Braillecast Extra: Recent Episodes
Braillecast
Many braille displays include an SD or Micro SD card slot. However, when it comes to purchasing a suitable card, there are so many options! Which is best, and which work with your braille display? In this session, we were joined by friend of the Braillists Ben Mustill-Rose to help make sense of them. He ... Read more
According to its website, “BrailleBlaster™ is a braille transcription program developed by the American Printing House for the Blind to help transcribers provide blind students with braille textbooks on the first day of class.” It uses markup from source documents to automate formatting, and provides “tools to make advanced tasks quicker and easier.” Although it ... Read more
Sometimes, you just need a BRF file with no fuss, even though you know it might have the occasional error or won’t be formatted quite as you’d like. RoboBraille is one solution to this problem. It works with a large variety of file formats including PDF, Microsoft Word and plain text, and converts them to ... Read more
Following our exploration of braille translators during National Braille Week, we were delighted to be joined by esteemed assistive technology pioneer Dean Martineau. Dean is a long term braille user and has spent many years developing his own personal braille shorthand system. In this Masterclass, Dean introduced us to the Biblos braille translator and demonstrated ... Read more
A message from our Chairman, Dave Williams, to thank our many volunteers this National Volunteers Week.
For many years now, Sight Scotland have championed National Braille Week, an opportunity to celebrate braille usage and raise awareness of the importance and value of braille. It runs in the second week of October, to coincide with World Sight Day. In 2023, we celebrated National Braille Week at the Braillists by running five Masterclasses, ... Read more
For many years now, Sight Scotland have championed National Braille Week, an opportunity to celebrate braille usage and raise awareness of the importance and value of braille. It runs in the second week of October, to coincide with World Sight Day. In 2023, we celebrated National Braille Week at the Braillists by running five Masterclasses, ... Read more
Supernova is a screen magnification and screen reading package from Dolphin Computer Access Ltd, based in Worcester in the UK. Braille display support is a core part of its offering, but we don’t hear very much about it. In this session, we were joined by Aj Ahmed, proprietor of AAT Solutions, an independent provider of ... Read more
If you have a new braille display and you’re struggling to connect it to your computer, iPhone or iPad, or you have a new computer, iPhone or iPad and you’re struggling to connect it to your braille display, this session is for you. We covered: The pros and cons of Bluetooth and USB Pairing and ... Read more
Many screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA, make use of the popular, open source Liblouis braille translation engine as part of their braille display support. In this session, we explained and demonstrated how to harness the power of Liblouis braille tables to implement additional contractions in your screen reader of choice. If you use a ... Read more
“What’s wrong with grade 2?” In many cases, nothing. It strikes a good balance between compactness, readability and lack of ambiguity. However, in some cases, a code which is even more compact than grade 2 is extremely advantageous, especially when information needs to be written down at speed. The Braille Shorthand Code was one attempt ... Read more
iOS 17 was released last September, bosting a number of significant braille enhancements. In this Masterclass, we were joined by Scott Davert to find out more. Scott is well regarded in the blind community as an expert in braille on iOS. He regularly contributes braille-related content to the AppleVis website, and presented a series of ... Read more
Getting tactile diagrams at University is often not as easy as it should be. However, the Open University has an excellent reputation for accessibility, and has developed robust processes for students to request diagrams and for those diagrams to be designed and produced. This session was presented jointly by Jeff Bashton, former Visual Impairment Adviser ... Read more
As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, a few people joined us for a cosy fireside chat to round off the year on Tuesday 19 December. How do you write and address your Christmas cards? How do you know whose Christmas presents are whose? And what part does braille play in all ... Read more
Have you ever downloaded a book from Bookshare or Reading Services, but struggled to extract the zip file? Have you ever had a BRF file emailed to you, but not been able to copy it to your braille display? Does your braille display only support text or BRF files, but you want to read Word ... Read more
Whether you're new to braille or an experienced braillist, reading is an important and fundamental process. To fully appreciate the brilliance of braille for use in daily life, reading is something you should enjoy and feel comfortable with. But what can you do to improve your reading skills once you have learned all the letters and perhaps some contractions as well? How can you enhance your reading speed and accuracy even if you've been doing braille for a while?
