Accessing New Markets
My name is Mike Hambly and my website is www.brailleit.ca.
After a car accident in 1994 left me totally blind and a paraplegic, I opened a home business called Braille It. Braille is a tactile alphabet consisting of raised dots embossed on a page designed for the blind to read.
Braille It adds Braille characters to existing business cards so they become a marketing tool for reaching the blind community. Not only does Braille allow business cards to be read by more people, it transforms existing business cards into unique, accessible marketing tools that stand out from the others. Braille It also provides transcription services to convert documents such as newsletters into Braille.
If I did not have my dot-ca website, my business would not be where it is today. Anyone who has a business card and wants to stand out and service the blind community can be a customer. The possibilities are endless! I have one company that puts up curtains and they want Braille on their cards because they put up "blinds."
Even though I am totally blind, technology allows me to use computers and ensure that my .ca website is accessible to blind Internet users like myself. The Internet is also a wonderful tool for me to connect with businesses that want to add Braille to their marketing materials.
Mike Hambly, brailleit.ca, Calgary, Alberta
