Jared Mace, from One Court Technologies Incorporated, works to enhance accessibility in sports for blind people. The Seattle-based startup develops innovative technology that translates live sports gameplay into vibrations. This allows visually impaired individuals to experience the game through touch. Today, Jared demonstrates this technology with Gina, a blind woman eager to participate in the action.
The demonstration starts with Jared running a play on his laptop. Meanwhile, Gina experiences the game through vibrations at the 20-yard line. The vibrations begin on her thumb and move to her left thumb, perfectly matching the gameplay. This technology introduces a new level of accuracy and excitement to sports for blind people, enabling them to engage in the game in unprecedented ways.
As the play progresses, Gina feels the vibrations shift to her left index finger, signaling a change in direction. The vibrations intensify, mimicking the game’s rising tension. Gina expresses her excitement, noting how this technology allows blind individuals to fully participate in sports. They can now discuss the game with friends and enjoy the experience just like sighted fans.
Touch Down in Many Ways
The play ends with a touchdown, marked by a strong vibration, and Gina celebrates the moment, fully immersed in the action. She then quickly wants to “see” the baseball game using another tactile overlay on the device. This device is not just about following the game; it’s about inclusion and participation. It makes sports for blind people a shared experience with their sighted peers.
Jared highlights that this technology revolutionizes how blind people experience sports. It breaks down barriers and creates new opportunities for engagement. The ability to feel the game in real-time through vibrations represents a significant advancement in making live sports accessible and enjoyable for everyone, especially those with visual impairments. There are online games also for people to play on computers when an actual one is NOT in play, but if you want to learn yourself, here is one young man giving basketball a try.
Student Hayes has issues completing math in WORD as her label number do not read. Dr. Robinson demonstrates how to resolve issues with auto-numbering in Word. She first identifies that automatic numbering is causing issues for the student using dot 2 and space in the Brailliant Braille display, especially when numbers appear incorrectly on the Braille display. To address this, she instructs to press “Alt + F” to open the File menu, followed by “T” for options, then “P” for proofing, and finally “Alt + A” to access AutoCorrect options.
She guides users through unchecking five specific boxes that affect text formatting, ensuring the correct settings are applied. Dr. Robinson emphasizes the importance of turning off automatic numbered lists, which often causes unexpected changes in documents.
After confirming the settings, she instructs on how to apply these changes by pressing “Enter” to save them. This step ensures the document is correctly formatted and ready for the student to use in MathKicker.AI.
Braille Viewer to accurately solve math problems
Next, Dr. Robinson advises turning on the Braille viewer. Using the Jaws context menu and U, to navigate to the utilities to access the Braille viewer. Braille viewer allows the teacher to view the math problems correctly on student screen in Braille. While student uses fingers to read display.
Then Dr. Robinson explains how to use the Math Viewer by pressing “Insert + Space + Equals.” This enables the student to navigate through the math content character by character. This command helps ensure accuracy in reading and solving math problems, especially when using Braille displays.
Finally, she explains how to open the Braille Math Editor now that auto numbering issues are resolved. Eventually, she will learn how to use split braille on her display. Student can braille equations in Nemeth code, and ensure that each step of the problem is correct to accurately solve math problems. Dr. Robinson highlights how the Math Editor will not accept incomplete or incorrect inputs. The student cannot close the editor without fixing errors. This method reinforces correct equation formatting. It ensures students accurately solve math problems using auditory and Braille math tools.
Kim began as a young student with TechVision. Her mother sought help and discovered that we provide real-time instruction using everyday technology essential for future job success. TechVision worked with Kim several days a week, ensuring continuous learning and growth. She used a PC with access technology to access her school platform and all else, including a Computer Enabled access with screen readers and a braille display, to access her world and education. Over time, she transformed from a struggling blind student, reliant on constant para and teacher support, to an independent learner working on her own. This is her story, please listen.
