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Good practice Imported

Annie: Self-Learning Braille Literacy Device Scaling Across India and Beyond

India · Bengaluru · See the India profile · See the Bengaluru profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 9% 96/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Bengaluru-based Thinkerbell Labs built Annie, an audio-guided, self-correcting braille teaching device that lets blind and low-vision students learn independently. Deployed in over 300 schools across 16 Indian states, all 50 US states and six further countries, reaching roughly 1

~10,000
Users served (2026)
300+
Schools/nonprofits/hospitals deploying Annie (2026)
~US$1,000
Device cost
Annie: Self-Learning Braille Literacy Device Scaling Across India and Beyond

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Thinkerbell Labs
Period
2016–present
Keywords
edtech, assistive technology, disability inclusion, braille literacy

Context

Thinkerbell Labs (founded 2016) built Annie, a tactile braille-literacy device paired with vernacular audio instruction and real-time feedback, addressing the shortage of trained special educators for blind and visually impaired children.

Results

By the most recent reporting (MIT Solve, 2026), Annie serves approximately 10,000 users across more than 300 schools, nonprofits and hospitals in India, all 50 US states and six other countries, up from an earlier reported base of 500+ devices across 16 Indian states; the device costs approximately US$1,000 versus US$5,000-15,000 for legacy braille readers.

Conclusions

As with most self-reported edtech reach figures, deployment and usage numbers come from the company and its partners rather than an independent randomised evaluation; a third-party outcomes study was not located at the time of writing.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Commonly funded by

Own resources / municipal budget

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Data sources

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