VisionBraille
Solution summary
VisionBraille: An AI-powered in-class accessibility solution that converts all content on the board into Braille in seconds. We are redefining learning for visually impaired students, removing barriers and providing real-time and full equal opportunity.
Solution details
VisionBraille is an AI-powered accessibility solution that enables visually impaired students to follow text, formulas, and graphics on the classroom board in real time with their peers. The product consists of the VisionCam that sees the board, the EdgeAI unit that processes the image instantly, and the portable BraillePad hardware that outputs the information. All content, including handwriting, is converted to Braille in real time. The system combines OCR and computer vision technologies with Edge AI to operate without requiring an internet connection. The LLM-based contextual correction model ensures high accuracy by interpreting broken or difficult-to-read writing. This allows students to participate independently in class without having to constantly request explanations.
VisionBraille’s primary goal is to bridge the “accessibility gap” in inclusive classrooms and transform visually impaired students from passive listeners into active participants. It positions itself as a critical tool in the equitable transformation of digital education; making formulas and graphs accessible, particularly in STEM courses, significantly improves academic performance and participation.
The implementation process consists of three phases: In the first 6 months, the camera, OCR, and BraillePad prototypes are developed. Between 6 and 12 months, comprehensive pilot studies are conducted with NGOs and special education institutions. From the 12th month onwards, dissemination and teacher training packages are rolled out in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education (MEB). After the 24th month, multilingual support and expansion into international markets are targeted.
Success indicators include an increase in student participation rates (+30% target), a reduction in the time taken to understand board content (–40% target), system latency below 150 ms, and OCR+LLM accuracy exceeding 92%. These metrics measure both pedagogical impact and product performance.
VisionBraille is not just a device; it is designed as a scalable assistive EdTech platform that can be used in a wide range of settings, from K12 to universities and corporate training environments. In the long term, it can be adapted for multilingual Braille access, conference settings, adult education, and immigrant/refugee education centers, enabling its widespread use on a global scale.
Vision
Context
VisionBraille’s primary focus is the serious accessibility gap experienced in inclusive classrooms. Even if visually impaired students can follow the lesson content verbally, they fall behind in the learning process because they cannot access text, diagrams, graphs, and formulas on the board in real time, effectively eliminating equal learning opportunities. The intensity of visual information, particularly in STEM courses, directly and negatively impacts these students’ academic performance.
VisionBraille aims to overcome this structural problem with an AI, computer vision, and IoT-based solution, using data-driven technological integration to bridge the physical gap. In this respect, the solution is fully aligned with the annual theme of DigiEduHack 2025, “Equal Opportunities and Inclusion in Education.” VisionBraille positions technology not merely as a supportive tool but as a transformative infrastructure for equal access to education.
The challenge posed by the hackathon is the inclusive and sustainable integration of digital technologies into educational processes. VisionBraille responds to this goal by making the classroom interactions of visually impaired students fully synchronous with their classmates, transforming them from passive listeners into active, independent, and engaged individuals. The solution not only provides individual improvement but also raises accessibility standards for schools and the education ecosystem, supporting inclusive education in a scalable manner.
Who Benefits?
VisionBraille’s primary target audience is visually impaired students enrolled in formal education from elementary school through university. This group faces a significant disadvantage in accessing visual content in the classroom. VisionBraille closes this accessibility gap, enabling students to experience independent and simultaneous learning without requiring constant teacher support.
The secondary target audience consists of special education coordinators, teachers, and school administrators. For these stakeholders, VisionBraille is a tool that facilitates classroom adaptations, digitizes special education processes, and tangibly supports inclusive education goals.
To effectively meet the needs of the target groups, direct collaboration with Blind Associations, special education NGOs, and relevant public institutions is planned. Our team’s experience within the Rotaract Club, an organization that aims to develop young people’s social service skills, provides strong field experience and a reliable community network for working with disadvantaged groups. This ensures that direct, rapid, and continuous feedback is obtained from users during the product’s development and testing phases.
The pilot study and MVP validation will be conducted through elementary school-level mathematics lessons. Mathematics is one of the most critical subjects in terms of accessibility due to its high density of formulas, graphs, and symbolic content. The MVP test conducted through this subject will allow us to measure the system’s real-time processing, scalability, and adaptability to different content types; the solution will then be expanded to other subjects and age groups.
Impact
VisionBraille creates a transformative impact on the education system by ensuring the full and equal participation of visually impaired students in the learning process. The solution eliminates the traditional understanding based on dependency on assistance and shifts the student from the position of a recipient of help to that of an independent, active, and productive learner. This change not only enhances the classroom experience but also strengthens academic confidence, educational continuity, and employment potential in the long term.
At the societal level, VisionBraille promotes the full participation of visually impaired individuals in social life by spreading the technological infrastructure that supports inclusive education. Accessible education facilitates students’ active inclusion in the workforce and social life as they progress in age, contributing to a more inclusive and productive society in the long term.
