An art teacher in the Bronx says his invention can be a revolutionary teaching tool for students around the world. Daniel Lubiner invented a tablet for the blind and visually impaired that will help them perform necessary tasks. “It all started about five years ago when I was told that I was going to be teaching art for the blind and low vision, and I can tell you honestly, I was scared,” Lubiner told News 12. It didn’t take long for him to see that the students needed more resources. That’s when he invented The BrailleDoodle.
According to the BrailleDoodle website, the devices allow students who are visually impaired to create touchable drawings and learn braille at the same time. Lubiner says those who learn braille are far more likely to find employment than those who do not. Lubiner is hoping to bring the BrailleDoodle to the market by September and the TouchPad Pro in the next three years. Learn more at TouchPadProFoundation.org
Who will make the BrailleDoodle?
To produce the BrailleDoodle by the thousands, we have aligned with WORTH Trust. A nonprofit in Vellore, India, WORTHTrust.in has been training and employing ‘differently-abled’ persons for nearly 60 years.
They have since expanded to employ hundreds of people in manufacturing. In addition, they have set up multiple locations in service of children with disabilities. For the last 25 years, WORTH Trust has been the sole assembler of the world-renowned Perkins Brailler.
You can use as much or as little as this for the revolutionary teaching tool page. the BrailleDoodle, which will be an inexpensive device for creating tactile drawings and a braille teaching tool for those who are blind, deaf-blind, or low-vision. Like a touchable Etch-a-Sketch it allows any age group to create tactile art or braille on a surface that refreshes repeatedly. Because the cost to manufacture such a device is low, the estimated retail price is under $85. This price is much lower than that of similar products. The competitor’s products are also antiquated and not designed for independent learning. Due to the fact that the BrailleDoodle offers such a simple, affordable solution, it has already garnered international recognition.
The BrailleDoodle is a device about the size of a laptop; only it is made of durable plastic. There is an array of hundreds of holes, placed tightly together, that covers the surface. Each hole contains a tiny element that can be pulled to the surface by a magnetic stylus and locked into place to create a touchable effect. The user erases a creation by pushing the elements back down with a satisfying “pop.” An electromagnetic stylus, activated by a button, may improve the user’s ability to be more accurate as to which sphere the user wishes to raise.
The BrailleDoodle will also feature a thin plastic sleeve or cover, “The Braille Cover.” Dozens of evenly-spaced rectangular cutouts now cover the device’s surface. The user can then use the stylus to raise the metal elements to create the raised dots in any combination to represent a letter, symbol, contraction, or number. This stencil-like cover can also offer braille examples, shapes, and simple drawings.