Low-Cost Technologies to Teach Beginner Braille to Children

Abstract

At present, there are very few interactive technologies available to help children with visual impairments to learn Braille. Teaching is typically done by trained teachers using a variety of teaching techniques and evaluation instruments. Treasure Box Braille (TBB) is an interactive device that provides an innovative approach to supporting the development of functional knowledge of Braille in children with visual impairments. The project espouses a low-cost DIY approach. TBB falls under the ENAMEL (ENAblingMEdiafor Literacy) project. The ENAMEL project aims to make Treasure Box Braille accessible to anyone who wants to make Braille learning a better experience, and to improve the TBB user interface. The objective of this research is to investigate and test the usability of Treasure Box Braille and its associated set of teaching materials.