News

We are excited to announce the launch of a new eBook!

Whether you’re new to braille or you’ve been using braille technology for decades, choosing your braille display can be daunting. They’re so expensive, there’s so much to consider, and just when you thought you’d investigated all your options, you come across another one you hadn’t heard of before!

Braille On Display has been helping prospective users choose the braille display which best meets their individual needs since 2016, and to celebrate National Braille Week and World Sight Day, we are delighted to unveil the third edition of this comprehensive compendium.

Join us on Thursday 10 October at 7:30 PM, where we will hear first hand from its author, Jackie Brown, about what this publication has to offer and what has been added in this brand new edition. Jackie will be joined by esteemed ambassadors from the assistive technology industry including Ron Miller and Jonathan Mosen, who will add their own commentary on the book.

We will also reveal details of how you can obtain your own copy of the book, and there will be a question and answer session with Jackie towards the end of the event.

Register for the Braille On Display Launch Event here.

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 864 5331 8624
• Passcode: 123456

From: European Blind Union – Working Group on Braille.
To: EBU member organisations

Dear colleagues and friends,

Many braillists organisations worldwide are promoting celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of braille.

In this regard, the European Blind Union, through its working group on braille, has designed an initiative aimed at involving braille users in a creative experience.

Therefore, we are delighted to invite you to join our project. Our aim is to collect pieces inspired by our writing code, from blind and sighted users all over Europe.

We would like them to work on the production of any artistic or personal output: video or podcast about braille, text, grafics or drawings in braille, based on braille signs or shapes, or any other contributions they might creatively come up with related to the braille code. The pieces can be stories, poems, songs, reports, advice to other braille users, games with braille, software etc.

We hope to receive 365 contributions, so that we can release one per day, throughout the whole year of 2025.

We Will publish these pieces on our European braille forum: www.livingbraille.eu and send out via many different channels including e-mail newsletter and social media channels. And we invite you to do the same in your country.

Thus, we send you a motivational text, addressed to your braille users, which you will need to translate and to spread through your target group lists and social media.

We are truly looking forward to receiving these fantastic and original contributions, straight from the users.

If you have questions or remarks or want to express your collaboration, please mail to [email protected]

Thanks in advance for your cooperation and involvement.

Natalina Martiniello, Ph.D., CVRT, Assistant Professor, Vision Rehabilitation, School of Optometry, Université de Montréal is recruiting a student who is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Visual Impairment Rehabilitation as part of her lab, with a focus on braille learning/usage in adulthood, and accessibility. She says:

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with strong interest and experience in the domain of braille and assistive technologies for people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. The candidate will join the research laboratory of Dr. natalina Martiniello and complete a Ph.D. in Vision Science (Specialization: Visual Impairment Rehabilitation) in the School of Optometry at the Université de Montréal, in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

The individual will work on research to develop evidence-based indicators to guide the selection of braille display technologies for diverse reading and user needs across adulthood. This research will explore the influence of braille display characteristics (e.g. line length, single vs. multiline design, ergonomics, complexity) on reading performance across a range of linear and non-linear reading tasks for education, employment and independent living. This research will also explore the potential impact of age-related declines on the ability to use braille display technologies, and factors to maximize usage for working-age and older adults with acquired vision loss.

For more information, please see this document in English or this document in French.

Torch Trust are trialling a new way to access their braille catalogue electronically and are seeking testers. If you would be interested in testing, please email Jake Kyle on [email protected]

Attention: All Users of APH Products!

If you have purchased APH products and services, such as the Mantis Q40 or Chameleon 20, to use in education or rehabilitation settings, they want to hear from you!

This brief survey is conducted annually and is designed to accomplish several key goals:

• Give users an opportunity to share their experiences with APH products and services.
• Help them coordinate priorities and improve their product development processes.
• Collect performance data as required by the federal Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).

Follow the link below to complete the survey and learn more. All individual responses will remain confidential. Your feedback about APH performance and product effectiveness DOES make a difference.

Survey response deadline is Friday, October 11, 2024.

Start the 2024 GPRA Survey

You’re invited to a very special Braille 200 celebration event!

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. All welcome.

The first stop is at Barking Library, at Barking Learning Centre (5 minutes from Barking tube station) on Friday 27 September, 10am-3pm. The day will have talks, an interactive session, invitations to share your braille story, information stands and a special talk from Mike Brace, the Paralympian, but most importantly tea, coffee, cake and lunch!

