Empower Luke and Ashley's Kids with Braille Tablets

My name is Ashley. My husband Luke and I hope to purchase two adaptive technology braille tablets for our son and daughter. They are both blind.

School is a challenge for a blind student, but technology has come a long way! A braille tablet is a tablet that has a braille keyboard and a braille display for tactile reading rather than a touch screen or visual display. They are fully functional tablets, able to navigate the internet, handle email, word processing, media, etc. They also double as a braille display for a computer, acting as a monitor would for a sighted person. These devices are urgently needed for school right now but will also serve my children far into the future.

As you might imagine, specialized technology like this has a pretty limited market, so it can be incredibly expensive. Their current braille displays have served them well for many years, but are showing their age and are breaking down in a variety of ways. The cost of continued repairs is adding up. Also, they are old enough that it is likely they will cease to be supported by the manufacturers soon. Needless to say, this is making their schooling challenging.

We don't take asking for this kind of help lightly. Money is no small thing these days. But we feel like we have exhausted all other options. For the last two years we have applied and continue to apply for a variety of state a federal assistance programs, but for various reasons this has not yet come through is not likely to in the near future. While we will continue to try this route, we are running out of time. They really need these devices now, and we don't know when or if the issue with the state funding will be resolved.

Each device costs $5,000, so it will take $10,000 to get one for each child. Adaptive technology for the blind is always expensive, especially so when it involves a braille display. I have included a link to the specific device we would like to purchase, in hopes that it will be helpful in your decision. I have used equipment from this company, and I can say from personal experience that their products are reliable and perform very well. We know this is a lot of money! We are so grateful for any help toward this goal!

Braille Sense 6 Mini