Roughly 90% of blind and low-vision individuals live in developing countries (World Health Organization, 2011). Low-cost, appropriate technologies are crucially needed to support education, productivity, and personal expression among this historically marginalized population.

Although the Braille system of raised dots offers a medium for literacy among the early-blind, the high prices of braillers and other Braille-related technologies undermine the potential benefits. Despite its technical simplicity, Braille has never been widely accessible in the developing world. Those who are blind from a young age often remain illiterate, uneducated, and unemployed.

Tens of millions of blind children and adults worldwide would benefit immensely from access to Braille and tactile assistive devices.

This project will follow two parallel strategies:
1. We will focus on the design and dissemination of low-cost Braille and tactile assistive technologies, prioritizing distribution among early-blind youth in developing countries.
2. We seek to establish a standard set of blind-accessible prototyping methods and a global network of low-cost, accessible makerspaces, where blind individuals can learn construction skills and share design ideas.

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