James C. Bliss (October 21, 1933 – January 24, 2012) was an American electrical engineer and entrepreneur best known for his pioneering role in developing technological aids for visually impaired people.
He continued his dissertation work in tactile communication and also lectured in EE at Stanford, where he met John Linvill, who had conceived a machine that would allow his blind daughter, Candy, to read ordinary print by translating the letter images into vibrations.
In 1962 Bliss and Linvill began a multi-year development effort at Stanford and SRI culminating in a successful prototype called the "Optacon" in 1969.
Under his leadership the company developed, manufactured, and sold many innovative electronics communications products for blind and visually impaired people.
In 1994 he founded JBliss Imaging Systems,[4] which provided easy-to-use equipment for scanning and reading aloud printed materials.