven and Sir Douglas Bader.  The four people represent different types of disabilities, and also different contributions to the life of people with disabilities.

Most likely Louis Braille needs very little introduction, he has been one of the most influential figures impacting the life of people with disabilities. Braille lived between 1809 and 1852. He invented a writing system for blind people, named braille after him, still used today.

Beethoven also doesnt need an introduction. The reason why he is related to people with disabilities is because at the end of his life he lost his hearing, and he was almost completely deaf when he composed one of his most popular pieces, the ninth symphony. At the first performance of the symphony, he was not able to hear any of it.

Sir Douglas Bader is the only one of the four people featured in this series who was on a coin during his lifetime, though he died in 1982 a year after the coin was issued.  Bader joined the Royal Air Force, but at the age of 21, in 1931, both of his legs had to be amputated due to an accident. He was almost ready to give up his dream of flying when the Second World War broke out, and due to the shortage of pilots he was allowed to join the Air Force again.
After the war he worked as an executive at Royal Dutch Shell and also spent time visiting and supporting injured servicemen. He was knighted in 1976 for his service to amputees, and died in 1982. He is an example of how to continue living a fulfilling life with a disability, which at his age was much more difficult than it is today.

Sir Francis Chichester was also a pilot, but this is not the reason why he was featured in this series. He was the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone in 1966-67. Sir Francis Chichester started losing his vision in the 1940s and he had to stop flying. He was born in 1901, so the loss of his vision is hard to attribute to aging though it could be a part of it, but this is exactly what we need to understand when we talk about disabilities, some are due to aging, and some disabilities are only minor, but large enough to change ones life. Chichester definitely needed to find another interest and sailing didnt require perfect vision.