Improving Touchscreen Device Accessibility for Visually Impaired People Using Haptics and Tactiles

This project is built around the idea of designing hardware for accessibility. In the modern context, many accessibility solutions are built around software. While this allows for a lot of flexibility in terms of features and content, it is an imperfect approach to design for users of all abilities. In particular, blind and deaf-blind users are poorly accounted for in terms of hardware design. They are a user group that is highly limited by the inadequate features designed for their needs, and this project will demonstrate that users feel frustrated by these imperfect solutions to using a smartphone without sight. Not only will this project present its own accessory to accompany software accessibility features, but this project will also try to push first-party manufacturers to design and create their own hardware solutions. LOUIS is a refreshable braille display that magnetically attaches to a smartphone case. It will give braille users the tools they need to not only operate their phone through hardware, but read and write through braille. It includes a braille display that can read out on-screen information using existing software APIs. It also has Perkins brailler keys for users to compose texts, emails and other messages. It is packaged into a thin and highly-portable package that will allow users to continue to pocket their phones easily.