News

If you missed our latest monthly webinar, it’s now available on our Web site’s Guides and Media page and on YouTube. We demonstrated using contracted Braille in desktop mode, chapter navigation in the Podcasts app and answered questions from participants.

Following the article in our last Newsletter, Jackie Brown has published a series of heartwarming tributes to George Bell on her website. You can Read the tributes here.

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be hosting a BT Code workshop alongside American Printing House for the Blind at the CSTA 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans.

• July 15, 2026
• 3:00–5:30 PM CT
• Maurepas (Floor 3)

Join us as we explore how accessible technology can empower every student to learn, create, and succeed in computer science.

Whether you’re an educator, accessibility advocate, or simply passionate about inclusive education, we’d love to connect with you at CSTA! We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!

From Blazie Technologies:

As it’s the first Tuesday in July, this means that it’s time for our monthly webinar, which takes place on Tuesday, July 7 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. The main topic will be our July update, which introduces many new features and refinements for BT Speak and BT Braille. We’ll talk about some of the features, share company news, demo a few of the features and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Time: Jul 7, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 871 6779 4490 Passcode: 104056

Multi-line Braille has become an invaluable tool for me as an associate lecturer in computer science and a software developer. In this talk, I will give just a few examples of how multi-line Braille has been transformative in my work and home life and discuss my experience using the Canute Scientific Braille workstation and how open-source software and a close relationship with the Braillist community has made Bristol Braille’s products powerful and flexible tools for professionals working in STEM subjects.

Presenter: Hollie Baker

Note: 12:00 midday local time.

The “Multiline Braille for Active Lives” session on the Dot Pad X can be found in Room 205. It is hosted by Dot Inc. team members and covers how to seamlessly connect the tactile display to iOS, Windows, and notetakers.

Registration for the 2026 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention is open until Monday, July 6th, at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

There are a number of braille-related presentations as part of the program.

The discounted registration fee for ACB members is $55, and $70 for non-members. If you are not a member, you can join ACB as a member-at-large for $10, enabling you to save $5.

There are two ways to register: online at https://members.acb.org/, or via telephone:

Please call Janet Dickelman at 651-428-5059 and leave a message with your name, phone number, time zone, and whether you plan to attend the convention in-person or virtually.

Further information can be found at: https://acbconvention.org/

From the Braille Revival League at the ACB National Convention

Seeing Braille, a program for the PC, lets blind or sighted presenters demonstrate braille to sighted audiences, in person or online. By exploring dot positions, letter patterns, numbers, punctuation, and uncontracted or contracted words or phrases, users can learn braille by sight and take the mystery out of braille for audiences such as parents, classmates of blind children, and the public in general.

Presenter: Neva Fairchild, American Foundation for  the Blind, retired aging and vision loss specialist, Dallas, TX Co-sponsored by BRL and AABT

From the Braille Revival League at the ACB National Convention

Patty Slaby will tell us about her inspiring Mission Trip to Lima Peru. She will share about her experiences at an orphanage where she presented and demonstrated how it is to live as a blind individual. She will summarize some of her adventures and describe the time she spent with the children being immersed in Spanish. Sponsored by AABT and BRL.

Presenter:  Patty Slaby itinerant teacher of blind and low vision, Arcadia, Wisconsin.

From the Braille Revival League at the ACB National Convention

Come join BRL to play games based on the use of braille. BRL members will lead you in playing a few games using your knowledge about braille.