For Kim, moving from depending on others for her education to becoming independent changed everything. With TechVision’s hands-on, real-time learning, she learned to use screen readers and a braille display, which let her access schoolwork by herself. Instead of always needing help from a para or teacher, Kim could now complete her assignments on her own, just like her classmates. This gave her confidence and made her feel more in control of her education. Being able to work independently helped her stay on track with her peers and prepared her for future success. A Computer Enabled access to change her life.
Kaleigh was born with very special hands. So, whether you have 10 fingers or 2 or 3, there is always an easy way to use a braille display to control your computer.
Typing with 3 Fingers on her laptop is made easier with practice and now she is typing 77 word per minute. This impressive feat shows Kaleigh typing 77 wpm flawlessly.
A young lady with three fingers can type at over 77 words per minute. She is using adaptive strategies to access the same technology as peers. Kaleigh typing 77 wpm highlights her exceptional skills. Kaleigh has been learning and using these special skills based on her fingers for years. She uses a regular laptop with JAWS screen reader to do all of her work.
For individuals typing with one finger on one hand and two fingers on the other, specialized typing techniques can help improve speed and accuracy. Focus on positioning both hands in the center of the keyboard on homerow so the left single finger can move around that side of the keys. With the right 2 fingers, 1 is on the space bar at all times while other finger moves arund and presses keys. Moving together with a lot of practice, speed is gained. Start with slow, deliberate typing to reduce errors and gradually build up speed. Mastering typing speed similar to Kaleigh’s, started with such methods. Regular practice with phrases like “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” helps improve finger coordination. One such success story celebrating progress is Kaleigh typing 77 wpm.
With determination and keyboard practice with lots of instruction, students can accomplish anything. Kaleigh typing 77 wpm is a testament to this. See her series of progress.
Access Braille Writing and PC Devices: The year is 2000 and I am blessed with meeting 3 siblings in a family of 8. I first met the oldest daughter who was in 2nd grade grade and her sister who was in preschool. Their young brother, was just born. All 3 have a VERY rare condition called: Spondylometaphyseal dysplasia with cone rod dystrophy. This was an exciting journey with all 3. All 3 live very successful lives now.
Early Education Leads to Access Braille Writing Devices
Starting at 3 months old: First, always teach the parents right along with the child–Teamwork is key! One crucial step was ensuring he could eventually access Braille writing devices to aid in his learning journey. Teach fun games on a computer as they learn like Starfall games and Inclusive Multi-Sensory Learning Tools. If you sense a visual impairment and glasses need to be work, try: Kids Bright Eye glasses or Eye patches
Pre-teaching a blind child from an early age involves fostering foundational skills that support sensory development, spatial awareness, and independence. Here’s how you can engage with a blind child from 3 months old to 3 years old and up to 3rd Grade, ensuring they develop crucial abilities at each stage:
At 3 Months Old in general:
At this stage, it’s all about sensory exploration and exposure. A blind infant learns through touch, sound, and smell. Parents and caregivers can begin pre-teaching through activities that engage the child’s remaining senses.
Tactile Exploration: Provide different textures for the baby to feel, such as soft cloth, textured toys, and various materials. This helps them develop an understanding of their environment through touch.
Auditory Stimulation: Introduce the baby to a variety of sounds, from gentle music to the sound of voices and everyday noises. Toys that make sounds or produce vibrations can also help the child associate movements with sounds.
Bonding with Language: Talk to the baby constantly, explaining what’s happening around them. Even at this age, exposing them to language and verbal interaction is key for cognitive development.
At 1 Year Old:
By the time the child is 1 year old, they are starting to gain more control over their movements and understand their surroundings through tactile and auditory feedback. The focus at this age is on expanding their sensory awareness and motor skills.
Mobility Encouragement: Support the child as they begin to crawl or walk. Encourage them to explore safe spaces, ensuring the environment is designed for them to navigate without harm.
Hands-on Learning: Let the child interact with everyday objects, describing what they are holding. This could include toys, household items, or safe objects they encounter daily.
Cane-have a cane around his/her toys so they get acquainted with the tool
Language Development: Continue talking to the child, narrating actions and surroundings. Introduce basic concepts like hot/cold, soft/hard, and big/small, as this builds vocabulary and concept understanding. Have them touch everything, giving purpose to what they interact with always.
