Jot-A-Dot, the pocket Brailler is back for easiness, portability and functionality of Brailling.
FACT 1: There are 42 million people in the world who are blindi. Approximately 90% live in developing countries and constitute one
of the world’s most invisible and poorest minorities.
FACT 2: Braille remains the foundation of written communication in education and employment for all blind people. It is a true literacy medium for reading and writing that cannot be replaced by speech and listening.
FACT 3: A person needs a tool to write braille. The most commonly used device was invented in 1834 by Louis Braille and remains largely unchanged to this day.
How could the basic communication needs of 42 million people be ignored to the extent they have? We believe it has a lot to do with the current paradigm where blind people are pitied and charity is seen as the only option for them. Charity is one of the divine virtues and is obviously crucial, however it is not the environment in which technological change and innovation can flourish. As testament to the
fact that charities and the commercial sector can work together, it was a charity with vision, the Guide Dog Association of New South Wales that provided the initial funding for tooling Jot-a-Dot.
We strongly believe that such cooperative investments in blindness technology represent an important step in the emancipation of blind people around the world. There are wonderful technological developments at the “high-tech” end and blind people can now use computers to surf the web and participate in the “age of information” like everyone else. But those tools are available only to a very small percentage of people in the developed world. Over 90% of the worlds blind are still striving for “low-tech” solutions and basic tools for literacy. Jot-a-Dot is the first serious attempt to address this need. It has been a labour of love for us over the last 8 years, and if successful, has the potential to lead to the development of many other much needed products.
- Read more at: /jot-a-dot/