TL;DR
Formally recognized awareness days include January 4th, marked as World Braille Day. Article and video resources provide enlightenment.
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Braille Works: 5 Interesting Facts for World Braille Day: January 4th
Jan 5, 2016
Braille is not it’s own language but rather a code that can be translated into many languages. Includes alphabet depiction.
TED Talk: How new technology helps blind people explore the world
Recorded Oct 2015
How can we navigate the world without using the sense of vision? New tech helps blind people explore the world independently. When we design for greater accessibility, everyone benefits.
TED-Ed: How Braille was invented
Mar 6, 2017
Today, Braille is the universally accepted system of writing for the blind, translated into almost every language across the globe. But it didn’t start out as a tool for the blind. Witness the surprising wartime origins of Braille.
TED Blog: FITTLE, a toy to help blind children read
Aug 2, 2013
A new toy for the blind, FITTLE, helps blind children learn to read Braille while getting a sense of the shape of the world around them. This essay explains the toy and how it came about.
TED Talk: How technology allowed me to read
Recorded July 2013
This charming, moving talk celebrates the progression of clever tools and adaptive computer technologies that make reading and other taken-for-granted chores possible.
TEDxGateway; Why did we make the worlds’ first braille smartwatch?
Apr 5, 2016 (YouTube)
The Dot, a device strapping around the wrist like a watch, uses magnets + a grid of pins to create 4 braille characters at a time. The pins change at adjustable speeds, allowing users to read text messages and use apps on any device via Bluetooth.
TEDxGateway: An eye-pad for the blind and much more from this 15 year old
Dec 27, 2013
This youngster’s passion for building things led to the invention of the Virtual Brailler. This low cost ebook reader for the visually challenged revolutionizes book accessibility to millions of people.
Rolex Awards for Enterprise
Feb 6, 2015
World Health Organization: 22% of the world’s 285 million sight-impaired people are in India. This 29-year-old’s ambition is to make life far easier for the visually impaired by creating a Braille phone.
Lack of development funding had an upside. The gentleman launched a blind-friendly application for a smartphone.
TedTalk: How a blind architect designs
Nov 12, 2013
This architect experienced sudden blindness. He contrasts life in his beloved San Francisco before and after. Thoughtful designs enhancing his life makes make everyone’s life better, sighted or not.
Business Insider: Here’s how blind people use smartphones
Feb. 22, 2017
Smartphones can be used without sight. Simple accessibility tweaks and software empower blind people to navigate websites and use apps just like the rest of us. Here’s how.
Hackster.io: Tipo Braille Smartphone Keypad Is a Brilliantly Simple Interface
Nov 14, 2017
A keyboard using 6 keys to input characters, the Tipo also serves as a Braille trainer. This prototype won the Hackaday Prize for Best Product.