STEM with Science and Technical Writing is taught by Dr. Kevin Crowthers. In this class we are guided in completing our Assistive Technology Project.
Digital inaccessibility is a significant issue that many visually impaired people face. In the United States, 8% of the population is comprised of visually impaired people (VIP) (Visual Impairments, n.d.). However, only 4% of websites are accessible to these individuals (30 Key Web Accessibility Statistics, 2023). Website accessibility includes compatibility with screen readers, alternative text for images, and video transcripts. For most able-bodied citizens, accessibility accommodations are overlooked due to the lack of necessity. Yet, for visually impaired individuals, inadequate digital accessibility makes accessing media, including digital literature, difficult. To provide people with low vision more access to text online, a tactile device to convert digital text from a laptop to Braille was developed. The targets for the device include schools for the visually impaired and people born blind because these demographics are usually taught Braille from a young age (Whittle, 2013). Through the device, VIP will be able to access a wider array of digital text in a tactile form.