The topic for the September 14, 2023, Many Faces of BARD program will be Using Your Braille Display to Read Braille BARD Books on Your iPhone. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. This program will be recorded.
For this session, Judy Dixon will demonstrate how to access BARD braille books located on your iPhone and read them with your braille display. Note that information in this session will apply to any braille display including the NLS Braille eReader. After the demonstration, Judy and the rest of the NLS staff will take questions about the demonstration or anything else relating to BARD.
Let’s visit the landmarks of UEB! We can float in the sea of Letters Written Individually, cross the UEB Bridge, and take a short walk through the newly landscaped Garden of Shortforms. Come along on this fascinating road trip! Kyle will look at writing letters individually, bridging, new shortforms plus common errors.
Target Audience: (Q)TVIs, Support Assistants, Transcribers. Some knowledge of braille required.
We will “pack our bags” with references and practice material for an exploration of rules of UEB that are particularly important to mathematics and science. On this particular “hike,” we will focus on Algebra and Geometry (high-school maths). Kyle will explore updates to Unified English Braille Guidelines for Technical Material, braille grouping indicators, fractions, specific symbols and common errors.
Target Audience: (Q)TVIs, Support Assistants, Transcribers. Some knowledge of braille required.
What are some ways to get from point P (a print document) to point B (a braille file)? We will discuss some of the available paths and how they differ. We will also point out some “shortcuts” that might speed up the process of going from PDF to BRF. Lastly, we will practice using the braille transcription software Duxbury Braille Translator. If you can, please have Duxbury Braille Translator open and ready for you to use in this session.
Target Audience: (Q)TVIs, Support Assistants, Transcribers. Some knowledge of braille required
Ahead of World Blind Awareness Month this October and in response to global demand, the LEGO Group announces LEGO® braille bricks are available to purchase for the first time through LEGO.com.
The new product – LEGO® Braille Bricks – Play with Braille – is aimed at kids aged 6+ and has been designed so that anyone who is curious about braille, be they blind, partially-sighted or sighted, can have fun getting to know the braille system at home with their family members in a playful, inclusive way.
LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille includes 287 bricks in five colours: white, yellow, green, red and blue. All bricks are fully compatible with other LEGO products and the studs on each brick are arranged to correspond to the numbers and letters in the braille system, with the printed version of the symbol or letter situated below the studs.
The set also includes two baseplates to build on and comes in packaging with braille embossing. To enhance the play experience and support pre-braille skill development, a series of supporting play starters are available on LEGO.com and will teach players how to orient, attach and stack the bricks through well-loved games such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, which all members of the family can take part in.
With its ongoing commitment to make its play experiences more inclusive, the LEGO Group has also partnered with the free mobile app Be My Eyes. The popular app connects blind and partially sighted people with companies to help with everyday tasks through a live video call. As part of the partnership, LEGO Customer Service colleagues will provide confidential, live visual assistance through the app covering support from a wide range of topics from unboxing, to general product support.
The LEGO Group is also pleased to announce that LEGO® Audio & Braille Building Instructions will now become a permanent offering. Inspired and co-developed by entrepreneur Matthew Shifrin who is blind, this experience gives builders the option of having select LEGO building instructions available as audio or text for braille readers.
Thank you very much for publicising the braille labelling on food products message.
If braillist foundation members do not wish to participate in the Disability Equality Scotland poll, would they kindly consider signing and sharing, as widely as possible, the on line Scottish Parliamentary petition
Movement For Good are running prize draws of £1,000, and the Braillists Foundation is eligible to enter! We need as many nominations as possible from the community to maximise our chances of winning, so we would really appreciate it if you could take 30 seconds to fill in the form at this link:
If successful, we will use the funds to help promote our services to people who do not have access to the internet, by delivering resources on SD cards and USB sticks.
New College Worcester is a nationally regarded non-maintained residential special school, devoted to the education of children and young people who have a severe sight impairment aged 11 – 19.
We are seeking to appoint a teacher of Braille, which is a crucial role within this setting.
It is our mission to ensure that each child learning with us is able to reach their own potential in order to leave NCW as an independent young adult in all aspects of their lives. The majority of our leavers go on to their chosen university, to further education or to apprenticeships and then on to rewarding and fulfilling careers.
TEACHER OF BRAILLE, 0.6fte (AC234/0923) Grade: UQT 1-6 (depending on experience) £19,340 – £30,172 Pro rata salary (0.6/3days equivalent) £11,606 – £18,103
Are you passionate about Braille – both for yourself and teaching it to people who are both vision-impaired and fully sighted? Are you able to talk about the importance of Braille to parents and professionals? Do you have ideas for promoting Braille both internally and to the wider community? Can you rise to challenges and think on your feet and out of the box? If your answer to these questions is “Yes”, you might be the person New College Worcester is looking for.
We are looking for a Braille instructor to assist the Head of Braille in teaching and promoting Braille and the development of new resources. A thorough knowledge of the Literary Unified English Braille code is essential; knowledge of other codes would be advantageous.
NCW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is conditional on an enhanced DBS clearance and Registration, satisfactory and verified references, medical clearance and a six-month probationary period. NCW is an Equal Opportunities employer.
Full details and application form can be downloaded from NCW’s website (www.ncw.co.uk/vacancies) or telephone 01905 763933 for details. Interested candidates are welcome to visit College, or speak with Head of Braille ([email protected]) or SL: VI Education ([email protected]). Candidates must complete an NCW application form, CVs alone will not be accepted.
CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 09.00 on Monday 4 September 2023.
All applications will be acknowledged by email.
Candidates will be advised by pm on Friday 8 September if they have been shortlisted for interview.
Details: we are a friendly and supportive Braille class who meet on Monday mornings. People learn at their own pace and we like to include fun things such as card games and group discussions. No prior knowledge of Braille is needed for this course. Learners can also have tuition by telephone if they are unwell or have difficulty accessing transport. Many of our learners qualify for a free place, depending on the benefits they are entitled to and others, for example if they are not in the Lewisham borough, pay a subsidised fee for the class. Our next term starts on the 18th of September and we are now taking registrations which involve a brief pre course assessment that can now be booked.
On World Braille Day (4 January 2023) Disability Equality Scotland, Oban and District Access Panel and Sight Scotland launched a campaign calling on the Scottish Government to introduce new requirements on retailers to provide braille labelling on food products.
We are asking for a statutory duty to be placed on businesses and retailers to provide braille labels on food products detailing the name of the item and the use by/sell by dates. This is an essential requirement for blind and partially sighted people, which would allow visually impaired individuals to safely identify, buy and use food items in both retailers and when at home.
As part of the campaign, a Scottish Parliament petition was created which currently has a total of 1,290 signatures. In the latest response to the petition, Food Standards Scotland stated that legal food labelling requirements need to be considered on a UK-basis. However, due to work arising from the UK Government’s Retained EU Law Bill, progress on braille labelling work is unlikely to be possible in the short term.
As a campaign group, we are determined to highlight why a review of food labelling should be considered as a priority. Therefore, responses to this week’s poll will contribute to developing the braille campaign further. If you would like to share your experiences and contribute to a case study, please leave your contact details below.
The Scottish Parliament petition remains under consideration by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee. You can sign and share our petition using the following link: https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE1997
Our question this week: Do you think food package labels are available in formats that meet your accessibility requirements? Yes/No
Please share any comments you have on the accessibility of food packaging, for example the size of text, colour contrast, the use of QR codes.
We are also keen to hear directly from braille users. Please share your contact details if you wish to contribute to a case study to help further promote our braille labelling campaign.