On Tuesday 20 June 2023, Chantelle Griffiths, Co-Founder and CEO of New Zealand's Tactile and Technology Literacy Centre, shared some practical tips and tricks to get you on the right track with your reading, no matter how much braille you've done or where you are on your braille journey. There is something here for everyone.
We learnt:
- What actually happens when we read and how reading by touch is different — or not — from reading visually.
- How to press the “reset button” for your fingers and brain when you're just not feeling it. Literally.
- The fundamental braille technique you didn't know you knew and how it enhances your reading.
- The three C's of braille reading; what they are and how they work together to help you connect the dots between your brain and fingers.
- How playing the viola relates to reading in a straight line and how you can experience something similar yourself, even if you're not a musician.
- How to start from exactly where you are and enjoy the process.
- Lots more practical tips, ideas and experiments you can try on your own.
This was a very practical session. If you'd like to follow along with the recording, please have some hardcopy or electronic braille handy and a couple of random objects that feel nothing like braille.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
The Orbit Reader range is now very extensive and comprises the Orbit Reader 20, the Orbit Reader 20 Plus and the Orbit Reader 40. On Tuesday 30 May 2023, James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB, talked us through what these products can do, how they work, and the differences between Orbit Readers and other braille displays and notetakers.
We learnt:
- The differences between the Orbit Reader 20, 20 Plus and 40
- How Orbit technology differs from traditional braille display technology
- How to find and open files
- How to find text within a file
- How to use the editor
- How to transferr files between the Orbit and a computer
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
“This new braille has so many extra dots!” This is something we hear a lot, and it’s often followed by the question, “What do they all mean?”
This Masterclass will help to solve the mystery. James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB, Chairman of the Braille Coding Group of the UK Association for Accessible Formats, and the UK Representative to the Code Maintenance Committee of the International Council on English Braille, described the common indicators in UEB and gave some real world examples of their use.
In particular, we covered:
- Capital letters and block capitals
- Making sure a word or symbol is not misread as a contraction
- Italicised, bolded and underlined text
This session was recorded on Tuesday 16 May 2023. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
There was a lot to cram into the last of our computer science-themed classes. We started with a quick refresher about what we’ve covered so far before taking a deep dive into what it takes to write software and build hardware with a particular focus on the accessibility elements of the process.
The final recording from the recent Six Dots to Success conference held in collaboration with Sight and Sound Technology Ltd.
This episode features:
- Options in Education with Braille with Alannah Moriarty
- Panel discussion chaired by Roger Firman
- Summing up
The fourth of a series of recordings from the recent Six Dots to Success conference held in collaboration with Sight and Sound Technology Ltd.
This episode features a recording of one of the breakout rooms.
The third of a series of recordings from the recent Six Dots to Success conference held in collaboration with Sight and Sound Technology Ltd.
This episode features a recording of one of the breakout rooms.
Hable One is a powerful, fun and exciting way for you to interact with your smartphone or tablet using braille. As well as being a fully functional braille keyboard, supporting both grades 1 and 2, it also serves as a wireless remote control for every aspect of your smartphone or tablet, from moving around the screen to selecting, playing and pausing music, dialling numbers and changing settings.
For beginner braillists, it is a uniquely satisfying way of putting your braille skills into practice. For more advanced braillists, it is a vital productivity tool. It works in partnership with the smartphone or tablet’s screen reader and supports all popular apps including messages/WhatsApp, Facebook/Messenger, Twitter, Spotify, mail, contacts, calendar, reminders and notes.
On Tuesday 21 February at 7:30 PM GMT, we were joined by representatives from Hable, who told us more about this innovative device. We learned how easy it is to set it up and saw some practical examples of how it works both as a keyboard and a remote control. There was also plenty of opportunity for the audience to ask questions.
The first of a series of recordings from the recent Six Dots to Success conference held in collaboration with Sight and Sound Technology Ltd.
