Pocket Braille Periodic Table and Projects CanDo Reusable Braille Labels receive $5,000 each

Pictured left to right: Brian Mac Donald, President of National Braille Press; Lisa Dalton, founder of Candoables and creator of CanDo reusable braille labels; and Tess McBride, Executive Assistant at National Braille Press

National Braille Press (NBP) announced this year’s winners of the Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in Anaheim, California. NBP awarded $5,000 to Lisa Dalton of Queen Creek, AZ for her CanDo reusable braille labels and $5,000 to Roy Alexander of Chicago, IL for his Pocket Braille Periodic Table. Ms. Dalton was presented with the award at CSUN for her invention of reusable braille labels which she made for her former boyfriend who is blind, to help him find items in the food cabinets. Combining her passion for helping others, and her 3D printer expertise, she founded Candoables and will continue to work towards making “CanDo” labels available to everyone.

“CanDo labels are already having an impact on the blind and visually impaired community,” said Brian Mac Donald, President of the National Braille Press who presented Ms. Dalton with the award at CSUN.  “These reusable labels will help significantly in keeping areas such as the pantry or refrigerator organized.”

The other Touch of Genius award is for the Pocket Braille Periodic Table, an innovative, low cost and convenient periodic table for blind students studying chemistry. The project was developed by Mr. Alexander, owner and designer of AlexanderDESIGN in the Greater Chicago Area. The Pocket Braille Periodic Table has completed a Beta-test functional prototype stage and showed good acceptance from students. The project will move forward to its next stage of development with the support from the Touch of Genius Award.

“Roy Alexander’s Pocket Braille Periodic Table will be undoubtedly a game changer for blind chemistry students and adults who use a Periodic Table. We applaud his efforts for creating this smaller, braille that can be a great resource,” said Mac Donald.

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is provided by support from The Gibney Family Foundation that works with non-profit organizations and provides grants to help them create sustainable solutions and assist in making the non-profit world strong and connected. The Touch of Genius Prize attracts innovators from around the world in the fields of education, technology, engineering, graphics, and literacy. It fosters and rewards innovation by offering a compelling incentive to support and expand braille and tactile literacy efforts for the blind.

About National Braille Press

National Braille Press is a non-profit braille publisher and producer of braille products. NBP creates products and programs to support braille literacy in the blind community and to provide access to information that empower blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community. For more information visit www.nbp.org