Category: Uncategorised

RNIB is delighted to announce the 2025-26 season of the Gardner’s Trust Braille Music Literacy Awards. Administered by the RNIB, these awards are dedicated to assessing the reading, understanding, and performance of Braille music. They provide music Braillists with a valuable opportunity to receive expert feedback on their specialist skills and to demonstrate their musical independence.

The awards are open to Braillists of all ages, as previous age restrictions have been removed. Candidates are also permitted to retake levels they have previously attempted.

There are five levels of assessment available. All participants will receive a detailed report and a certificate of entry. Outstanding entrants at each level who meet the required standard will be awarded a prize, ranging from £10 for Level 1 to £50 for Level 5.

Test dates and application deadline

Tests will take place between the 2^nd of February and 30^th of April 2026. You can enter an application at any point up to the 16^th of March 2026.

Feedback and certificates will be issued in June 2026, at which time we will also announce the prize winners. Candidates may choose to take the exams either in person at a location of their choice (subject to examiner availability) or online.

New for 2026

We’ve made some small changes to the higher-level tests to make them fairer for candidates, such as extending the practice time for some tests. You can read more about the specific changes in the downloadable Infopack on the RNIB’s website. Look for the document called “GTLA Updated Guidelines 2025-26”.

We have also included a new guide “What to expect from an online GTLA test” to help prepare candidates who are sitting the test via Teams or Zoom.

Further information

Specimen tests, along with general regulations and requirements in both Braille and print, can be obtained from the RNIB.

For more information, please visit: Gardner’s Trust Braille Music Literacy Awards | RNIB.

To request the information pack and application form, please contact us at: [email protected]

A message from the Braille Working Group of the European Blind Union.

Dear all,

Some European organisations plan to initiate a project about the quality of tactile graphics. We think that there can be done a lot to improve such graphics used in museums and education.

To support our application to EU we ask you to answer some questions. This will help us a lot.

Find our questionnaire here.

Thank you so much for your support!

Join Rob and Steve for a World Braille Day special where “bumpy paper” takes the spotlight. They’re joined by Braille champions Shawn Marsolais, Jen Jesso, and Riane LaPaire to celebrate why Braille is literacy and to ask why, in 2026, access to it is still uneven.

The panel shares real‑world stories of how Braille powers education, work, and independence, and digs into both the wins and the roadblocks: creative use of Braille tech and tactile graphics, growing World Braille Day resources and library programs, but also shortages of TVIs and transcribers, funding gaps, misconceptions about how technology can replace braille, and the myth that “audio is enough.”

Listen on the AT Banter Website

A new Blind-first and a11y-first audio-based game aimed at increasing typing skills and #Braille literacy. Multiple game and input modes, fun sounds, and you earn tickets with each round that you can use to get silly prizes when you cash out at the Prize Counter! Practice your Perkins typing with the home-row setting and your grade 2 symbols and word signs. I’m still iterating, but enjoy this initial release. Go whack some moles!

Claire Amoroso writes: “For any French speakers, an interesting talk about Braille from a historical and cultural perspective.”

Watch on YouTube

Hello from the International Council on English braille (ICEB)!

We are thrilled to announce our next virtual event: Introducing new IPA braille.

Join us for our upcoming presentation on this exciting new document! We will provide an overview of IPA braille, and we’ll discuss the reasons that an update was needed.

Whether you study or work in the field of linguistics, or you just want to learn about another way that braille contributes to literacy and independence, this event is for you.

Please register here to attend this session.

Tek Talk welcomes Joel Zimba and Rachel Ramos, HumanWare Product Specialists, to discuss the new BrailleNote Evolve

Come hear the new BrailleNote Evolve from HumanWare speak for itself. During this presentation, Joel Zimba and Rachel Ramos, (Product Specialists at HumanWare), will demonstrate the BrailleNote Evolve– a full-fledged Windows 11 Computer in the form factor of a convenient travel-sized note-taker. You’ll hear about why the Evolve was designed, a physical description of the device, a tour of the Main Menu, the enhancements to the full-featured Microsoft Office Suite, and how Windows is taking us into the future with Braille at the center. You won’t want to miss it, as this will be an info-packed session!

