Project Grant H235E140009

The federal Project Grant award of $115,000.00 was issued by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services under the Rehabilitation Services Demonstration and Training Programs (CFDA 84.235). The grant was awarded to CAL State La University Auxiliary Services Inc. (UAS) on October 1, 2024 with a completion date of September 30, 2025. The award will fund a project titled "Culturally Responsive Experts Using AI to Enhance (Create!) Braille Literacy...

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) was awarded a $115,000 Project Grant from the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services under the Rehabilitation Services Demonstration and Training Programs (CFDA 84.235). The grant, with a performance period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, aims to increase access to quality braille instruction for diverse populations. Through this award, UMass Boston will leverage its expertise as a...

This $274,999 National Science Foundation Project Grant under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program aims to develop a wearable, computer vision-based, real-time Braille-to-speech learning device. Braillewear will receive funding to establish technical feasibility of a device that detects intricate textural patterns in a contactless approach and provides auditory feedback to augment mechanosensory learning. If successful, the technology could unlock the full potential of...

This Project Grant award of $100,000.00 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (CFDA 93.433) supports Objective ED, Inc. in developing innovative educational technologies and interventions to improve learning outcomes for students with visual impairments. The funding will enable the company to create an accessible interactive fiction (AIF) story system to enhance social skills for middle school students who are blind or have low vision....

This federal Project Grant award of $249,999.00 from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services under the Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program (CFDA 84.325) supports the University of Massachusetts Boston in preparing diverse personnel to provide related services in assistive technology for people with visual impairments. The award, effective from September 1, 2024 to...

This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $100,000 supports the development of chemical fuel-powered Braille displays at Cornell University from July 2022 to June 2023. The goal is to create an affordable, portable multiline Braille display to improve digital accessibility for blind and visually impaired individuals. Currently, Braille displays can only present a single line of text and cost over $3,000, limiting their widespread adoption. The proposed technology is a soft,...

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has awarded a $521,622 Formula Grant under the Rehabilitation Services Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who are Blind (CFDA 84.177) program to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). This grant funding will enable DEED to provide a range of independent living services for older adults experiencing blindness or visual impairment. The services may include...

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded a $10,000,000.00 Project Grant under the Disability Innovation Fund (CFDA 84.421) to the American Printing House For The Blind to implement the "CIE & MONARCH EXPLORE, PREPARE, ENGAGE PROJECT" from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2029. This grant supports innovative activities aimed at improving employment, education, and transition outcomes for individuals with disabilities,...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award of $305,000.00, granted to A Cubed Design LLC (doing business as Accessible Affordable Accelerated Design) under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084), aims to develop a novel, cost-effective, and user-repairable refreshable braille device. The project will refine the pin mechanism, optimize the device's tolerances and geometry, implement appropriate motors, and...

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded a $203,304 Project Grant to Portland State University on September 1, 2024 under the Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities (CFDA 84.325) program. The purpose of this 12-month project, titled "TOUCH-BASED O & M WITH DEAFBLIND TO AFFECT SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (TODAS)", is to enhance the preparation of personnel...