Why Accessibility Matters
285 million people worldwide are visually impaired. BrailleVision AI exists to remove one more barrier — making written Braille instantly accessible to everyone.
A tactile writing system used by millions
Braille was invented in 1824 by Louis Braille, a Frenchman who lost his sight at age three. The system uses a grid of six raised dots — arranged in two columns of three — to represent letters, numbers, punctuation, and even musical notation.
Each unique combination of raised and flat dots within the six-dot cell represents a different character. Grade 1 Braille maps directly to the alphabet; Grade 2 introduces contractions and shorthand forms for common words to speed up reading.
Despite digital advances, physical Braille remains essential in signage, educational materials, medication labels, and everyday documents — places where screens are absent or impractical.
6
Dots per cell
2 columns × 3 rows
64
Unique combinations
Including blank cell
200+
Languages supported
Worldwide Braille codes
1824
Year invented
Louis Braille, France
Braille Alphabet — A to L
Filled dots represent raised embossed points. BrailleVision AI detects these dot patterns using computer vision and maps them to characters.
Accessibility gaps that technology can close
Millions of people interact with Braille documents daily — but the gap between sighted and non-sighted access to written information remains vast.
285M
Visually impaired worldwide
43M
Completely blind individuals
90%
Of blind children lack Braille access
1 in 5
Caregivers can read Braille
Our Mission
BrailleVision AI believes that every written document — whether a school textbook, a pharmacy label, a restaurant menu, or a legal notice — should be instantly accessible to anyone who holds it, regardless of whether they can read Braille.
We build for caregivers who want to understand their loved ones' written notes. For teachers who want to read back what students have written. For volunteers in NGOs who work daily with visually impaired communities. For the visually impaired themselves — giving them a tool to verify what they've written.
Our Commitment to Accessibility
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across every screen
- Screen reader compatibility with ARIA roles throughout
- Full keyboard navigation — no mouse required
- High contrast mode for low-vision users
- Large text mode for enhanced readability
- Voice guidance status messages during scanning
- Free forever for individual users and NGOs
How the technology works
Five sequential processing stages transform a raw image of embossed Braille into readable English text and natural speech.
Image Capture
WebRTC / File APIWebcam stream or uploaded JPEG/PNG. Frame extraction at 1080p for optimal dot resolution. Minimum 300 DPI recommended for embossed Braille.
Preprocessing
OpenCV.jsGrayscale conversion → Gaussian blur for noise reduction → Adaptive thresholding → Morphological operations to enhance dot boundaries.
Cell Detection
YOLO / CNN ModelConvolutional neural network identifies individual Braille cell boundaries. Each 2×3 dot grid is extracted with a bounding box and confidence score.
Translation
Braille DecoderDot pattern within each cell is mapped to the Unified English Braille code table. Grade 1 and Grade 2 contractions are resolved in context.
Speech Output
Web Speech APITranslated English text is passed to the browser TTS engine. Server-side fallback available for environments without Web Speech API support.
Where we're headed
A transparent look at what's been built, what's in progress, and what's coming next.
Core Braille Scanner MVP
CompleteCamera capture, image upload, Grade 1 Braille detection, basic TTS output.
Grade 2 Braille Support
CompleteFull Grade 2 contraction library, improved CNN model accuracy to 96%+.
Mobile App (iOS & Android)
In ProgressNative camera access, offline processing, haptic feedback on detection.
Multi-language Braille
PlannedSupport for Hindi Braille, Arabic Braille, Spanish Braille, and 10 additional scripts.
Real-time Video Scanning
PlannedContinuous frame analysis without manual capture — point and read like a live translator.
Braille Authoring Tool
PlannedType English text and generate a printable Braille document — bidirectional translation.
Partner Organizations
Working alongside these organizations to reach the communities that need this most.
National Association for the Blind
India
NGORoyal National Institute of Blind People
UK
NGOPerkins School for the Blind
USA
EducationLighthouse for the Blind
USA
EducationBraille Without Borders
Global
NGOSense International
Global
NGO