Hristo Kostov Belobradov was a teacher, school inspector, ardent supporter of education and of the blind people organization. He was born in the town of Etropole but he dedicated his whole life to the development of education in the Plovdiv region. He was one of the founders of the “Probuda” (i.e. “Awakening”) Community House and the library in the village of Sotir, not far from Plovdiv, as well as the high school in the village of Brezovo, whose principal for years in a row.
He gradually lost his sight at the age of 49, and from then on he dedicated his life to the cause of the blind people in Bulgaria. In 1956, 7 years after losing his sight, he became the founder of the “Uspeh” (i.e. “Success”) Enterprise for Blind People, and was his first director for 10 years.
In 1965, the Union of Blind People in Bulgaria appointed Hristo Belobradov to organize the creation of the first in Eastern Europe “National Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind”, which opened in Plovdiv in 1966 with Belobradov as its first director. The Centre is actively functioning today.