Welcome to the Braillists

Latest News

  • Braille Bar on Tuesday

    Our popular Braille Bar returns this Tuesday at 7:30 PM. No question is too small, from kit to code – just ask and our experts will assist you!

    Register for the Braille Bar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdOyopjMiHdyORwRuXacnY9IrA4lVN2Bh

    Or, to join by phone, use these details:

    • Phone number: 0131 460 1196
    • Meeting ID: 880 3508 8878
    • Passcode: 123456
  • Transferring Content to your Braille Display, Tuesday at 7:30 PM

    Have you ever downloaded a book from Bookshare or Reading Services, but struggled to extract the zip file? Have you ever had a BRF file emailed to you, but not been able to copy it to your braille display? Does your braille display only support text or BRF files, but you want to read Word or PDF files on it?

    If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, our Masterclass on Tuesday is for you!

    Matthew Horspool will be in the presenter’s chair and he will take us step by step through extracting zip files, converting files from one format to another, and copying files from your computer to your braille display. Demonstrations using a screen reader will form an integral part of the presentation, and as ever there will be plenty of time for your questions at the end.

    N.B. most of the demos will be carried out on Windows, but the concepts discussed should apply equally to other operating systems.

    Register for the Masterclass here.

    To join by phone, please use these details:

    • Phone number: 0131 460 1196
    • Meeting ID: 824 7645 2710
    • Passcode: 123456

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.

What Is Braille?

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.

Discover more about braille on this page.

Learn Braille

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.

Find out more about Braille for Beginners and register here.

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

  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.

Find Out More

Join our announcements only mailing list to receive our weekly newsletter.

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).

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

Get IN Touch

Email [email protected] or call 020 3893 3392. Further details on our Contact Us page.