Gracie Benedith-Cane was inspired by her son’s visual impairment to create braille clothing patches. She would attach them to his clothes so he can keep his independence while getting ready.
What We Know:
- In an interview with Today, Gracie Benedith-Cane said she realized something was wrong with her son, Wani when he was two months old.
- “I realized something was going on with his eyes when he was two months… I took him to the doctor, and he told me that he wasn’t going to have 100 percent of his vision.”
- Wani was diagnosed with septo-optic nerve dysplasia. According to Blativty, septo-optic nerve dysplasia is a disorder that affects the development of the optic nerve of the brain. The small size of nerves disrupts the ability to send visual information to the brain, according to the U.S. Library of Medicine. The cause of this disorder is unknown, and its found in 1 out of every 10,000 live births.
- Benedith-Cane wanted to ensure that her son was independent, so she created braille patches and attached it to his clothes and shoes. The braille patches feature directional prompts, so that her son can tell the difference from left or right and if the clothing is put on inside out. “The patches, they’re adhesive, and you could stick them to clothes. And it has directional cues such as the back, left and right,” Wani explained. “If the braille is on the inside, that means it’s inside-out, and if it’s on the outside, then it means it’s fine.”
- Twelve-year-old Wani shared his advice to those who aren’t visually impaired, “I want sighted people to know that blind and visually impaired people can do great things.”
Gracie sells the patches through her company Braille Code INC. She also sells her books that help kids learn what it is like living with a vision impairment.
