6dot Braille Labeler The 6dot project began in response to the need in the blind community for a portable, easy-to-use braille labeler. Without labels embossed in Braille, identifying common household objects can be a tremendous challenge. A typical home or office contains many medication bottles, canned goods, CDs, file folders, and AC adapters, among other similarly-shaped items, all of which cannot be specifically selected by touch alone. The consequences of choosing the wrong item can range from the mere inconvenience of changing a CD to the extreme danger of taking the wrong medication. Having been introduced to the need for a cheap, easy-to-use labeler by a personal friend in the blind community, the 6dot team began development work on the 6dot Braille Labeler in the fall of 2008. The 6dot Braille Labeler was initially developed at MIT and grew at Stanford. According to the student developers, "We feel that the labeler is a perfect example of good design: our team has worked hard, incorporating much user testing and advice, to create the labeler prototype that exists today. Our future customers are anxiously awaiting their opportunity to purchase our labeler, and we can't wait until we're able to offer our product to them!" A third prototype which will be smaller and lighter is in the works. Links: 6dot http://www.braillelabeler.net/ Nau Grant for Change http://www.nau.com/collective/grant-for-change/6dot-innovations-1559.html Karina Pikhart kpikhart@alum.mit.edu