Lauren Lee | June 3, 2025 - Atlanta, GA

Nestled in the basement of 512 Means St. NW are two of Georgia Tech’s best kept secrets. 

Coming in at over 5000 square feet— with more than 20 pieces of machinery—is Georgia’s largest braille manufacturing facility, which was responsible for embossing over 2 million pages of braille in 2024 alone. 

This facility, along with the expertise of our Accessible User Experience (UX) Research Lab, are now available to the Georgia Tech community. 

Accessible UX, the Georgia Tech Way

Products and services for the public often exclude people with disabilities. The Accessible UX lab intends to change that. 

Capitalizing on the decades of expertise housed in the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI), the Accessible UX lab aims to conduct collaborative UX testing with people with disabilities, for people with disabilities, to create better products for all.

“We put users at the center of our research,” says Johan Rempel, Associate Director of Research Operations and ICT/UX Manager. “By involving people with varying abilities and needs, we ensure that products and experiences are accessible and usable for everyone.”

By centering the research on the principles of Universal Design, the resulting product will be better for people with and without disabilities. 

Previous projects taken on by the Accessible UX lab include: 

• A collaboration with CDC Foundation to create accessible and culturally relevant materials about COVID-19 for those with disabilities
• Teaching students how to code through sound representation using an application called EarSketch, allowing people who are blind and visually impaired to fully participate
• Usability study on AT Network, an online community of practice on assistive technology

Tactile Technology: Innovation in an Established Field

Students, faculty, and researchers will be able to utilize the unique equipment and expertise of the braille department to experience and create multi-modal designs to empower those who are blind or visually impaired. 

The lab is designed to support the learning, research, and development of accessible materials and products that integrate tactile graphics, braille, and multi-modal elements. 

By providing the brilliant members of the Georgia Tech community with the tools and resources to create braille, tactile graphics, and inclusive designs, this lab will foster innovation, increased access, and improve educational outcomes for blind/visually impaired individuals.

“Traditional educational tools often fail to fully address the sensory needs of blind/ visually impaired students, limiting their ability to access critical information,” says Guy Toles. “As the Braille Production Manager, I recognize the importance of providing innovative solutions that enable blind/visually impaired individuals to access information independently.”

Accessible Innovation: Only at CIDI

CIDI has a rich history of providing accessible solutions. As a leader in accessibility, CIDI is committed to promoting technological innovation and developing user-centered research. 

“The launch of both our Tactile Technology and Accessible UX Labs signifies a major milestone for CIDI” says CIDI Interim Executive Director Dr. Zerrin Ondin-Fraser. 

"With these two new labs, we are not just enhancing CIDI’s capacity; we are empowering Georgia Tech’s faculty and students to engage in inclusive design.

Whether it is translating complex data into tactile format or evaluating digital interfaces and physical products, we are providing the tools to build an accessible future”.

Want to learn more, or collaborate with a lab?