The Braillists Foundation is led by a board of dedicated volunteer trustees. Read on to find out more about each of them.
Dave Williams — Chair
Dave Williams is an experienced specialist in accessible technology, media relations, and inclusive design. For 25 years Dave has worked to advance accessibility for blind people. His professional background spans audio production, community media, agile design, and digital product testing, informed by his lived experience as a blind parent, international marathon runner, and award-winning volunteer.
During his tenure as RNIB’s Inclusive Design Ambassador, Dave spearheaded impactful initiatives that championed braille and tactile literacy, independence, and inclusion. Highlights included leading the Braille 200 celebrations across the UK, hosting 150 episodes of Tech Talk on RNIB Connect Radio — including a memorable interview with Stevie Wonder — and collaborating with Netflix to raise awareness of audio description. He partnered with Canon on the World Unseen tactile photography exhibition and with Sony Europe to spread accessibility initiatives such as tactile cues on product packaging. Dave has represented the UK on the Board of the DAISY Consortium and has been an active member of the European Blind Union Braille Working Group.
Dave was recently named University College London’s Community Tutor of the Year for his inclusive communication workshops for medical students. In 2023 he received a Point of Light award from the UK Prime Minister for work with the Braillists Foundation spreading braille and tactile literacy.
As a keen runner, in 2025 Dave was inducted into the Abbott World Marathon Majors Seven Star Finishers Hall of Fame, completing marathons in New York City, London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, and Sydney.
Organisations seeking to advance braille and tactile literacy, improve inclusivity, or create accessible products and services can contact Dave via LinkedIn, or email at [email protected].
Laurent Cadet de Fontenay — Secretary
Laurent is a psychologist working in private practice in the West Midlands. Born in Mauritius and blind from birth, he moved with his family to Cape Town at the age of three in order to attend a special school for the blind, as there was inadequate provision on the island in the early 1980s. He learned to read Braille at age six and considers it an invaluable daily tool — whether taking client notes on an electronic Braille notetaker or reading bedtime stories to his two daughters. A keen language learner, Laurent reads Braille not only in English but also in Afrikaans, French and German, and it has proved a valuable resource in his study of languages as diverse as Mandarin, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish and Esperanto. Laurent is also a keen tech enthusiast and previously worked as an assistive technology consultant. He remains particularly excited about ongoing developments in Braille technology, and has held governance roles in blindness organisations in South Africa before joining The Braillists board.
Ami Turnbull — Treasurer
I’m Ami and I joined the trustees as Treasurer back in 2025. Braille has always been a huge part of my life, whether that be reading for pleasure or a reliance on it for my job as a Conduct & Compliance Manager. Now my son is a teenager, I’ve found myself with more time on my hands, and wanted to put it to good use. I fully endorse the mission of The Braillists Foundation, and am looking forward to supporting the continuation of this work in my role.
Matthew Horspool
Matthew has been blind since birth and fervently believes that braille is an essential tool for all visually impaired people. He started his career as a part-time Braille Transcriber at Exhall Grange School, a specialist school for blind and partially sighted children, whilst studying for a degree in Computer Science at Coventry University. He acquired a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of the braille code whilst doing this, and used his computing knowledge to automate many transcription processes, which also allowed him to gain a deep level of understanding of braille embossers and translation software. His role quickly expanded into supporting and maintaining the braille notetakers and braille displays used at the school, which cemented his understanding of this technology too.
He is now a freelance consultant providing bespoke assistive technology training, with a particular interest in braille technology. In addition, he holds several influential positions including Code Maintenance Officer at the International Council on English Braille (ICEB), putting him at the forefront of braille standards development both in the UK and internationally.
He sings in the choir at Coventry Cathedral as a Choral Clerk, where he makes extensive use of braille, and he also has a keen interest in podcasting and spoken word audio production.
Darren Paskell
Darren’s biography is coming soon.
Stephanie Sergeant
Steph has demonstrated the value of Braille throughout her life. She was a keen reader early in school and at university. Computer programming for years was possible with an 80 cell Braille display. Steph has worked for Action for Blind people, and trained as a rehab worker for newly blinded adults partly in the USA. She has been self employed for 17 years, the last 7 of which the managing director of Vision Through Sound. VTS has also supported blind children in Zambia, Malawi and Uganda, where Braille is widely taught, and there is a need for Braille slates. She works closely with Bristol Braille Technology to develop the Canute Console, a multi-line Braille display with a Raspberry Pi computer built in. This has the unique feature of being able to display the same information on the VDU as appears on the Braille display, thus making it possible for sighted and blind colleagues to work together. Many new applications are being invented for this machine, opening up new opportunities for blind people.