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Tuesday April 21, 2009
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Here's a concept device I think everyone can get behind: At Yanko Designs, a team of four designers are showcasing this Braille ebook reader. According to Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, Sun-Hye Woo and Jin-Sun Park, the concept for driving the technology is already here--all that's needed is a friendly neighborhood investor to toss some money their way.
Electroactive polymers are used to create different letter configurations when the pages are turned. You can find more information--and more shots of the proposed device--here.
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April 22, 2009 5:18 PM
This idea misses one crucial and disturbing fact. Only 10% of America's blind kids (down from 50% in the '60s) are taught to read & write Braille, still the only tool offering true literacy to blind people on a par with print. It affects all of us , because it results in lower employment of blind adults & the need for tax-payer support of intelligent and willing people. Seventy percent of working-age, blind adults are unemployed. Of the thirty percent who work, ninety percent read Braille. The coin supports the Braille Readers are Leaders" campaign of the National Federation of the Blind, which seeks to double the number of blind kids learning Braille by 2015.
Unfortunately, there have only been a handful of articles nationwide about this, and sales are lagging – only 42,000 of the 400,000 produced. Compare this to the Abraham Lincoln coin also minted this year which has long since sold out all 450,000 produced.
Please, help us.
Visit the US Mint:
www.usmint.gov
Visit the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign:
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_Initiative.asp