A 4-year-old uses the Mountbatten, and a 2nd grader uses the Braille Lite with a Braille display to access Braille writing devices.
At 3 Years Old Access Braille writing devices and start typing on computer:
At 3 years old, the blind child is ready to begin more structured learning and independent exploration. Pre-teaching during this period focuses on more complex tasks, building independence, and preparing for future skills. Begin touch-typing on keyboard of computer and using other braille devices like the MouthBatten Brailler. This student learned all of the alphabet and several contractions.
Orientation and Mobility: Begin teaching basic orientation and mobility skills, using a cane for navigation. This will help the child build confidence in moving through space.
Fine Motor Skills: Encourage fine motor development through activities like threading beads, playing with textured blocks, or using simple tactile puzzles. This helps the child develop dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
Pre-Braille Exposure: Introduce early Braille awareness through tactile games or exposure to raised dots or objects. As they may not be ready to fully learn Braille, familiarization with textures and symbols helps lay the foundation for literacy. This includes touch typing on keyboard using braille on braille device like a Mouthbatten Brailler
Self-Care Skills: Teach simple self-care tasks like washing hands, dressing, and feeding themselves. These activities foster independence and help them gain confidence in daily living skills.
By consistently engaging the child’s senses and nurturing their curiosity, they will develop essential skills for future success. With each stage of growth, pre-teaching ensures they build a strong foundation. This approach prepares the child to easily learn more complex skills later, such as reading Braille, using assistive technology and navigating the world independently.
Continuing to teach a blind child in kindergarten through 2nd grade involves focusing on expanding their academic, social, and independence skills, while incorporating accessible tools and adaptive techniques. Here’s how you can approach teaching at each stage:
Kindergarten (K)-Access writing PC computers:
In kindergarten, the focus is on introducing basic academic concepts while fostering independence and confidence in social situations. This student was able to begin reading braille like his peers due to already knowing braille letters and symbols. He also know the keys on the computer to begin learning how to type out work to email to teacher. Teach how accessible Work is needed, including Math for now and later on.
Braille Literacy: Begin formal Braille instruction, introducing letters, numbers, and simple words. Use tactile books, raised alphabet cards, and manipulative’s to enhance literacy.
Orientation and Mobility: Continue reinforcing basic mobility skills such as using a cane and navigating familiar spaces like classrooms and playgrounds.
Interactive Learning: Incorporate multi-sensory learning activities, such as counting objects with tactile number lines and participating in songs or rhymes for phonics and vocabulary.
Technology Introduction: Introduce basic assistive technology, such as a Mountbatten Brailler or screen reader software, to support early writing and computer skills.
First Grade (1st Grade):
In first grade, the child should begin building on the foundations laid in kindergarten, focusing on more advanced academic and mobility skills.
Braille Proficiency: Increase fluency in Braille reading and writing. Introduce more complex words, sentences, and basic punctuation. Begin incorporating Braille reading into classroom activities.
Math Skills: Teach basic math concepts using tactile math tools like counting beads, tactile number lines, and raised math grids. Introduce early Nemeth Code for math symbols in Braille.
Social Integration: Encourage social interactions and group activities, teaching the child to collaborate with peers and practice conversational skills.
Assistive Technology Growth: Begin integrating more advanced technology, such as screen readers (e.g., JAWS or NVDA) and tactile graphics for learning new concepts.
Second Grade (2nd Grade):
By second grade, the goal is to strengthen the child’s academic abilities while fostering greater independence. His sisters immediately picked up keyboarding and were handing in all work within 2 months to teachers via email. They learned Braille reading
Advanced Braille: Continue advancing Braille reading and writing skills, incorporating full sentences and paragraphs. Increase reading speed and comprehension through practice. Teach how to braille or keyboard work on PC computer.
