When I was at the CSUN assistive technology conference last year, I was walking around the exhibit hall checking out whatever I could check out. There’s never enough time to see everything, and I always stumble onto things I had no idea were even there.
One of those things was the Braille Doodle. It’s a neat little tablet. On one side, you can make tactile drawings with a little magnetic stylus. On the other side is where the user can learn Braille. It shows you a letter, and then you can try to recreate the same letter in the cell next to it. I didn’t get to play with it for long, but I could tell it had potential, not just for wee little kids, but for adults who are learning Braille. The prospect of learning Braille can feel daunting and I think this neat little gadget can help make it easier and much more fun!
I think about one of my classmates from my last guide dog class. She really wanted to learn, but it’s a lot, and Braille is nothing like print, so probably felt even more complicated for someone who lost vision later on. I wanted to help her get started by using a muffin tin and some tennis balls to simulate the Braille cell, but guide dog class is not a time when there’s lots of excess time and energy, so it didn’t happen. But I think she would probably find learning Braille to be much more fun with this thing.
But I guess the start for this product was bumpy, and not in the Braille sort of way. They sold a bunch of units, but when they got the second batch made, they found a defect in a lot of them. So rather than ship defective units, they held them back until they could fix the problem. But this meant they took a big hit.
They have found a way to fix the problem, but they still need support until things are truly on their way. So they’re raising money to help get back on their feet.
I only saw the Braille Doodle for a brief moment, so I can’t describe it properly. But there are lots of videos on their GoFundMe page. Check them out. And if you feel so inclined, throw them some money. Every little bit helps.
Here’s a silly aside. Whenever I think about the Braille Doodle, I think about the old Magna Doodle,
And then I just can’t resist trying to imitate something I’ve only seen in a home movie. I got to watch one movie of Steve and family getting Christmas presents when he was younger. In the video, among other things, Steve’s little sister got a Magna Doodle and kept singing “Magna Doodle, Magna Doodle!” I guess it sounded more like “Magadoodle, Magadoodle!” But now if anything has Doodle in it, I sing the song. Magna Doodle, Labradoodle, Snickerdoodle, Braille Doodle, it doesn’t matter. It’s all an excuse to sing the song. I’m a silly goof.