Our story
A small experiment. A better question.
Fewer Barriers is an independent, non-commercial build-for-good project by Ciarán Paul Roche. It exists to make useful things—not to collect attention, profiles, or private information.
Where it began
The honest version
Years ago, Ciarán built a Webydo experiment called Free Text to Braille Converter. It accepted ordinary text, displayed Unicode Braille characters, spoke the text, offered a high-contrast view, and could print the result.
It was a modest build with a worthwhile instinct: one small, thoughtful utility can remove a real barrier.
- 01 · The sketch
Make something immediately useful
The original tool was simple enough to understand in seconds. That directness still matters.
- 02 · The decision
Do not call a shortcut a standard
The prototype mostly substituted print characters with Unicode Braille patterns. Real transcription is governed by systems such as Unified English Braille, with separate considerations for contractions, mathematics, music, and other material.
- 03 · The product now
Keep the purpose. Rebuild the answer.
Research showed that relaunching the old converter would overstate what it could do. So we pivoted to a barrier we could address responsibly: reading an important letter more calmly without handing it to us or to an AI system.
What survived the pivot
The original idea was still right.
- Put the useful thing before the explanation.
- Process private material locally whenever practical.
- Use AI only when it removes a barrier conventional code cannot.
- Reject weak tools and unsupported accessibility claims.
- Keep the project free, lean, and maintainable.
A tandem build
Human purpose. Modern tools. Human responsibility.
Fewer Barriers is designed and built in tandem by Ciarán and AI. AI helps with research, design, code, and testing. The mission, judgment, privacy boundaries, and responsibility remain human.
Use Take Your Time