Beijing Paralympics Opens Friday: 4 Days to the Most Inclusive Medal Yet ♿

The Beijing Paralympic medals carry Braille dot markers to indicate rank — gold, silver, bronze each tactually distinct. Accessible design baked into the artifact rather than added as a checkbox.

Tactile Rank Markers Cost Nothing

Adding 1–3 raised dots to a medal die costs the factory nothing extra — the dots are etched into the master alongside the rest of the design. For any inclusive sport event (Special Olympics, school adaptive programs), specifying tactile rank markers from the start is free. The signal sent to recipients is enormous; the cost difference to you is zero.

Ribbon Texture Communicates Tier Too

Beyond the medal itself, paralympic-style ribbons carry tactile patterns — woven stripes, embossed edges, knotted accents — that communicate medal tier through touch alone. Standard satin works for sighted recipients; tactile-pattern ribbons work for everyone. Cost is comparable. Worth proposing on every adaptive-event order.