Barking Learning Centre
2 Town Square, Barking IG11 7NB
Friday 27 September, 10am-3pm

Schedule:

• 10.00am – Meet and Greet with Refreshments
• 10.15am – Braille 200 Presentation
• 10.45am – Meet the Braille Buddies and your stories
• 12 noon – Lunch
• 12.30pm – Barking and Dagenham Braille Services
• 13.00pm – Keynote talk – Paralympian & CEO Mike Brace

Find out more

Braille Screen Input has been overhauled!

iOS and iPad OS 18, due for release on Monday 16 September, include the biggest refresh of Braille Screen Input since the feature was first introduced in iOS 8. Although you can, for the most part, still use Braille Screen Input as you always have done, the new functionality in Apple’s latest flagship operating systems is a source of much excitement throughout the blind community and will almost certainly take your Braille Screen Input experience to the next level.

Join us on Tuesday 17 September at 7:30 PM UK time, as Matthew Horspool talks us through:

• The devices supported by iOS and iPad OS 18
• New ways to enter and exit Braille Screen Input
• New sounds and haptics
• Braille entry improvements
• Using Braille Screen Input to control and navigate your iPhone or iPad

We welcome your questions during the session and we will make sure we allow plenty of time to answer them!

Register for the Masterclass here.

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 896 5162 5988
• Passcode: 123456

Registration is now open for the autumn term for Braille And Tactile Skills courses at Adult Learning Lewisham, starting on 16 September 2024.

They say: Our Braille and Tactile Skills courses take place on Mondays either between 10AM/12:30PM or 1Pm/3:30PM. Terms are eleven weeks long and are held at our Brockley Rise centre in South East London: 2 Brockley Rise, SE23 1PR. No previous knowledge of Braille is required and many of our applicants receive free or discounted places depending on their financial situations and the benefits that they may be receiving. We are a friendly and supportive group, and all learners work at their own pace towards their individual goals. We have lots of great group discussions about various topics related to visual impairment and use things like tactile games to make learning fun and to foster new friendships and connections.

To register, please call: 02083143300 Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm to make an appointment for a pre-course assessment with supported learning, or you can email: [email protected]

Codex Global have asked us to share the following opportunity. For further information, please email Carlos Silva, Senior Talent Manager – Team Lead, on [email protected] copying [email protected] or call 0207 647 9540.

My name is Carlos and I’m part of the Talent Management team here at Codex Global, an Language Service Provider based in London.

One of our clients has enquired about Braille transcription and I’m reaching out to inquire about your availability and interest in collaborating with us on these projects.

Specifically, we are seeking:

• Experienced Braille Transcribers: Proficiency in accurately transcribing English (UK) content into Braille (Grade 1 and Grade 2)
• Printing and Delivery: Ability to print Braille transcriptions on clear paper (without company logos or letterheads) and send them directly to specified addresses
• Attention to Detail: Commitment to delivering accurate, high-quality transcriptions
• Professionalism: Discretion and professionalism when handling sensitive, client-specific documents (signing of an NDA will be required)

Project Details:

• Frequency: Ad hoc (2-10 projects per year)
• Volume: Typically, between 500-2,500 words per project
• Budget: £15 per page

Could you let me know if a collaboration would be possible and share any information from your side that would be pertinent.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response and to share more details.

THE BRISTOL BRAILLE INNOVATION CENTRE, G11, 37 Philip St, Bristol, BS3 4EA, UK

Inviting all Braille users who are interested in 2 dimensional electronic Braille on the Canute Console.

Next event 12 – 03 pm on Saturday 14th September: Roger Firman has been using a Canute for some years. In his short presentation, Roger will discuss the importance and relevance of tactile maps for vision impaired people, and talk about an evolving project using the Canute Console in astronomy and other possible applications.

There will also be plenty of opportunity for each delegate to have hands-on experience with the Canute Console.

By prior arrangement some travel expenses may be covered by Bristol Braille Technology.

Nearest train station is Bristol Temple Medes.

To inquire or sign up: email [email protected]

Agenda:

Arrive 12 pm for coffee.
Chance for those who have not seen the Canute Console to have a touch tour of the machine, so it is clearer what we will be discussing. There will be 3 Canute Consoles set up, and 3 of us can demonstrate them.

12:15 – Ed will give a demonstration of some maps and explain some of the possibilities for the future.

12:30 – Roger will discuss the importance and relevance of tactile maps for visually impaired people and talk about an evolving project using the Canute Console in astronomy and other possible applications.

Lunch.

Rest of session: All will participate in discussing the points raised by the presentations. We are keen to hear your thoughts on tactile maps—what aspects you like, what works and what doesn’t, and why.

There will be an opportunity for people to try out the Canute Console for themselves and understand its potential.