The Braille Institute
Reimagining Digital Accessibility for Those with Vision Loss
CMS
WordPress
Services
Strategy, UX, Design, Content Writing, SEO, Development
Launched
2024
Braille Institute is a Webby Honoree
Braille Institute.org is a 2025 Honoree for the category of Websites and Mobile Sites, Accessible Technology.
THE CHALLENGE
Reimagining Accessibility Through Empathy
The Braille Institute needed more than an accessible website, they needed a digital experience that felt intuitive, empowering, and deeply human. As an organization serving people of all ages and degrees of vision loss, their online presence had to support everyone from newly diagnosed adults to long-time screen reader users. The goal was to go beyond compliance and build a truly inclusive user experience.
Outcomes
in site visitors
in time spent on site
OUR APPROACH
A Personalized, Inclusive, and User-First Web Experience
Our partnership with Braille Institute began with deep listening. Through in-person interviews, focus groups, and user research sessions with people across the spectrum of vision, we uncovered how users think, feel, and behave online, and where accessibility barriers stand in their way.
Instead of retrofitting accessibility onto a conventional site, we built a fully functional WordPress prototype from the ground up, enabling real-time testing with assistive technologies like NVDA, JAWS, screen magnifiers, and large-format tools. This live prototype gave us the insight to refine the user journey before full development began.
To personalize the experience, we introduced a short, three-question quiz asking users about their level of vision, age group, and preferred learning format (in-person, online, or self-paced). Based on their responses, users are shown curated offerings, stories, contact details, and relevant calls to action.
Every aspect of the site was intentionally designed with accessibility in mind:
Typography: We used Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface designed specifically for low-vision users.
Visual Design: Clear hierarchies, consistent headings, and high-contrast color palettes improve legibility.
Layout: The structure follows an F-shaped reading pattern optimized for screen magnifier users.
Voice and Tone: Content was rewritten in the Braille Institute’s “frank” brand voice: friendly, empowering, and direct.
User testing confirmed the success of our approach. One participant using NVDA described the experience as: “well designed… layout very good… very simple… can tab quickly.” Others praised the clarity of offerings and ease of navigation.
We couldn’t be happier to have discovered iFactory’s work and their impressive team who have devoted the last couple of years to building Braille Institute’s newly imagined and accessible website to continue positively transforming the lives of those with vision loss.”
LET'S CONNECT
We would love to hear from you
Looking to create a website that goes beyond WCAG compliance to deliver a truly inclusive and accessible digital experience? Let’s talk.