This episode features a recording of one of the breakout rooms.
According to Wikipedia, Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in any set of computer files, usually used for coordinating work among programmers collaboratively developing source code during software development. Luckily for us it’s far more interesting than it sounds on paper as it was the topic of the third in our series of computer science masterclasses.
We started off by cutting through some of the technobabble typically associated with tools such as this and then got hands on with some simple examples using the popular Liblouis project. We built on our Linux skills from the previous class along the way and even did a little bit of programming before ending the session with questions.
)The first of a series of recordings from the recent Six Dots to Success conference held in collaboration with Sight and Sound Technology Ltd.
This episode includes:
- Welcome from Sight and Sound CEO Glenn Tookey
- Welcome from Braillists Chairman Dave Williams
- Keynote speech from Peter White, Disability Affairs Correspondent at the BBC
- Greater Indepenndence with Braille: a video by Red Széll
Linux: it powers everything from laptops to toasters, braille displays to coasters. You may have heard of the world’s most popular operating system if you follow technology related news, but what is it and how do you get started exactly?
In the second of our computer science themed Masterclasses, we explored how to get started using Linux with technologies that you’ll already be familiar with. We started by getting access to a test system to experiment with, then introduced everyone to a few basic commands that allowed us to perform some basic tasks.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
In our last Masterclass before the Christmas break, we’re delighted that Kim Charlson, Executive Director of the Perkins Library (part of Perkins School for the Blind), was able to join us again. Kim is author of the book “Drawing with your Perkins Brailler”, which includes step-by-step directions for creating 36 different drawings including shapes, animals and subjects with holiday and transportation themes.
In this session, she used Christmas-themed drawings to explain the concepts behind using braille cells to create pictures. Bring a Perkins and some paper and follow along and, by the end of the session, you will have your very own festive pictures made entirely of braille dots!
And don’t worry: if you heard Kim’s excellent session last year, this year’s pictures are brand new!
There are two well-known braille keyboards on the market today, the Orbit Writer and the Hable One. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Which one would suit your needs best?
On Tuesday 4 October 2022, we were joined by a user of each keyboard. They told us more about how their preferred keyboard works and why they like it, and we learnt how they compare against each other.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Connor Scott-Gardner is an avid reader, and on Tuesday 6 September 2022 he demonstrated how to download books from RNIB Reading Services, transfer them to a braille display and read them. He also explained how Reading Services differs from other offerings from RNIB and elsewhere.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
If you have an iPhone, iPad or Android device, it’s highly likely that you can braille in grade 2 directly on the touch screen and have it back translated instantly – a perfect replacement for the on screen keyboard. In this episode, Matthew Horspool and special guest Chris Norman demonstrate how this works on both iOS and Android.
We also briefly explored other ways of entering braille without a braille display, including the popular Perky Duck program from Duxbury Systems.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 5 July 2022. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
It’s often said in the industry that garbage in = garbage out, but what does this mean in practice?
On 17 May 2022, our Chairman Dave Williams held a conversation with Kawal Gucukoglu, who worked for many years as a braille transcriber at RNIB. They discussed the principals of effective braille layout – headings, paragraphs, lists, tables and so on – and how to implement them in electronic file formats to achieve optimum quality.
In this session, Matthew Horspool explains how braille is still relevant in the 21st century and demonstrates how free and low-cost braille technology is significantly improving the independence and productivity of blind and partially sighted people of all ages. We paid particular attention to Braille Screen Input and the Orbit Reader, both of which are relatively recent additions to the braille technology landscape and are being used by thousands of people all over the world.
This session was presented by the Braillists Foundation on behalf of Visionary: Linking Local Sight Loss Charities on Tuesday 8 February 2022.
The Perkins Brailler has been a staple in the lives of braille users ever since the first one was manufactured in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1951. To this day, the Perkins is widely considered to be the most durable braille device on the market, with machines over 50 years old still going strong.
They are so popular, in fact, that it is easy to forget that we need to teach new braillists how to use them! Furthermore, even established braillists do not always know how to diagnose faults when they arise, or how to take the best care of their machines so as to minimise the risks of faults arising in the first place.
