Overview

• The Deutsches Zentrum für barrierefreies Lesen in Leipzig, with about 80 staff, is expanding from paper volumes to digital Braille displays and early devices that render tactile graphics such as mathematical curves.
• Artificial intelligence is already used to automate text-to-Braille conversion from publishers’ files, reducing manual corrections and increasing the volume of available content.
• Deutsche Bahn has introduced Braille seat markings on new trains, yet accessibility in many public authorities and spaces still falls short.
• Official Saxony data show more than 23,700 blind and visually impaired residents as of late 2021, including roughly 4,000 blind people and about 3,000 who are severely visually impaired.
• Experts point to prospective tools such as haptic smartphone or tablet displays and AR glasses that could augment independence, though these technologies remain in development.