Starbucks has offered Braille gift cards during the month of October since Fall 2011, a limited run of the cards for the month designated as disability employment awareness month. Two years after that product launched the coffee giant says the Braille cards will become a regularly offered item.

The card bears raised Braille lettering reading “Starbucks” to set it apart from customers’ other cards in their wallets and were first introduced at the urging of disability advocates.

On the Ideas In Action company blog yesterday, Starbucks writes that it will offer the card year-round.

It’s that same spirit of innovation that drives us to constantly look to MSI [My Starbucks Idea blog] for inspiration on how to come up with solutions – that have the potential to vastly improve the experience for a huge community. For better readability we’ve adjusted the font and print sizes on our menus. We also created Braille & large print menus, and large print & picture menus. And for the third year in a row we are offering a Braille Starbucks gift card in the store. Thanks to a customer request, it’s now available year-round.

In October 2011, a Starbucks customer wrote about her blind daughter being able to buy her own hot chocolate, and asked that the gift cards be kept year-round. Just goes to show that sometimes it might take a bit of time, but customers can have a voice and can accomplish big things.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.