An affordable, offline-first Braille e-reader for blind children aged 6–12 in under-resourced schools — starting in India.
"Nine out of ten blind children cannot read Braille. Not because they cannot learn — because no one has given them the tools."
1%
Braille literacy rate in India
9 in 10
blind children lack access
240K
blind children in India
$3K
cost of existing devices
The Problem
A crisis hiding in plain sight.
Braille literacy collapsed from 50% in 1960 to under 1% in India today. The cause isn't the children — it's a system that was never built for them. Tap each barrier to reveal the data.
The employment case
Braille literacy doesn't just determine reading ability — it determines whether a blind person gets to participate in the economy at all.
90%
employed with Braille
vs
33%
employed without
Cost
tap to reveal
$800–$3,000
Existing devices are built for high-income markets. For schools in rural India spending $55 per student annually, a $1,400 device is impossible. TACTIQ targets under $300 through alternative actuator design and NGO procurement.
Teacher shortage
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25 teachers
Serving 5,700 disabled students in Chandigarh alone. India needs 1.5 million special educators — nowhere near met. Learning Braille traditionally takes a full year of constant supervision.
No materials
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Zero textbooks
Almost no textbooks exist in Braille format in low-income Indian schools. Without curriculum content, even a device is useless. TACTIQ ships pre-loaded with Indian school subjects — ready out of the box.
No connectivity
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Offline first
Most assistive tech requires reliable internet. In rural India, that doesn't exist. TACTIQ is designed from the ground up to work anywhere — no WiFi, no mobile data, no cloud. Ever.
The Hardware
Meet TACTIQ.
A purpose-built Braille e-reader — 14 cells, 84 pins, offline by design. Drag to rotate.
The core conversion feature built into every TACTIQ device. Type any text and see it converted to Braille instantly — no internet required.
Enter any text — a word, sentence, or curriculum passage:
Works offline · No internet required
Braille output
The Solution
We introduce TACTIQ.
Where existing devices cost $800–$3,000 and require internet, TACTIQ is built for the children they leave behind — starting in India, with the capacity to expand globally.
Offline-First
Works without internet. Pre-loaded with local Indian curriculum. Works in any classroom, village, or community — anywhere.
Adaptive Software
On-device software adjusts to each student's reading pace and progress — no teacher required to manage the device.
Text to Braille
Converts any text into Braille character format instantly. Teachers can load any content — no Braille knowledge needed.
NGO Platform
Connects schools and NGOs with donor resources — matching funding to need with no new infrastructure required.
Scalable
Designed to expand across low and middle income countries. NEP 2020 policy alignment — India is already ready for this.
Subsidized Access
Accessible through NGO and government partnerships. Target: under $300 device, $0 to end student through procurement.
TACTIQ Tutor
Talk to TACTIQ.
This demonstrates the on-device tutoring experience built into TACTIQ. Ask about Braille, school subjects, or how the device works.
Hello. I am TACTIQ — your offline learning assistant. Ask me anything about Braille, your curriculum, or how this device works.
SDG Alignment
Built around the goals.
TACTIQ directly addresses four Sustainable Development Goals through its device, platform, and impact model.
SDG 4
Quality Education
Makes Braille literacy accessible to blind children in under-resourced schools globally. UNESCO documents 40 million disabled children out of school — TACTIQ targets the most excluded.
SDG 10
Reduced Inequalities
In LMICs, assistive technology access is as low as 3% of need (WHO/UNICEF, 2022). TACTIQ makes technology accessible in communities that existing solutions have never reached.
SDG 8
Decent Work
90% of employed blind adults are Braille-literate vs 33% who are not. Braille literacy is economic participation — TACTIQ closes that gap from childhood.
SDG 17
Partnerships
Distribution through NAB India and Thinkerbell Labs — leveraging existing NGO and government infrastructure rather than building from scratch.
Where We Go From Here
Our next steps.
TACTIQ is at prototype stage. These are our committed next steps as a student team from Syracuse University.
01
Partner Outreach
Contacting the National Association for the Blind India and Thinkerbell Labs to explore pilot partnerships and gather expert feedback on the device concept and distribution model.
02
User Validation
Speaking directly with blind students, teachers, and schools in India to validate that TACTIQ addresses the right problems in the right way — before finalising the design.
03
Engineering Partnership
Identifying a faculty advisor at Syracuse University to guide the technical design of the electromagnetic actuator system and validate the manufacturing cost pathway.
04
Physical Prototype
Building a working physical prototype — demonstrating the form factor, pin array, and offline curriculum loading on real hardware for user testing and investor presentations.
05
Pilot Program
Placing devices in 2–3 NAB India partner schools, measuring Braille literacy outcomes over one semester to generate evidence for scaling and funding applications.