The topic for the Tuesday, September 29, 2026, That All May eRead online program will be Effective Use of the NLS eReader Dictionary. In the remaining time, we will answer any questions you have about the NLS Braille eReader.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. The meeting will be recorded.
Expert Table Talks are back – with a new name and a fresh format!
We are delighted to invite you to BBQ – Braille, Brands and Questions, a new series of informal online conversations with Braille display manufacturers.
Join us to discover their products, hear directly from knowledgeable representatives and developers, and ask the questions that matter to Braille users. We look forward to welcoming you back around our virtual table!
📅 The meetings are planned to take place on the last Wednesday of each month, of autumn 2026 and spring 2027 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm CET. We expect to organise at least six such sessions and will include interested manufacturers in the programme.
The Monarch 2.0 software update brings new possibilities for learning, access, collaboration, and independence—but what do those updates actually look like in practice? Join Greg Stilson and the APH team for this Passport to Innovation session as we move beyond a simple list of new features and explore practical ways the Monarch 2.0 software update can support students, educators, and other users in everyday situations. Throughout the session, we’ll connect each update to realistic scenarios—from exploring equations and graphs in math class, to accessing tactile graphics, completing assessments, and sharing files with teachers or classmates. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of not just what is new in the Monarch 2.0 software update, but how these new capabilities can be put to work to increase access, participation, and independence.
Introduction to Braille Music for Beginners, $499.00 USD
Introduction to Braille Music for Beginners is a new Dancing Dots online course designed to get you reading and writing braille music starting at the most basic level. You will join a small class of three or four individuals eager to master the basics of the music code for braille. This course is open to both sighted and blind students of all ages.
Description
Learn to read, sing, and play melodies written in braille music using the Lesson Exercises from An Introduction to Music for the Blind Student, Part I, by Richard Taesch. In this ten-hour online course, you will learn the concepts and signs presented in all four phases of Part I.
Learning Objectives
Learn the differences between print and braille music notation and explore how Louis Braille designed his system for reading music.
Learn braille music notation for the seven notes of the scale as eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes (quaver, crotchet, minim, and semibreve), along with related rests.
Understand octave signs and the rules for using them.
Recognize and use melodic intervals; solfeggio syllables, letters, and numbers for the seven scale degrees; key and time signatures; single, double, and backward-repeat bar lines; dotted notes and rests; measure numbers; repeat signs; piano fingering; major and minor tonality; accidentals; slurs; ties; pick-up measures; and full- and part-measure braille repeats.
Recommended Prerequisites
Braille Readers: Proficiency in at least uncontracted literary braille.
Sighted Students: A basic understanding of print music notation is helpful but not required. Exercises are presented in staff notation and corresponding braille font.
Students will need Zoom for class meetings. Ideally, students will also have a low- or high-tech way to write braille and access to a piano or musical keyboard, although these are not required.
Call us to discuss your training needs or to ask questions about the course.
Scheduling and Class Size
Courses are scheduled on a rolling basis, with a minimum of three students. Every effort will be made to accommodate students’ scheduling needs. Sessions are two hours each and projected to meet weekly.
Course tuition includes your choice of a print or braille version of Lesson Exercises, Part I.
Questions? Call us at [+1]610-783-6692 or email [email protected] to discuss your need for training and to ask anything about the course.
Over the past few months I have written a set of 6 lessons as a thorough overview of the basics of getting started with MuseScore using a screen reader. The lessons assume basic general computer skills using a screen reader, but no previous knowledge of MuseScore. They are designed for those who have found it hard to get started from the tutorial videos and info in the handbook.
The lessons give step by step instructions that you can work through using the supplied sample files to give you a thorough knowledge of how navigation works around the interface and in the score as well as basic note input and editing. They are aimed at an introductory level, but if people find them very useful I could write some more on other topics as needed.
You will find there are 3 formats of the main Guided Lessons document (Word Doc, PDF and BRF). In the introductory topic of that document it explains how to use the Sample files (MuseScore and BRF) and work through the lessons.
If you find any errors or things that are not clear in these lessons please let me know by e-mailing [email protected]
I’d also love some feedback from anyone who finds these useful.
This 15-digit soraban abacus features a 1:4 bead layout (one bead worth 5 on the top deck, and four beads each worth 1 on the bottom deck). The orange plastic beads are laid on top of a black velvet background, which holds them firmly in place. The abacus is 6⅜″×3⅝″, and comes with a white plastic case (7¾″×4″).
An abacus is a deceptively simple calculating tool that has been used for thousands of years. This short booklet has instructions on how to use an abacus to count, add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers.
This is a shameless plug for an email group I set up a few years ago. The BrailleBookSwap email list exists to allow people to pass on braille books which they no longer require. It was launched following the changes made by RNIB to the braille library service, meaning that books could no longer be returned to the library, but should simply be consigned to the recycling bin.
The group has been running successfully for the past few years currently having approximately 100 members. Changes to the administration of the list mean that it is now open to new members, so if anyone would like to join the list they can post a blank message to [email protected].
Anyone having problems signing up should contact me at [email protected].
We invite you to join the new Blazie Technologies Community group on Facebook!
This group is a place for BT Speak and BT Braille users, prospective customers, family members, educators, and anyone interested in Blazie Technologies to connect and learn from one another.
Use this group to ask questions, share tips and experiences, discuss BT Speak and BT Braille, learn about new features and updates, and connect with other members of the Blazie community.
The Blazie Technologies team will also be active in the group to answer questions, provide helpful information, and keep you informed about our products.
Whether you’ve been using Blazie products for years or are just getting started, you’re welcome here.
The Braillists is a grass-roots community group offering high quality training and support to emerging and established braille users. We also work with family members, friends, colleagues and teachers of braille users, and connect braille users with braille technology developers and funders.
Braille is a simple code for representing written language. We believe braille has the potential to transform the life of any blind person who has the opportunity to learn it.
We support hundreds of adults to read braille by touch in a few short weeks through our innovative and approachable Braille for Beginners course. Free of charge, it comprises hard copy resources through the post and a series of short pre-recorded lessons, supplemented by email and Zoom support from highly qualified and experienced tutors.
There are plenty of other courses available too, for both children and adults, reading by touch or by sight. We have made a list of these on our Learn Braille page.
Perkins Repairs and Other Braille Equipment
The Perkins Brailler is the most established braille writer in use today, and even machines from the 1950s can still be serviced and repaired. We have compiled information about Perkins repairs, places to purchase Perkins Braillers, and other types of braille equipment on our Braille Equipment page.
If you are looking for braille paper, you can find it on our Braille Consumables page.
Our Aims
Promote the value of braille as a proven literacy tool that enriches the lives of blind people.
Support efforts to make affordable braille and tactile reading technologies available to all blind people irrespective of education and employment status.
Provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas about the development of future braille technology.