—Chancey Fleet
In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic lockdown, my husband and I bought a house in Brooklyn and decided to reimagine and rebuild the interior. He taught me a few key architectural symbols and before long I was drawing my own concepts, working toward a shared vision of the home we eventually designed.
It’s a commonplace story, except for one key factor: I’m blind, and I’ve made it my mission to ensure that blind New Yorkers can create and explore images. As a blind tech educator, it’s my job—and my passion—to introduce blind and low-vision patrons to tools that help them move through daily life with autonomy and ease.
For blind readers, learners, and creators, tactile graphics—images rendered legible by touch—open up the world of spatial communication. And though the technical limitations involved in making these graphics are significant, lack of access or even awareness is a larger problem. Read the full story.
This story is from the forthcoming print edition of MIT Technology Review, and this one’s all about accessibility. If you haven’t already, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out on future stories—access starts from just $80 a year.
In the clash of the EV chargers, it’s Tesla vs. everyone else
Tesla is known for its supercharging network, which it began building over a decade ago. In the US, it’s bigger than all other such networks combined, with just over 19,000 fast chargers installed, compared with just over 15,000 from all other operators.