Environmentally, digitizing Braille books and printed materials reduces physical resource consumption, offering a more sustainable accessibility model. Thanks to the Edge AI architecture, low energy consumption and local processing capacity minimize the solution’s environmental footprint.
Example Scenario:
In a math class, the teacher writes “3x + 5 = 14” on the board. While sighted students solve the problem, the visually impaired student feels the equation in Braille within seconds through VisionBraille. The student produces the solution at the same time as the class, ensuring equal participation in the lesson. Repeated experiences like this increase both the student’s academic performance and self-confidence. In the long term, this equitable learning cycle contributes to visually impaired individuals achieving a stronger position in education and working life.
Team work
The VisionBraille team has an interdisciplinary and complementary structure that combines pedagogical expertise with advanced technology development capabilities. Our team’s areas of expertise ensure both the technical success and classroom applicability of the solution.
Özlem Demirçelen – Teacher & Administrator
With 24 years of teaching and administrative experience, she shapes VisionBraille’s pedagogical framework. She has deep expertise in classroom needs analysis, inclusive education models, students’ cognitive development processes, and teacher expectations. This expertise ensures the product works seamlessly in real educational environments.
Görkem Akar – Technology Leader & IT Teacher
He has 10 years of experience teaching information technology and develops projects based on artificial intelligence, computer vision, and Edge Computing. His active involvement in Rotaract has also given him extensive field experience in social responsibility projects targeting disadvantaged groups. This is a critical advantage in terms of both establishing the technical architecture and managing effective relationships with the target audience.
As a team, we share a long-term vision of transforming VisionBraille into a scalable solution with high social impact by combining pedagogical alignment with technological innovation. We plan to continue working together in the project’s next phases, as our team dynamics create strong synergy in producing inclusive education and artificial intelligence-based solutions.
Innovativeness
Most existing solutions focus on converting static content such as books, PDFs, or pre-prepared materials into Braille. These approaches fail to accommodate the dynamic nature of classroom interaction, leaving visually impaired students excluded from the real-time learning process.
Two key innovations make VisionBraille unique:
(1) Real-time capability,
(2) Contextual AI-enhanced perception.
While classic OCR devices on the market have serious difficulties reading handwriting on the board, VisionBraille’s LLM-powered solution interprets messy or irregular handwriting based on context and converts it to Braille with high accuracy. This feature offers a major innovation, especially for mathematical expressions, graphs, and symbolic content.
The use of an “Edge Computing” architecture ensures that data is processed entirely on the device without being transferred to the cloud. This enables low latency, high security, and uninterrupted operation even in environments without an internet connection. With this holistic approach, VisionBraille not only brings technical innovation; it also transforms classroom accessibility into a real-time, portable, and scalable solution for the first time.
Transferability
VisionBraille is not just a solution for K12 level; its architecture makes it a highly transferable platform that can be adapted to many different educational environments. The system can process a wide variety of content such as text, formulas, and graphics in real time, making it suitable for both academic and professional learning contexts.
The solution can be directly applied in many scenarios, including:
- University lecture halls,
- Conference and seminar rooms,
- Special education and rehabilitation centers,
- Adult education and certification programs,
- Hybrid and distance learning environments.
VisionBraille’s multilingual OCR and LLM support (TR, ENG, AR) provides a powerful accessibility layer for visually impaired students studying in foreign languages. This feature offers a significant advantage, particularly in international student mobility. For example, a student participating in the Erasmus program can instantly convert lectures in the host country’s language into Braille output via VisionBraille, enabling them to follow the class seamlessly.
This flexible and modular structure makes VisionBraille not just a product, but a scalable accessibility infrastructure that can be integrated into different layers and disciplines of the education sector.
Sustainability
VisionBraille’s sustainability strategy is based on a scalable product life cycle, starting from the prototype development phase.
In the short term, the completion of the portable BraillePad prototype and the stabilization of the EdgeAI-based core technology are priorities. The main goal at this stage is to test low-cost production models, optimize the user experience, and bring hardware-software integration to a reliable level.
In the medium term, the product’s pedagogical suitability and technical reliability will be verified through comprehensive field tests conducted with associations for the visually impaired, special education NGOs, and pilot schools. Following this validation process, VisionBraille’s integration into the Ministry of Education’s infrastructure, the development of teacher training materials, and scaling for widespread use are planned. This phase lays the foundation for the product to become a standard accessibility solution at the national level.
In the long term, VisionBraille aims to enter the global market. Thanks to its multilingual content processing capacity and modular architecture, the solution can be rapidly adapted to different educational ecosystems such as the EU, MENA, and North America. Beyond the field of education, sustainable market diversity will be achieved by expanding the product to professional environments such as meeting rooms, university conferences, and corporate learning.
The mid-to-long-term strategy aims to transform VisionBraille into more than just a device, but rather a reproducible and continuously developable assistive technology platform across different countries and sectors. Regular software updates, cloud-based support (while maintaining an edge-first approach), and international partnerships will ensure the product’s long-term impact and operational sustainability.