On 15 March, we were joined by Alan Thorpe of Eyecan, a certified Perkins Brailler Repair Centre. Alan took us on a tour of the Perkins Brailler, introducing us to the proper names of all of the parts! He explained how to insert paper and write braille, and described some common faults and how to overcome them. He also explained when a professional service or repair may be required and briefly explained the differences between the different models of Perkins Brailler available.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
We were delighted to be joined by Scott Davert, one of the most well-known authorities on the use of iOS with a braille display, for the third and final part of his exploration of this winning combination. Scott is the Coordinator at the Technology, Research and Innovation Center, part of the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults, and serves on the editorial team at AppleVis.
In this session, he explained how to re-assign braille display commands and demonstrated web browsing with a braille display in Safari.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 1 March 2022. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Following the first successful Masterclass, we were delighted to have been joined once again by Scott Davert, one of the most well-known authorities on the use of iOS with a braille display, to continue his exploration of this winning combination. Scott is the Coordinator at the Technology, Research and Innovation Center, part of the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults, and serves on the editorial team at AppleVis.
In this Masterclass, he introduced some more advanced navigation commands, including using the rota, and then discussed and demonstrated text editing.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 15 February 2022. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Following our brief introduction to Braille on iOS last year, we’re delighted this year to have been joined by Scott Davert, one of the most well-known authorities on the topic, to explore this winning combination in more detail. Scott is the Coordinator at the Technology, Research and Innovation Center, part of the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults, and serves on the editorial team at AppleVis.
In a series of three Masterclasses, he discussed and demonstrated how to make the most of using your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with a braille display, from basic exploration to text editing, web browsing and much more.
In the first Masterclass, he covered:
- Supported braille displays and how to connect them
- Braille settings in Voiceover
- Exploring the home screen
- Some useful braille display commands
This session was recorded on Tuesday 1 February 2022. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
In our first Masterclass of 2022, Matthew Horspool tackled the hows, whys and wherefores of braille embossers: choosing them, setting them up and making the most of them. The session covered:
- The purpose and function of an embosser and why you might want one
- Different types of embosser
- Different types of paper
- Connectivity options
- The user interface
- The relationship between embosser and computer
- The role of translation software
This session was recorded on Tuesday 18 January 2022. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Happy Christmas! In this special episode, James Bowden talks us through drawing some stars. The instructions are provided in written form below:
Star 1
- Line 1: ow sign (Dots 246); comma (dot 2)
Star 2
- Line 1: o (dots 135; k (dots 13)
Star 3
- Line 1: capital sign (dot 6); ar sign (dots 345); gh sign (dots 126); apostrophe (dot 3)
- Line 2: dot 4; wh sign (dots 156); s (dots 234); a (dot 1)
Star 4
- Line 1: space three times; letter sign or grade 1 indicator (dots 56); semicolon (dots 23)
- Line 2: space three times; ar sign (dots 345); gh sign (dots 126)
- Line 3: space twice; ar sign (dots 345); space twice; gh sign (dots 126)
- Line 4: x (dots 1346) twice; space four times; x (dots 1346) twice
- Line 5: space twice; wh sign (dots 156); space twice; s (dots 234)
- Line 6: space four times; wh sign (dots 156); s (dots 234)
- Line 7: space four times; dots 45; b (dots 12)
A Box
- Line 1: p (dots 1234); c (dots 14); l (dots 123)
- Line 1.5: l (dots 123); space; l (dots 123)
- Line 2: c (dots 14) twice; a (dot 1)
Star 5
- Line 1: space twice; capital sign (dot 6); i (dots 24); en sign (dots 26)
- Line 1.5: space twice; comma (dot 2); space twice; comma (dot 2)
- Line 2: dot 4; ed sign (dots 1245); space three times; dots 46; f (dots 124)
- Line 2.5: space twice; semicolon (dots 23); dot 5; space; semicolon (dots 23)
- Line 3: space twice; r (dots 1235); a (dot 1); e (dots 15); l (dots 123)
We were delighted to be joined by Kim Charlson, Executive Director of the Perkins Library (part of Perkins School for the Blind). Kim is author of the book “Drawing with your Perkins Brailler”, which includes step-by-step directions for creating 36 different drawings including shapes, animals and subjects with holiday and transportation themes.
