Earlier this week, Los Angeles-based WEBTOON put out a press release wherein it announced "the world's first tactile digital comics." Two series, "Yumi's Cells" and "Hooky," will be available in Braille, free of charge, in an effort to "[expand] access to more fans around the world."

WEBTOON is partnering with Dot Inc in producing the material, which utilizes Dot's Dot Pad technology. On its website, Dot bills its Dot Pad as "the world's first dynamic tactile display" which has the capability of showing "simultaneous Braille, graphics, and visualized data."

"Part of our mission at WEBTOON is to make webcomics more accessible for fans around the world," David S. Lee, head of WEBTOON in the United States, said in a statement for the company's announcement. "Dot Inc. shares WEBTOON's commitment to innovating for inclusivity. After making comics more accessible to people all over the world in a mobile digital format, we're thrilled to work with Dot Inc. to create a new content experience for the visually impaired."

It should be noted, as WEBTOON does in its press release, the Dot Pad is a piece of Bluetooth-enabled hardware, which kinda resembles a Kindle, that allows Blind users to connect the device to other things like laptops. Software-wise, it can connect to apps such as Microsoft Office and, according to WEBTOON, "displays charts, graphs, images and visual data with 320 refreshable Braille cells." Dedicated Braille displays are the kind of discrete assistive technology that are less known by the mainstream, although it's notable that companies such as Apple has fortified iOS with robust support for Braille displays -- and has for years.

Dot community manager Misook Go said in part webcomics are "at an all-time high" in terms of popularity, adding Dot thought "it would be great" if Blind and low vision could experience them too. Go, who identifies as visually impaired herself, went on to say it's her first time reading webcomics and reading "Yumi's Cells" tactilely "brought the imagined scenes vividly to life in my mind, and made the content even more engaging." She was curious about how Yumi's cells looked, saying "being able to feel their shapes brought a new level of excitement."

Broadly speaking, Go's sentiments resonate because they speak to technology's power to empower. To wit, comics are an inherently visual medium replete with illustrations ostensibly inaccessible to people who can't see to appreciate them. Like audio descriptions in TV shows and movies, transcripts in podcasts, and haptic feedback for music, technology like Dot's Braille display are making WEBTOON's material accessible to Go and legions of other people like her. To make comics inclusive isn't an insignificant feat -- it's incredible for inclusivity.