Math in Braille: Build on basic math skills, using tactile tools to teach addition, subtraction, and early multiplication. Enhance familiarity with the Nemeth Code for math. Teach how to output math on the computer using WORD
Independent Learning: Encourage more independent work by providing opportunities to complete assignments using accessible technology. Allow the child to practice retrieving and saving work on a computer or braille device.
Orientation and Mobility: Further develop mobility skills by teaching navigation in unfamiliar environments. Practicing independent travel in controlled settings, such as the school campus or nearby park is essential.
Assistive Technology Growth: Continue integrating more advanced technology, with screen readers (e.g., JAWS or NVDA) so they can advance om speed to keep up with outputting work with their peers.
Throughout kindergarten through 2nd grade, regular collaboration with teachers, mobility instructors, and other specialists is essential. Tailor instruction to the child’s progress and ensure their curriculum is fully accessible to set them up for long-term success. This type of collaboration must continue throughout school to Access Braille writing devices and PC Computers.
Starfall.com is a wonderful website for kids. It provides free and subscription-based learning games and resources for young children. It focuses on early literacy, math, and foundational skills. Initially created to teach reading through phonics, Starfall has since expanded to include interactive content in math, social studies, and more. Go to: https://www.starfall.com/h/accessibility.php which is on the first page so your child can access the site also.
Key Features of Starfall.com Website for kids:
Phonics and Reading: The website offers various phonics-based reading games and activities, helping children build vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Math: Starfall includes interactive games and exercises that teach basic math concepts such as counting, addition, subtraction, and geometry.
Language Arts: Activities to help kids understand grammar, sentence building, and other language concepts.
Science and Social Studies: Limited resources are available for early science and social studies learning.
While Starfall.com website for kids aim to be accessible (most of it is) BUT, you must use: https://www.starfall.com/h/accessibility.php for accessible play for interactive games and animations, which are a major component of Starfall’s appeal.
VoiceOver (iOS): Some parts of Starfall are accessible when using VoiceOver on iOS devices. However, many interactive elements may not be read or described in full by the screen reader, making navigation difficult.
JAWS and NVDA (Windows): Starfall’s web-based activities have mixed results with JAWS and NVDA. Some of the educational content is accessible, but much of the visual and interactive games may not be fully usable. The site does not appear to have been fully optimized for these tools.
Keyboard Navigation: For users who rely on keyboard navigation, Starfall might be challenging since many games require dragging and dropping or clicking on specific items that are visually represented.
Text Descriptions and Audio Narration: Starfall includes a lot of audio instructions and narrated text, which can be helpful for users with low vision or reading difficulties, but this is often tied to specific animations or games that may not be fully accessible to blind children.
When sighted parents’ setup computer for their young child, they learn the commands and how to follow through with lessons after the TechVision Team completes working with their child.
Shared Learning Experience: Learning together can be a bonding experience, making the process enjoyable and less isolating for the child. It also demonstrates to the child that their parents are invested in their education and success.
Here are some general essential keyboard commands to set up and navigate the JAWS screen reader:
Starting and Basic Navigation
Start JAWS:
Press Ctrl + Alt + J or if pinned to taskbar Windows 3 on this computer
Activate PC Cursor:
Press Numpad +.
Activate JAWS Cursor:
Press Numpad -.
Silence Current Speech Output:
Press Ctrl.
Help Sighted Parents Setup Navigating Web Pages
List Links:
Press Insert + F7.
List Headings:
Press Insert + F6.
List Form Fields:
Press Insert + F5.
Next Heading:
Press H.
Next Link:
Press Tab.
Previous Link:
Press Shift + Tab.
Reading Text
Read Next Line:
Press Down Arrow.
Read Previous Line:
Press Up Arrow.
Read Current Line:
Press Insert + Up Arrow.
Read Next Word:
Press Insert + Right Arrow.
Read Previous Word:
Press Insert + Left Arrow.
Forms and Tables
Enter Forms Mode:
Press Enter.
Exit Forms Mode:
Press Numpad +.
Navigate Table Cells:
Press Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Keys.