In this session, she used a drawing of a Christmas tree to explain the concepts behind using braille cells to create pictures. Bring a Perkins and some paper and follow along and, by the end of the session, you will have your very own frilly Christmas tree made entirely of braille dots!
This session was recorded on Tuesday 7 December 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
We were delighted to have been joined by Sean Randall for the second in a two-part series. Sean is something of a computing and IT mastermind and now works at New College Worcester, training many of their students in the use of assistive technology including screen readers and braille displays.
This session covered sources of reading material that are more mainstream in nature, including apps or specialist software used to read. These included:
- Amazon Kindle
- Local libraries
- Smaller publishers (e.g. Smashwords
This session was recorded on Tuesday 23 November 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
We were delighted to have been joined by Sean Randall for the first in a two-part series. Sean is something of a computing and IT mastermind and now works at New College Worcester, training many of their students in the use of assistive technology including screen readers and braille displays.
This session primarily discuss the various braille devices available to consumers. He then provided an overview of libraries and sources of materials specifically for blind people, including:
- RNIB: reading Services, Bookshare and NTNM
- The Seeing Ear National Accessible Library
- Bibles for the Blind
This session was recorded on Tuesday 9 November 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
What is computer braille? Are there different flavours? What are all the signs? Why would you want to use it? Is it still relevant now that we have UEB?
The latest occasional Masterclass from RNIB’s braille expert James Bowden answered all of these questions and more.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 21 September 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Dave Williams, Chairman of the Braillists, explored how to use braille displays with various combinations of screen reader and web browser, unpicked some of the jargon that appears on the display, and explained how to navigate without a QWERTY keyboard or touch screen.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 7 September 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Most of us know about grade 2, of course, with its 180 contractions designed to make braille quicker to read and write and occupy less space.
Grade 3 extends this concept still further with over 300 additional contractions, rules to allow vowells to be omitted, and provisions for reducing spaces and new lines. Whilst it’s not an officially recognised code, it has a loyal following amongst long-time braillists, who have used it very successfully to take shorthand notes or transcribe passages of text for reading aloud. It’s especially useful in conjunction with a hand frame or slate and stylus.
James Bowden led a session exploring this code in more detail on Tuesday 20 July. Whilst he wasn't able to cover all of the 300+ contractions in an hour, he did explain the concepts used to form them, introduce some of the most useful ones and the rules which govern their use, and signposted to resources with more information.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
In Using Braille on Windows, we introduced you to the basics of making a braille display work with various screen readers. In this session, we took this to the next level in the first of an occasional series of Masterclasses looking at the braille settings of a particular screen reader.
This time it was JAWS. There are lots of settings and we weren't able to cover all of them in an hour, so instead we reviewed some of the most common questions we’re asked, found the settings that relate to them, and explained what they do.
We covered: * Adding and selecting your braille display * Choosing your braille code and grade * Status cells and their use in structured mode * Reversing panning buttons and panning by paragraph * Using JAWS Braille In ™
This session was recorded on Tuesday 6 July 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
After a recap of octave signs and intervals, this session covered: * Word signs * Ties and slurs * Phrase marks
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Over the years, blind people have benefitted from incredible enhancements in the fields of electronic braille and accessibility in general. In fact, it’s now possible to purchase a fully accessible Amazon Fire tablet for under £50 which, pared with an inexpensive braille display such as an Orbit Reader, and Amazons Kindle store which offers access to quite literally hundreds of thousands of digital books, makes for an incredibly cost-effective braille reading setup. But how does it work?
