Development of BrailleBunny: a device to enhance braille learning

Abstract

Purpose

Braille use has been linked to higher rates of employment, education, financial self-sufficiency, and self-esteem. One area of the world particularly impacted by braille illiteracy is the Philippines. In 2016, Digital Learning for Development and All Children Reading released a “Grand Challenge for Development” that challenged researchers to address the need for assistive technologies to help children with sensory disabilities learn to read in the Philippines. The purpose of this research was to identify technical specifications, and then co-design and test a device that could be used both in developed and developing countries, specifically Canada and the Philippines.

Methods

An iterative, co-design process was undertaken to develop a prototypical device, BrailleBunny. The extent to which the device fulfilled the design criteria and directions for future development were determined through a series of case studies with 25 end-users.

Results

The prototypical device requires improvement in financial accessibility, durability and reliability. All other criteria were met.

Conclusions

Despite identified areas for improvement, the user feedback was positive, with the majority of users identifying that this device could provide transferrable learning to standard-size braille. With improvements, BrailleBunny, could be a valuable tool to increase the uptake of learning braille in the Philippines.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• An inexpensive device, BrailleBunny was developed to promote transferable braille literacy skills including writing with a slate and stylus for children learning to read.

• The BrailleBunny provides real-time auditory and tactile feedback, and functions in either English or Tagalog (the languages which are taught in the Filipino curriculum).

• Feedback from 25 children and adults indicated the potential for use within schools in both Canada and the Philippines.

Keywords:

• Visual impairment
• blind
• assistive technology
• slate and stylus
• braille
• teaching
• reading
• writing

Author contributions

E. Hoskin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8879-5319 graduated with an MASc from Queen’s University in Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Her research focused on braille literacy education.

SD Pinder https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8729-9540 Shane Pinder is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Queen’s University having held appointments in the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. Shane has research interests in the application of human-machine interaction in aerospace and biomedical technologies. Earlier, Shane served as Head of the School of Engineering at the Manukau Institute of Technology, Senior Lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, Senior Systems Engineer at both Raytheon Canada Limited and Navsys Corporation, and as a commissioned officer in the Canadian Forces.

T.C. Davies https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4880-2654 The primary focus of Dr. Davies’ research is increasing independence for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Davies’s research involves evaluating strategies for upper limb and lower limb motor control, developing a model of cognitive, perception, and motor control strategies from data gathered from persons with disabilities and evidence based universal design of AT.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada under the CGS-M, READi CREATE grant and RGPIN-2016-04669