Legally blind high school senior in Johnson County creates menus in braille for restaurants across Arkansas

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ark. – A facilitator with the Education Accelerated by Service and Technology (EAST) initiative approached Evan Pratt, a legally blind high school student, with the idea to make a menu in braille for a restaurant, which launched Pratt’s initiative: Braille Bites.

“With the menus, I do put the nutritional facts, the calories, things like that,” Pratt said.

Since doctors told Pratt he would eventually be completely blind by a certain age, learning braille was a necessity for him.

“I was diagnosed with ocular albinism and congenital nystagmus,” Pratt said.

Pratt explained the whole reason behind his initiative.

“The purpose was to give those who are blind and low vision more of an independent way of trying to order food,” Pratt said.

Pratt had 53 restaurants in the state that held his braille menus and was working on adding more places to his list.

“There was Wendy’s on Cantrell, then there was Oyster Bar. From then, it went to a couple of Pizza Huts,” Pratt said. “This is my project. I love it.”