In this masterclass, presented by Ben Mustill-Rose, we provided a general overview of the Fire tablet, the basics of setting it up, how to connect a braille display and how to navigate the device using it. We then purchased a book from the Kindle store and walked through how to read it on a braille display.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 15 June 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This week's Masterclass has a more low tech flavour as we take a wander into the heart of the household. If you’ve ever wondered how to read braille recipes without ruining them or what to do when the label is too big for the jar, this session is for you.
Emma Williams led the session – teacher of Independent Living Skills at New College Worcester, and a familiar voice to many from our Clever Cooking events last year. She drew on a wealth of personal experience of using braille in the kitchen, as well as things which have worked well (and maybe some which haven’t) for her peers and her students.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 1 June 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
In this session, we covered: * Rests: quaver, crotchet, minim, semibreve and dotted versions of the above * Clef signs: treble (G) and bass (F) * Octave signs and their use * Interval signs and their use
A mid-month clinic will take place on Monday 14 June at 8:00 PM in the UK and Ireland. The next teaching session will take place at the same time on Monday 28 June and cover hand signs, in accord, ties, slurs, articulation, fingering and maybe tongueing.
If you’re a blind Android user, you’re bound to have come across Steve Nutt at Computer Room Services. He’s blind himself, been in the accessible smartphone business for over 20 years, and has a vast amount of knowledge and experience when it comes to using smartphones with braille displays.
We’re delighted that he joined us on Tuesday 18 May to present an introduction to using an Android device with a braille display. He covered which braille displays work with Android, how to connect them, how to navigate the operating system, other key concepts, and how to use braille input.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
We’re starting to hear more and more about BRF files. They’re the default braille format on platforms such as RNIB Reading Services; they’re regularly used in the transcription industry to share braille versions of documents between producers; and notetaker users have used them to transfer files from one brand of braille device to another. But questions still prevail:
- What, exactly, is a BRF?
- Why would you use BRF files over more mainstream file formats?
- What are the limitations of BRF?
- How do you read BRF files?
- How do you navigate through them?
- How do you create them?
Matthew Horspool answered all these questions and more on Tuesday 4 May.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Topics covered in this session:
- Debunking some myths
- Notes and note values - quavers, crotchets, minims, semibreves and dotted notes
- Sharp, flat and natural signs
- Time signatures and their placement - 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, common time, 6/8, 9/8
- Key signatures and their placement - D major (2 sharps), A major (3 sharps), B major (5 sharps) and F sharp major (6 sharps)
Resources of interest:
- RNIB Music Advisory Service
- Braille Music for Beginners for the Piano by Joan Partridge: available from RNIB, product code 25282902 (braille) or 25282903 (print)
- A Course in Braille Music by Maeve Smith
- Focus on Braille Music by Lisette Wesseling, published by Musicians in Focus Ltd and available from Techno-Vision Systems Ltd
- Who's Afraid of Braille Music? by Richard Taesch and William R. McCann, available from Dancing Dots
- Braille Music in a Digital Age, by Roger Firman and Clare Gailans, published by the International Council on English Braille at its Seventh General Assembly (2020):
- Microsoft Word
- BRF
- Video presentation by Roger Firman and James Bowden on Youtube
- Hadley School for the Blind braille music course (no longer available)
- ICEB Braille Music page
- New International Manual of Braille Music Notation
- BrailleOrch (in English)
- Braille Music Editor
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Join the next event on Monday 10 May 2021 at 8:00 PM in the UK and Ireland
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We were delighted to be joined by renowned braille display expert Jackie Brown. Jackie is a freelance writer, regular reviewer of braille technology, and author of “Braille ON Display” (published by Mosen Consulting), a comprehensive comparison of braile displays and guide to choosing the right one.
On Tuesday 20 April 2021, Jackie talked us through the process of choosing a braille display. She outlined which factors to consider and why, and the key features of the braille displays which are currently on the market. If you’ve ever wondered “Which braille display is the best one?” you are sure to have the answer at the end of this session.
For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
On Friday 28 August 2020, Everette Bacon joined a Braillists Foundation Stay Safe: Stay Connected call to talk about how the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) promotes braille literacy across the United States.
