Welcome to the Braillists

Latest News

  • Does Your Reading Speed Require Improvement?

    If so, come to our Masterclass on Tuesday (19 October) at 7:30 PM.

    We’re delighted to be joined by Kit Aronoff of Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and founder of Main Line Accessibility Consulting. Kit has a background in elementary education and is passionate about building braille mastery. Using principals of teaching literacy to emerging readers and articles from the National Federation of the Blind, Kit has developed a series of strategies which are sure to benefit even the most compitent of braillists.

    If you’re already registered for our Masterclasses, you don’t need to register again. If not, you can register for Tuesday’s session here.

    We’re sure you will agree that this is a session not to be missed.

  • Pioneering UK Charity Announces Opportunities for Remote Braille Tuition

    The Braillists Foundation is thrilled to announce that it is now accepting registrations for its third “Braille for Beginners” course, which will take place over eight Tuesdays at 6:00 PM starting on 11 January 2022. This innovative and accessible programme will equip blind and partially sighted adults with the skills to read and write braille letters, numbers and punctuation, promoting unparalleled levels of independence and raising their confidence and self-esteem.

    Dave Williams, Chairman of the Braillists and himself blind since birth, said: “For me, there is no greater privilege than being able to read bedtime stories to my son. Without braille, I’m certain I would not be able to do this. I’m therefore delighted that we are able to mark National Braille Week at the Braillists by unlocking the world of reading by touch for so many people who have never had the opportunity before.”

    The course, which will take place on Zoom with a telephone dial-in option for those with limited or no access to the internet, will be delivered by a highly qualified tutor with extensive experience of teaching braille to adults who are losing their sight, and is offered at no charge. Required resources will be provided by post or download, and peer support and 1:1 assistance from the tutor will be available by email between sessions.

    Further details and the registration form can be found at www.braillists.org/beginners

  • Lunchtime Discussion Recording Now Available

    The lunchtime discussion with Sight and Sound technology held last Tuesday is now available for on-demand listening. Find it on Youtube here.

  • Learning braille later in life

    In this special episode of the Blind Spot podcast for National Braille Week, Thomas Pocklington Trusts Technology Manager Darren Paskell speaks to braille teacher Norma Williams about learning braille in later life. Listen to the podcast here.

  • Why I Learned Braille As An Adult, by Nathan Tree

    This article was written for last yhear’s National Braille Week, but it was so good that we thought we’d share it again. Read it on the Look UK website.

  • Words from a Previous Braille for Beginners Participant

    We were touch to have been featured in an article on Build Back Ever Better, written by Tim Dixon, a previous Braille for Beginners participant. Read Tim’s article here.

  • Recognition Received from London Vision

    We are “the go to braille people” and “the UK’s biggest braille cheerleaders”, according to a new article from London Vision. Read it here.

The Braillists is a grass-roots community group connecting Braille readers with Braille technology developers and funders.

Braille is a simple code for representing written language. Almost anyone can learn the Braille alphabet and numbers in under an hour.

We believe Braille has the potential to transform the life of any blind person who has the opportunity to learn it.

Our Aims

  1. Promote the value of Braille as a proven literacy tool that enriches the lives of blind people.
  2. Support efforts to make affordable Braille and tactile reading technologies available to all blind people irrespective of education and employment status.
  3. Provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas about the development of future Braille technology.

Join our announcements only mailing list to receive occasional newsletters.

Join the conversation and meet other Braillists on our discussion forum.

Connect with us on Twitter (@Braillists) or like us on Facebook for up to the minute Braillists news.

Listen to some braille-related audio on Soundcloud (braillists).

Resources

Please see our Sponsors and Partners for information on organisations who are supporting us.