News

Testing audio-free description for silent film
RNIB, Grimaldi Building, London, N1 9JE.

Pre-registration essential – this is not a drop-in event! Please email [email protected] to secure your space.

Bristol Braille Technology is very excited to be taking part in an accessible silent film description project, run by Polly Goodwin. Bristol Braille will be attending and participating in an experiment to use Braille displays to provide description for silent films.

On the day, at 2:30PM, we will watch two films, ‘Cheer Up’ and ‘Fulta Fisher’s Boarding House’. We’ll be bringing a Canute Console but attendees are encouraged to bring their own Braille displays of any make.

More details on the event:

Polly is a professional audio describer and researcher into the potential uses of audio description (AD). She is seeking film and/or access technology enthusiasts who are blind or have low vision to help shape a new form of audio-free description for silent film.

Silent film is a captivating medium that thrived in the first three decades of the 20th century, telling stories through moving images without the use of the human voice. As a professional audio describer and silent film fan, Polly wants to make this medium accessible while still respecting its fundamental silence. She is developing an experimental form of non-audible description making use of a new process developed for use in opera.

What does my participation involve?

About an hour, on Tuesday 28th October, 2024, in person at RNIB London HQ to test out some different versions of description and to give feedback.

Participants need to own, use and bring either a refreshable braille device or a smart phone/tablet used to access large print information through wifi transmission. Participants must be willing to take a short survey in advance which will be used to further the research.

More information on the medium and the films

If you are interested in hearing more about the event, the medium, or the films that will be shown — even if you cannot make it this time — please email [email protected].

The Repair Shop is a television programme on BBC 1. In series 13, episode 17, first broadcast at 8:00 PM on 23 October 2024, a Perkins Brailler is featured!

Its first appearance is at 30:10.

Watch The Repair Shop, Series 13, Episode 17 on BBC iPlayer

New College Worcester is delighted to share its plans to celebrate 200 years of braille. You can find them on this page of the NCW website.

Please see this page for a full list of Braille And Beyond library events from RNIB.

We are thrilled to announce the world’s first face-to-face conference for World Braille Day, taking place at New College Worcester on Saturday 4 January 2025.

Join us to hear from inspiring speakers, browse an exhibition of braille technology, have your braille questions answered in 1:1 and small group surgeries, and much, much more.

The event will run from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM, with refreshments and lunch provided, and will be completely free of charge.

Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so register now to secure yours!

Stay tuned for further announcements in the coming weeks.

Register for the World Braille Day event

Come join us for an enlightening talk by the Royal National Institute of Blind People as we celebrate 200 years of Braille!

Harrogate Library, Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, HG1 1EG

In 1824 Louis Braille invented a tactile system that would revolutionise the world for people with sight loss and empower them to achieve things that would never before been thought possible. Join us in a day of celebrations, information, talks and shared experiences.

Learn about the history and significance of Braille as we celebrate its 200th anniversary. Discover how this tactile writing system has empowered individuals with visual impairments for centuries. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Braille and its impact on the blind community.

All welcome. Refreshments provided. See you there!

Reserve your free tickets here

As we celebrate 200 years of braille at RNIB, we would love to hear from blind and partially sighted people across the UK about your experience of using braille and how it has enabled you to access information independently.

If you are a braillist in the UK and you would like to share your experience to help us raise awareness of braille use in the UK, please use the survey link below and share your thoughts: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Braille200

Thank you.

Reading aloud is a skill that is both terrifying and liberating. Adding braille to the mix presents unique challenges that can often get in the way of recognising significant progress. Along with reading speed and fluency, the one question we hear most often is: “How can I improve my ability to read aloud?”

Building on the topics from her popular masterclass, Revitalise Your Braille Reading Technique, Chantelle Griffiths returns to uncover some of the mystery and magic of reading aloud and to share some tips and tricks to help.

In this masterclass we will explore:

• How a six-year-old Chantelle connected the dots between elephants, cats and reading aloud, and the one word she learned that can help you, too.
• What reading aloud is not, and why “not” helps a lot!
• The surprising visual analogy that can improve your reading exponentially, if you choose to see it.
• The three infuriating words that everyone hates to hear but loves to experience.
• How moving on is not giving up, but levelling up.
• The capital B mindset that resets your brain and your reading practice every time.
• And so much more.

Why not bring along some familiar reading material, electronic or hardcopy, and try some of what you learn with us in real time.

Whether you’re new to reading aloud or you just want a fresh perspective, there’s something here for everyone.

Register for the Masterclass here.

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 871 6649 7003
• Passcode: 123456

We are delighted to have been made aware of this event from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations:

2024 is the 200th anniversary of the invention of Braille. David Wilkins, a totally blind and partially deaf member of CIPR, who has used Braille since 5 years old will lead this session. David trained as a journalist and is now a member of the British Antarctic Survey’s Net Zero team in Cambridge. The session will talk through the history of Braille, how it was developed, and how modern technology isn’t always the answer; covering what you should consider when communicating with people who are visually impaired.

Find out more

MuseScore is a free notation editor, widely used for creating music scores for onward translation into braille. It has been great to see the emphasis on accessibility within its development in recent years. Sound Without Sight are very excited to share that their next Meet-up Session will feature a live demo of MuseScore Studio by James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB. James will demonstrate the process of installing the software, and then cover all you need to create basic scores while using keyboard navigation and a screen reader. More information and sign up.