Everette is a member of the Board of Directors of NFB and President of the Utah State Division. He told us how he has personally pushed to make assistive technology more widely available and explained the kinds of resources and programmes that NFB provides for its members, including the work it has done to promote equality of distance learning for blind students during lockdown. We also heard about some of the most exciting projects NFB has supported through the Dr Jacob Bolotin Award.
RNIB, which operates one of Europe’s largest braille lending libraries, has recently announced changes to the way books will be produced from April 2021. Since the announcement, there has naturally been much discussion about what these changes will mean for braille readers in the UK and around the world.
The Braillists Foundation and colleagues from RNIB explored these changes and answered questions from the public on Tuesday 23 March.
RNIB Braille Library - important update Dear RNIB Braille Library Customer,
I am writing to let you know that from April 2021, RNIB’s Braille Library will be upgraded to offer Braille Library books on demand, a new personalised braille reading service designed to substantially increase access to hardcopy braille books for readers across the UK.
While you do not need to take any action to benefit from the new service, I want to share some of the changes you will notice in the coming months.
You will begin receiving freshly produced pristine Braille Library books that are recyclable. Your braille books will be more hygienic as you will be the first person to read them. Plus, your book is much less likely to be damaged or unreadable due to squashed dots. You will have access to a larger braille collection delivered straight to your door free of charge.
You will notice Braille Library books will be a more convenient format that will fit through more letterboxes, is easier to store and carry around. The smaller lighter volumes are much more comfortable for children and anyone with physical difficulties handling older heavier books.
Braille Library books on demand also means books are never out of stock. You will no longer need to wait for another Braille Library member to return a book you have requested. Multiple readers can receive copies of the same title simultaneously, ideal to meet shifting demand for new releases, best sellers and prize winners while preserving access to rarer books of special interest.
If you are already an RNIB Braille Library member, you will start receiving books in the new format automatically. You can continue to manage your book lists online or over the phone. You can change how often you receive books. If you manage a Braille Library membership on behalf of someone else, you can continue getting support via the RNIB Helpline or manage booklists online.
Unlike traditional library books, Braille Library on demand books are designed to be recycled and should not be returned. You can keep books for as long as you need them. You can also share your books with other braille readers.
As passionate readers ourselves, we appreciate braille is a vital literacy medium for tens of thousands of readers across the UK. Sadly however, the Braille Library in its current form is increasingly out of date and excludes some readers.
Large parts of our current collection are in old braille formats unsuitable for new braille readers. Many books are rarely borrowed, most of our collection has not left the warehouse in the past two years. Braille books occupy miles of shelving that is complex and expensive to maintain.
Older braille library books are bulky, heavy, and difficult for some readers to return. These books exclude some readers, especially those with physical difficulties.
After careful research and evaluation of braille library services around the world, we have found producing braille library books on demand offers the best opportunity for sustainable access to hardcopy braille for the widest number of readers for as long as is needed.
Please be assured that older books in our warehouse will be donated to customers and schools in the UK. We will then donate books to our sister organisations overseas. If there is a particular book you would like to keep, please contact the library with your request.
Special braille items of cultural significance will be preserved as part of RNIB’s Heritage collection based in London.
Children who would like to keep a few favourite braille books in the old format are welcome to do so and we can arrange this by calling RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999, or via email readingservices@rnib.org.uk although they may find the new format easier to hold and read.
Combined with RNIB’s growing collection of electronic braille library books available to you on an SD memory card and download from our website, the braille library upgrade represents a renewed commitment to braille literacy and offers readers greater choice than ever before. In 2020 RNIB invested over £100,000 in providing electronic braille equipment and books to meet changing reader requirements. However, we recognise the continued value of hardcopy braille for many and plan to offer both services in parallel. However, if you would like to explore also receiving books electronically please contact the library.
If you have any questions about the Braille Library, please call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email us at readingservices@rnib.org.uk.
