Post by Umang Sharma

Four years ago, Jdable was an idea. Today, our braille keyboards are in use across five countries and counting. A lot has happened recently, so here is a quick rundown. We have been shipping keyboards to the US, India, the UAE, and now the UK and Egypt, and new international orders continue to come in. On the ground, I presented the braille keyboards and braille shapes, receiving stellar feedback at the Braille Challenge NJ hosted by VISTAS Education Partners, an annual academic competition for blind and visually impaired students (pictures below). There, we established several key connections and partnerships with other visually impaired organizations that we are excited to share more on in the future. Alongside that, I presented the braille keyboards at the Palmetto Council for the Blind in South Carolina. At both events, students, families, and teachers asked how they could get these tools into their classrooms and homes, and they were fulfilled not just by our team but by you all, the supporters. We now have several upcoming events with organizations interested in our work, and if you are interested as well, please feel free to reach out. Our work was also covered by Disability Scoop, the nation's largest independent news source covering developmental disabilities, Perkins Library, and NJ.com, New Jersey's biggest newspaper, alongside several other national and local news outlets. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support our Chipotle fundraiser. We raised hundreds of dollars, and the turnout was a reminder of how much this community shows up for our mission. The day before, we also had a Jdable shirt campaign to raise awareness and invite individuals to our fundraiser, where several of our members got together and proudly displayed our merch (contact us if you would like one too, and pictures below!) That money goes directly toward sourcing materials, manufacturing keyboards and tactile shapes, alongside our other flagship products, and covering shipping costs to get devices to the people who need them. If you supported us by grabbing a meal that night, you helped put a braille keyboard in someone's hands. To every donor and supporter who has backed Jdable: you make this work possible. Our 60+ person team across the US, India, the UAE, and Egypt is building more, shipping more, and reaching further than we ever have. Read our articles and learn more at https://lnkd.in/eFyPNAxm #AssistiveTechnology #Accessibility #Disability #Nonprofit #Braille