BOSTON (PRWEB)
June 22, 2023

National Braille Press (NBP) announced today that the 2023 winner of the Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is Gregory Hargraves who, along with the Paige team, created Paige Connect. The Touch of Genius Prize competition attracts ideas from inventors around the globe who seek to improve the lives of people who are blind and have low-vision. The winner of the competition receives $10,000.

Paige Connect was invented by Hargraves alongside four other recent engineering graduates from Imperial College London (Carolina Gomes, Nina Rimsky, Sergio Gosalvez, Nina Moutonnet). Paige Connect is an adaptation for the traditional Perkins Brailler, that replaces the base of the brailler with a sturdy printed circuit board. This board has its own Wi-Fi with sensors that convert the physical keystrokes on the brailler to a digital output that can be read on a phone, tablet, or laptop instantly.

Gregory Hargraves will be recognized at NBP’s Annual Meeting on June 22nd for this incredible invention, and provide a presentation live from London followed with Q&A. The NBP Annual Meeting will be held at One Channel Center, 1 Iron Street, Boston, at with a reception at 5pm and the speaking program starting at 6pm. To attend RSVP at this link which will also provide an option to join virtually.

“Paige Connect is a device that will enhance the way that individuals write on their traditional braillers, and it will assist teachers to get instant feedback on how the student is typing,” said Brian Mac Donald, President and CEO, National Braille Press. “We applaud the Paige Connect team for inventing this amazing device. It’s ease of use, functionality and low price point made it the winner among a lot of other great entries in this year’s Touch of Genius competition.”

Paige Connect has its own web app that uses Liblouis an open-source software that can back-translate braille into print for the user to collaborate with sighted peers, parents, and teachers. The estimated price for Paige Connect is $125 USD. The next step for the Paige team is to bring the product to market after consumer safety testing and certification.

“The mission of Paige is to make braille affordable for everyone, help people communicate, collaborate, and engage with the braille community to better serve them in their everyday lives, said Gregory Hargraves. “We are grateful for the Touch of Genius Award and we are focused on the next phase to bring Paige Connect to market in the U.S., the UK and all over the world.”

The selection of Paige Connect was made by the Touch of Genius committee that is comprised of eight experts in the field of braille and tactile literacy from across the U.S. who have come together every year since 2007 to judge the award nominations. Committee Chair is Edward Bell, Ph.D. Director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University.

The Touch of Genius Adjudication Committee includes: Edward Bell, Joann Becker, Yue-Ting Siu, Judy Dixon, Paul Parravano, Noel Runyan, Janet Ulwick-Sacca and Brian Mac Donald.

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation was originally founded with the support from The Gibney Family Foundation. In addition, the Lavelle Fund was instrumental in supporting the Touch of Genius Prize this year.

“The Lavelle Fund for the Blind believes that people who are blind or visually impaired should have all the tools and resources they need to lead independent and productive lives, and we believe in the importance of braille literacy.,” said Susan Olivo, Executive Director and CEO of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind. “We are honored to support the Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation, and we salute all the innovators, past and present, who are working towards this goal. Don’t stop trying, the world needs more innovators like you!”

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 and tactile 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 http://www.nbp.org

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