PRINCETON, N.J. — Three years ago, Umang Sharma could be found on his bedroom floor disassembling a computer keyboard to learn about the mechanisms that makes the device function.
This act of deconstruction came after Sharma, then a Princeton Day School freshman, stumbled across an ad for a Braille keyboard priced at $7,000.
“I couldn’t accept that accessibility tools were priced out of reach for so many people,” said Sharma, now a 17-year-old senior who plans to study engineering and computing in college. “I thought, ‘if the core need is being able to type independently, why should that cost thousands of dollars?’”
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After taking apart his first keyboard and watching several YouTube videos, Sharma created his first prototype, continued to retest variations for over a year, and figured out how recreate the device for under $10 each.
“Instead of building an entirely custom electronic device, I start with a standard keyboard base, often discarded or donated, and I focus my engineering on the accessibility layer that matters most, which is tactile, readable, durable Braille keycaps,” said Sharma, who launched the nonprofit Jdable in 2022 to design affordable devices to help improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Sharma said he’s able to keep costs low by designing the keyboard’s Braille keycaps himself and using 3D-printing as well as inexpensive materials to create them in bulk.
“We take the keyboard base first, that are often donated or discarded. Then, we design the keycaps ahead of time in Computer-Aided Design software so the Braille dots, spacing, and fit are consistent,” he said.
By using 3D-printing, Sharma said his company is able to create their Braille keycaps by using a combination of PETG, a thermoplastic for toughness, and another rubber-like thermoplastic called TPU for a grippier feel, plus a resin for definition.
After assembling the keyboard by hand, Sharma said that he or one of over 50 student volunteers attaches each key individually using a strong adhesive, and tests each keyboard for clarity, durability, and comfort.
“We also iterate based on feedback, including from team members who are visually impaired, to improve comfort and usability,” said Sharma.
By also developing a standardized method for building the keyboards, Sharma said helps ensure the device can be rebuild using different keyboard models.
From an early age, Sharma said he always liked building and fixing things.
“When I was five years old, my first invention was a small holder to keep my dad from constantly losing his glasses, and that mindset stuck with me,” he said.
This mentality drove Sharma to create his earliest Braille keyboard prototype and conduct numerous retests to improve its comfortability and durability.
He also visited a school for students who are blind and visually impaired in India, where he realized that, “accessibility is about daily reality, not a demo. It made me committed to building tools that don’t just work once, but keep working in the real world.”
A regular keyboard, Sharma explained, is designed primarily for sighted users who rely on printed letters.
“A Braille keyboard adds a tactile system so a user who is blind or visually impaired can locate keys confidently through touch and type more independently,” he said.
There are different categories of Braille keyboards, like braille notetakers or refreshable braille display systems with complex moving parts that Sharma said can cost over $6,000.
“What we build at Jdable is a practical, low-cost input solution, a familiar QWERTY layout made accessible through tactile Braille keycaps that support learning, schoolwork, and everyday computer use on a standard setup,” said Sharma.
Today, Sharma and his team of student volunteers, have distributed over 100 affordable Braille keyboards through his nonprofit.
Sharma said those keyboards have been given to nearly 1,000 students who are blind or visual impaired in the U.S., India, Finland and the United Arab Emirates.
He said the nonprofit has been sustained by grants totaling $490,000 from companies like Google and Microsoft, while also receiving around $10,000 in donations from individual contributors.
Ankith Namireddy, 17, fellow Princeton Day School 12th grader, began helping Sharma in 2024 and manages the nonprofit’s finances, which includes applying for grants and securing funding.
“I chose to help because I saw that the problem he was addressing was severely overlooked,” said Namireddy, who plans to attend college and major in business/finance. “I believed we could genuinely make an impact on this community. I have always wanted to help people and being able to do that while still pursuing finance made everything align perfectly.”
The funding, Sharma said, also covers the nonprofit’s expenses ranging from the costs of materials to hosting user feedback sessions.
“It is the most rewarding project I have ever worked on. It isn’t about creating a really cool invention but about independence, giving someone the ability to type … and not have to wait for someone else to do it for you,” Sharma said.
“I have learned that accessibility isn’t just charity,” he added, “but developing infrastructure for dignity.”
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