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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form
Thank you for your support of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards program.
Please complete the form below to submit your letter of recommendation in support of the award nominee. Recommendations cannot exceed 800 words. You will not be able to submit your recommendation if the maximum word count exceeds 800 words.
Please note that recommendations should come from someone other than the person who nominated the candidate. Please note that required fields on this form are indicated by an asterisk (*).

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Please enter your letter of recommendation in the text area provided below: I’m writing this letter in enthusiastic support of Tactile Engineering, Inc. for the 2024 Dr. Jacob Bolotin award. Tactile Engineering is the pioneering company that makes the Cadence tactile graphics tablet, a mass-produced tactile display currently deployed in the US. While we have seen many such projects and products over the years, this one is exceptional because of its capabilities and underlying technology. I have known the team at Tactile Engineering for decades. I first met Tactile Engineering’s CEO, Dave Schleppenbach, and its Marketing Director, Wunji Lau, at Purdue University in 1995. Dave directed the VISIONS Lab, a student-run organization that provided STEM class materials for me and other blind college students. It was there that Wunji and Dave started developing their first tactile display prototype. Later, I met Tom Baker and Alex Moon, the engineers who reworked and developed the concept into a functional device. Not only did Tom and Alex create a device capable of exceptionally fast refresh rates, but they also did it with a focus on mass production, affordability, and ease of maintenance, aspects of product development often left behind in the rush to create new tactile technologies. I’ve followed their progress over the last decade, as they powered through setbacks and challenges. Anyone who’s tried it can attest to the difficulty of making a tactile display, but Tactile Engineering did it using their own time and resources, working out of a garage in Lafayette, Indiana. Their dedication and resilience has been an inspiration, and the results of their work are a testament to this perseverance and understanding of the needs of the blind community. Using the Cadence tablet has been a constant series of revelations. The device is designed for easy braille reading, simulating the spacing and texture of paper braille. Beyond being able to show graphics, the Cadence tablet is capable of actual tactile animation, which has been an incredible boon to my own work in providing accessible scientific tools for blind students. With the Cadence tablet, students can observe real-time changes in graphs, diagrams, collaborative drawings, and other presentations. The power of this capability cannot be understated. Last week, I used the Cadence tablet to watch the total solar eclipse in real time, scrolling and zooming the live video feed to witness different parts of the moon’s movement over the sun. In the next room over, students watched live telemetry from research balloon launches, observing moment-to-moment changes in altitude, speed, pressure, temperature, and other data. After the event, attendees played tactile video games, which some might consider a frivolous activity, but one that serves to teach skills and bring people together. Hundreds of Cadence tablets are deployed in Indiana and other US states, with more being made every day. It is no exaggeration to say that this device, perhaps more than any other currently in development or on offer, has the potential to drastically shift the needle forward for how blind children learn as well as advancing braille literacy. Tactile Engineering’s Cadence tablet will have a truly transformative effect on education, work, and entertainment for the blind community. Sincerely, Cary Supalo
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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form