Braille word cards: empowering visually impaired children

Children and Dreams

Think Human Fund

Mission & History

Their mission is to help all children around the world dream their own dreams and grow beautifully. To achieve this, they are committed to continuously supporting children in difficult circumstances and the families who care for them by providing assistance in livelihood, healthcare, and education to the best of our ability.

They were established in September 2021 and are currently providing continuous support in healthcare, education, and livelihood for children and families both domestically and internationally.

Country Information

Approximately 250,000 individuals in South Korea are visually impaired. Of this group, only about 10% can read Braille, leaving 90% classified as Braille illiterate.

Improving Braille literacy among the visually impaired could greatly broaden their abilities, enhance educational prospects, and is anticipated to more than double their employment rates.

The Need

This project focuses on visually impaired children, as Braille is a tactile writing system where each letter is learned by feeling it with the fingertips. Learning Braille is easier during childhood, when fingertip sensitivity is at its highest. As people age and sensitivity decreases, acquiring Braille skills becomes considerably more difficult. Unfortunately, there is a lack of current statistics on the availability of educational tools for visually impaired children in South Korea. The 2024 Disability Statistics Yearbook from the Korean Disabled People’s Development Institute reveals that the supply of educational materials and tools for visually impaired individuals is still inadequate.

The Project We Fund

To ensure that visually impaired children are not excluded from education, they create Braille tactile learning tools and donate them to families and schools for the blind in South Korea. Their activities include producing word card kits, involving employees in the production process, and conducting a quality check to ensure the kits are comfortable for children to use. After this verification process, they distribute them to visually impaired children and schools for the blind across the country.

They plan to produce 600 Braille learning kits and provide them to students at two schools for the blind in Seoul.

The Result

At the schools for the blind where Braille learning kits have been provided, teachers integrate these kits with textbooks to develop various educational content. This initiative contributes to improving the quality of education for visually impaired children and enhancing their social skills. Families of visually impaired children and teachers at schools for the blind have shared positive feedback, stating that the Braille learning kits help children develop social communication skills, improve their Braille literacy, and enhance their tactile perception training.

Furthermore, they conduct in-depth interviews with visually impaired children and their teachers to gain valuable insights into their educational needs, teaching strategies, and the challenges they face in supporting students. They actively incorporate these insights into their projects to better serve the community.

2025 Midterm Report

The project implemented by Children and Dreams had a significant impact on the community, especially focusing on visually impaired children. Through the dedication of 148 volunteer game-changers, the project produced 600 braille-tactile teaching aids, which are set to be donated to two schools for the blind. This effort directly benefited 280 unique individuals, comprised predominantly of children and teenagers.

The beneficiaries experienced notable improvements in their physical and emotional well-being, relationships, and social connections. A collaborative network of institutions, government agencies, experts, companies, and NGOs supported the project, strengthening its effectiveness and sustainability.

Testimonies

“Braille is the only form of writing I can use with complete confidence. It is the tool that helps me the most in my daily life, allowing me to read, learn, and connect with the world.” –Hyun Jae-sung, 12-

“For me, Braille is an indispensable form of writing. It is a language I cannot imagine the world without, as it opens doors to communication, learning, and independence.” –Kim Se-a, 12-