Rachel Zimmerman Brachman

Biography

Rachel Zimmerman Brachman was born in 1972 in Ontario, and is known for creating the Blissymbol printer, which used software to translate Blissymbols tapped on a board into written language

She began working on her ideas for the Blissybol printer as a school science project at 12 years old. Up until this point, users pointed to images on a Bliss board and an assistant would translate what they're trying to communicate. Zimmerman used a special touch pad and software to do the translating, outputting text onto a computer screen.

She won a silver medal at the World Exhibition of Achievement of Young Inventors and then YTV Television Youth Achievement Award. She completed a college degree in 1990 studying physics and space and worked for the Planetary Society in California. Since 2013 she's worked as an education and public outreach specialist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Further Reading

https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/rachel-zimmerman