Isolation and discrimination are key problems that visually impaired people face on a daily basis.
The Braille alphabet is a vital tool for visually impaired people to feel integrated and to build an
effective means of communication. It is necessary for children to learn Braille at an early age: it is key to understanding the environment and to develop an interaction with other devices. Moreover, reading is a necessary step in a child's education as it develops imagination and communicational skills.
The product I designed is a Braille Tutor, meant to teach visually impaired children Braille symbols and how to read them.
The Braille Tutor is a support and an integration to school lessons for primary school children. Its shape and software structure are similar to those of videogames, involving levels and goals to reach, as videogames are a common source of entertainment for children and teenagers alike. Its technical aspect can also contribute in closing the gap between blind children and their peers.
The game itself is a Braille version of traditional “Speak and Spell”. Starting with vowels and consonants and on through the whole basic Braille vocabulary, the child is presented a string of symbols, which the program reads aloud. After some repetitions, the player is then asked to guess what he will read on the display: initially single letters, and, at later stages, words and simple sentences. The voice control system each time ensures the answer is correct before allowing access to the next level.
The game’s shape is symmetric so the child can hold the device with both hands. In this way he can read the Braille display with both left and right hands. The surface should be coated in a soft material, so as to enrich its tactile feel.