According to the World Health Organization there are approximately 314 million blind and visually impaired people worldwide today; 45 million of whom are blind.
The most recent U.S. Census survey, points out that in the blind community, only one third of those of working age use computers, and only about 20% surf the Internet.
Today only about 30% of blind people of working age are employed. With the work environment becoming progressively more computerized, this percentage is dropping significantly.
There are various factors negatively impacting the integration of the blind into today’s workforce, but the main problem is the inadequacy of information received by the user and the inability of the technology to help the user easily navigate their way through the various toolbars, drop down menus, screen areas, programs and applications. In addition they have no graphic reading abilities, there is limited user adaptability, and the most common of them, the Refreshable Braille Displays are very expensive averaging $5,000 per unit.
Tactile World technology provides the blind population with easy access to computers when navigating the contents of the screen, simple access to the internet, the ability to see graphics, and the possibility to suit the user’s preferences when reading from the screen. It is the ease and the simplicity of use, the amount of information delivered to the user in a simple and effective way, the ease of being able to navigate to a desired page, area or dropdown menu that makes the difference in how the blind use computers. By helping them to use computers in communication and for modern employment we can change their lives for the better.