Sighted Parents Setup computer successfully and if your child is Visually Impaired use this setup to SEE computer better
Dr. Robinson explains the three toggles to Switch Focus Braille Modes quickly on your Braille display. One toggle puts you into Braille mode for all Braille tasks. Another toggle switches to computer braille which inputs direct Nemeth code for math. The third toggle is for computer in and contracted out for either Nemeth or UEB math.
Access Jaws settings to set up Focus Braille Mode Options
First, press Insert + 6 to check your settings. Type “braille m” and down arrow to “Braille mode.” You can access options one by one with arrow keys or press F6 to jump to structured then Alt+T to jump to output. Press down arrow to UEB Grade 2 then tab to input and c to computer braille first to uncheck the box that says “Show current word in computer Braille”. Shift tab back up to input and choose UEB for both input and output. You can have other options also but this is what used here.
Tab through back to For structured Braille mode, check “Active cursor follows Braille cursor” and “Braille cursor follows active cursor.” These settings help beginners, especially when working with sighted personnel learning Braille to following along visually for instructor. Always have a certified Braille instructor (TVI) to teach reading and writing Braille correctly.
Always press Alt + A to apply settings before exiting. However, if you do not like the extra information at the start of your display, shift tab back to search in settings and type status and enter. Down arrow to status and F6 and down to right (to place status on the right of display) and down to none and apply that and close. When you first turn on your Braille display, the status characters may be confusing to young learners. Additional Braille Display Lessons here.
Focus Braille Display Image with Button options
Switch Focus Braille display modes quickly on display
For advanced users, status dots help in tables and other navigation. Beginners should start with “none.” Press Alt + A to apply changes, then enter to close. The Braille display functions like a Braille writer. Keys 1 2 3 are on the left, and keys 4 5 6 are on the right with space in between the left and right side. The left pinky key is backspace, which changes to dot 7, and the right pinky is enter or dot 8 in combination with other keys.
Remote Instruction Through Access Technology — Complete Real Work in Real Time for all ages. Our program specializes in providing Training For The Blind to ensure that every individual can succeed and work independently.
Training For The Blind & Vision Impaired-Remote Instruction via access Technology
Empowering Blind & Visually Impaired Students Through Technology and Direct Instruction-Access Technology that Gives you Vision
Offering Personalized 1:1 remote instruction in technology, Braille, Nemeth, and essential blind skills — for students of all ages, anywhere in the world, enhances their educational access. These services ensure all can access educational opportunities effectively.
Founded in 2007 by Dr. Denise M. Robinson, a global leader in remote instruction for blind and low-vision education, TechVision brings together a nationally recognized team of blind education specialists, access technology experts, transcribers, and certified braille instructors. The team delivers expert training in access technology, braille, braille math code, screen readers, and comprehensive academic accessibility. Through real-time, individualized instruction, TechVision equips blind learners of all ages to participate equally, work independently, and succeed across educational and professional environments.
What We Do: Educational Access
We Provide:
Support for families, schools, transition programs, and vocational rehabilitation with the goal of improving access to education.
1:1 specialized instruction in technology, Braille, Nemeth, and all academic access through use of a computer.
Training for school teams — Teachers of the Blind & Visually Impaired, transcribers, paras, and School staff
Technology setup & independence training using screen readers, braille displays, and computers
The TechVision Difference
TechVision, LLC transforms lives through personalized, real‑time remote instruction. Our team equips blind and visually impaired students and clients with the technology skills they need to compete equally with their sighted peers — in school, work, and life. We collaborate with families, districts, and agencies worldwide to ensure every learner has educational access and independence.
Why Educational Access Matters
With cutting‑edge tools — computers, screen readers, braille displays, and smartphones — our students learn to access information, navigate their world, and build independence. TechVision empowers learners to step into education and employment with the same opportunities as their sighted peers.
Who We Serve
College students needing support for educational access
Young adults
Adults returning to work
Anyone needing access to their world
Real 1:1 TechVision Instruction
Students learning to create graphs, write documents, code, and navigate technology independently. Doing Everything their peers are doing.
