Trinayani made a splash at the International Purple Fest Goa, 2024. Alongside our Blind therapists of “Sparsh Foot Spa”, “Pehli Baarish”, our Inclusive Music Band and our “Towards Inclusion” Game kit, we also visited a fantastic stall showcasing assistive devices for visually impaired children in their educational pursuits.

We first saw the Braille Slate and stylus, which are the initial tools essential for people with blindness or low vision, to read and write in Braille. The Braille slate, resembling a template with small squares, serves as a tactile guide. One can write in any language, like Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, English and others using this slate.

Then we were shown the Brailler, a device which transcribes Braille on to paper. We saw a demonstration where my name, Ritika, in Braille was written on the Braille slate using a stylus, followed by writing it using the Brailler.

With deft fingers, the person typed "R I T I K A" producing raised dots on the paper. This is how blind persons initially navigate the world of Braille, helping them to communicate effectively, through touch.

We then went on to learn about the Refreshable Braille Display - a device which bridges the gap between Digital text and Braille. It was connected to a computer. And the text on the computer showed up as Braille dots on the Refreshable display, allowing blind persons to read the Braille in digital format.

We were told that at any one time, the Refreshable Braille display throws up only 40 characters so, while reading the digital text the user has to change the lines on the Refreshable Braille display to continue reading the text on the computer screen. The Refreshable Braille display opens up new avenues for persons with visual impairment to access Digital content in Braille format.

We then visited the Stall which had an array of Tactile Books. Tactile books are like regular books, but designed for reading with touch. They have raised pictures and textures that bring information and stories to life for those who are blind or visually impaired. As shown earlier, the Braille text, a system of raised dots, is often included alongside the pictures and text, allowing readers to decipher words and sentences through touch. These books unlock a world of stories, fosters literacy, sparking imagination and a love of learning for everyone.

Being aware of these tools and the technological advancement will contribute towards changing attitudes and facilitating education and employment for persons with visual impairments.