Please register your interest and be the first to know new information about the BrailleNote Evolve when it becomes available here.

Presenter Contact Info

Joel Zimba Email: [email protected]

Rachel Ramos Email: [email protected]

Joining Details

Meeting Link – Pat Price Training Room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/839935813?pwd=eXFMRHpxNnhFZlRiMHAzRWNWYXM3Zz09

Meeting ID: 839 935 813

Passcode: awz

By phone:

• +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
• +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
• International numbers

Be aware that all Accessible World Zoom meetings are set to automatically record and the Zoom Client on both your computer and your smart device has a message announcing the recording when you first enter a meeting using these clients. You must tab or swipe to the Got it/OK button and execute it to acknowledge your awareness of the recording or you will be unable to unmute your device and speak in the meeting.

Listen on ACB Media

Tek Talk Programs can now be heard on ACB Media 1. Please visit the ACB Media Network Home page for more information.

Podcast Feed

Those wishing to subscribe to past Tek Talk program archives can do so using their mobile device and podcast app of choice or using their computers and podcatcher program of choice. The link with which to subscribe follows:

https://accessibleworld.org/feed/podcast/tektalk

The National Federation of the Blind has long championed the importance of Braille literacy. The ability of a student or adult to possess the reading and writing skills necessary to conducting education or business cannot be overstated.

January is Braille Literacy month, and in the spirit of this important time, the National Federation of the Blind, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Disabilities, is hosting a Technology Boutique which will briefly explore the refreshable Braille technologies which are driving today’s Braille displays. We will discuss:

• Three technologies used in today’s refreshable Braille hardware
• Pros and cons of each technology
• Examples of displays

Register for What’s Driving Today’s Refreshable Braille Displays on the NFB Website

You can never have too many tools in your braille teaching toolkit and Braille Brain, APH’s free, interactive online curriculum, is one you’ll want to explore. Designed to support instruction in Unified English Braille (UEB) and Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science, Braille Brain offers structured units, lessons, embedded knowledge checks, and flexible learning paths.

Our second Braille Brain webinar builds on foundational knowledge and demonstrates how Braille Brain can be used as a dynamic instructional tool across real-world teaching scenarios. Participants will explore advanced features such as Nemeth Code integration, targeted learning paths, embedded assessments, and ways to track learner progress. Through case studies and user scenarios, attendees will learn practical strategies for implementing Braille Brain with diverse learners, including early braille readers, transition-age students, paraprofessionals, and adults new to vision loss.

Register Here for Supporting Braille Literacy with Braille Brain: Advanced, Technical, and Application

From the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, US.

The topic for the January 27, 2026, That All May eRead online program will be Using Your eReader with Your iPhone. In the remaining time, we will answer any questions you have about the NLS Braille eReader.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. EST and will last for one hour. The meeting will be recorded. To access the meeting, go to https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1603971745?pwd=AAyByFXmbZ94WHMCroPt1Iw28Se5mU.1

Meeting ID:        160 397 1745

Passcode:          471174

Remember that the meeting is recorded. Do not speak if you do not wish to be on the recording.

If you choose to dial in to the call, use the telephone numbers provided below. The Zoom.gov ID will not work with standard Zoom.us.

• +1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose)
• +1 646 964 1167 US (US Spanish Line)
• +1 646 828 7666 US (New York)
• +1 669 216 1590 US (San Jose)
• +1 415 449 4000 US (US Spanish Line)
• +1 551 285 1373 US (New Jersey)
• International numbers

You can find recordings and transcripts of previous That All May eRead programs on the NLS website at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/that-all-may-eread.

For more information, please contact:
Tamara Rorie
Head, Patron Engagement Section
[email protected] or [email protected]