Canadian company builds a better box of chocolates using braille

A move by a Canadian chocolate maker to produce packaging for blind and partially sighted people is one of several campaigns this year by companies trying to make their products more accessible to people with disabilities (PWD).

Purdys Chcolatier created a holiday box of chocolates this Christmas with both a braille label and a braille legend for the chocolates inside.

"When it first launched online and in select shops, it sold out within a matter of hours," Julia Cho, the brand's marketing manager, said from its Vancouver factory.

"I know the box is not perfect and we have so much to learn, but to me, it encourages me that this is a step in the right direction."

The company, which has 80 stores across Canada, rushed to produce more braille boxes, and Cho says another run will come in the new year.

Some big-name companies put a spotlight on inclusive products and packages in 2021, says Christina Mallon, the head of inclusive design and accessibility at Wunderman Thompson, a creative agency in New York City.

"There is a trend towards inclusive product design, and I see that in 2022, it's going to get even larger," said Mallon, whose clients include the fashion label Tommy Hilfiger, tech giant Microsoft and consumer goods brand Unilever.

Still, Mallon, who is disabled, says the movement is painfully small, compared to the needs of the PWD community.

"There is a lot of work to be done," she said.

According to Statistics Canada, 6.2 million people, or roughly one in five Canadians, have a disability. About 1.5 million of them identify as having sight loss.

Purdys designed its braille box and legend in consultation with members of the blind and partially sighted community. The National Federation of the Blind in the United States estimates that only one in 10 blind people can read braille.

"This is rare to find braille on a product," said John Rae, a retired Toronto man who has been blind for most of his adult life. He says he was happy to be able to buy a braille box.

"Many products or services are not constructed or built with blind people in mind."

An online video from the company features emotional reactions from members of the community to the box.