help a blind student access engineering

My name is Haylee, and I am a senior in high school. I was born with the eye condition Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, which has left me with only light perception. I have not been deterred however, and am determined to become a mechanical engineer.
I have been studying engineering for the past four years in my pre-engineering class. Due to my vision impairment, one of the biggest obstacles I face in my engineering class is the lack of access to accessible graphics. Engineering is a graphics intensive field, with complex diagrams, schematics, and sketches. While other students use Computer Aided Design programs on their computers to design complex structures, I cannot, due to the lack of accessibility of these programs.

The Graphiti tactile graphics display by Orbit Research aims to fix this issue. Through an array of moving pins, the Graphiti displays charts, drawings, flowcharts, floorplans, images, and photographs on a tactile display. The device uses a touch interface to enable the user to draw on the display and create their own drawings with a finger. The touch display allows for gestures such as scrolling, zooming, rotation of an image, and the ability to move the image by physically nudging the picture on the display. It is connectable to computers, tablets, smartphones, the Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator, telescopes, microscopes, or video cameras via a USB port or Bluetooth. This feature enables a blind user to feel the images displayed on a device’s screen. More information can be found at http://www.orbitresearch.com/product/graphiti/

Last year, I had the pleasure of visiting Orbit Research and receiving a demo of the Graphiti. I had the chance to use all the display’s features and modes, and think the Graphiti would be an invaluable device for me to use in college. The range of devices the Graphiti can connect to, the ability to draw on the display or have others easily draw what they see, and the ability to use the Graphiti in a multitude of ways would help me level the playing field with my sighted peers.

Outside the classroom, it would also provide me with an accessible way of accessing maps to help me orient myself to a new location. In the future, the Graphiti would help me access graphical information in college labs and classrooms, internships, and my job as an engineer.

Through your contribution and other funding sources, I will be able to pay for the device. I am unable to pay for the Graphiti myself, due to the high price tag and my family’s low income.

Access to the Graphiti would ensure my college education and future career would not be hindered by a graphical barrier, and would contribute to my success as a blind mechanical engineer.