Access on the menu

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A recent NowKalamazoo feature spotlighted a powerful accessibility effort in our community—handmade braille menus at Latitude 42, created by employee Anna Lane. Lane, a Portage resident and dishwasher at the restaurant, designed full braille versions of the menu after observing blind diners struggle to participate fully in the ordering experience. Her dedication is rooted in her time at Western Michigan University, where she studied braille and Morse code while pursuing a degree in music therapy.

Lane’s work exemplifies the kind of equity‑driven, community‑minded leadership fostered at WMU. As Kelcie Douglas, faculty specialist in WMU’s Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies, says in the article: “Kalamazoo has such a long history of blind and low vision inclusion. I’d love for Kalamazoo to be on the map as a place for all people to feel welcome to go to any restaurant and be able to read that menu in any way they want to read that menu.”

Together, Lane’s initiative and WMU’s longstanding leadership in blindness and low‑vision education highlight how Broncos continue to expand accessibility—on campus and throughout Kalamazoo.