Yours sincerely,
James Bartlett
RNIB Reading Services Manager
This session talked through advocacy strategies that you can use to facilitate access to braille in the wider world. This includes having healthcare and other personal communication sent to you in braille, as well as advocating for braille signage in public places.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 16 March 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This session covered how to obtain braille through the Access To Work and Disabled Students Allowance schemes. We talked about how to advocate for the braille you need and what options you have. We also looked at advocating for braille textbooks and braille signage in work or education.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 9 March 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Led by Holly Scott-Gardner, this session looked at how to take effective notes in braille for your own personal use. We covered increasing your speed when note taking, ways to organise your notes and the tools that you may wish to use.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 2 March 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
If you are required to take notes as part of a team, whether that's in a meeting or for group projects, this session is for you! Led by Matthew Horspool, it guides you through using braille to take notes that are also visually accessible. We talked specifically about taking notes using a braille display, and writing Markdown in braille to format your notes.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 23 February 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Led by Holly Scott-Gardner, this session guided participants through using braille to present more effectively, especially useful if you need to deliver speeches for work, school, or as part of one of your interests. We covered writing a presentation script, using cue cards and the best way to set up your braille display or hard copy braille when speaking.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 16 February 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Led by Holly Scott-Gardner, this session covered using a braille display with Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. We guided you through how braille output works with these applications and the ways in which braille output can enable you to deliver more effective presentations.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 9 February 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Led by Matthew Horspool, this session explained how to pair a braille display with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and how to get the most out of using braille with these devices.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 2 February 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Led by Holly Scott-Gardner, this session explained how to pair a windows PC with a braille display, which screen readers support braille output and some tips and tricks for using braille output.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 26 January 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Led by James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB, this session answered questions such as: How does UEB differ from Standard English Braille? Where can you learn about the changes? What tips and tricks are there for switching to UEB?
This session was recorded on Tuesday 19 January 2021. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
What is an Abacus and why would you use one? In this session, led by James Bowden, participants learnt about the various features of the Abacus and why it is ideal for use as a blind person.
The session covered: * Physical description and orientation * The beads and their meaning * Setting numbers * Basic addition * Overflows and carries
If you have an Abacus, you might find it helpful to have it with you so that you can follow along.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 8 December 2020. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This event introduced participants to the various types of braille labels available and how to create their own labels using a range of materials.
The session covered using a slate and stylus, a Perkins brailler and a braille labeller to produce labels, as well as tips for labelling various products around the home. It also took a look at writing greetings cards in braille.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 1 December 2020. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This session was a practical introduction to braille music. We covered basic music notation and where to access braille music. This session was led by James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 24 November 2020. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This session introduced participants to the many ways of using braille when learning a language. Knowledge of English braille would be helpful when listening, but is not essential.
We took a look at using braille in conjunction with various language learning apps, where to learn other language codes and accessing books in other languages. We also heard from blind people who have used braille when traveling and how this has helped them. The session was led by Holly Scott-Gardner.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 17 November 2020. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This session was a practical introduction to the Hand Frame (also known as a Slate and Stylus). We covered inserting the paper, holding the stylus and writing some characters, as well as some basic types of frame and where to get them, and we answered many questions from participants. The session was led by James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB.
This session was recorded on Tuesday 10 November 2020. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
Dave Williams, Brailleists Foundation Chair and Customer Experience Manager at RNIB talks us through the Orbit Reader. What is it, how does it compare to other displays on the market and how can you get one?
This session was recorded on Tuesday 3 November 2020. For further information please visit the Braillists Foundation Media Page.
This is an overview of the Orbit Reader 20, held as part of a Stay Safe: Stay Connected call on Monday 27 July 2020.
This episode is a recording of a Stay Safe: Stay Connected call with Stuart Lawler held on Friday 14 August 2020.
Stuart Lawler has co-hosted many a Dublin Braillists meeting since 2015. He became Specialist Lead for Braille Product Portfolio at Sight and Sound technology Ltd in September 2018 and has over 20 years' experience working in the Assistive Technology industry, including as a member of the Irish National Braille and Alternative Formats Association (INBAF) and, prior to joining Sight and Sound, as Rehabilitation Centre Manager and Head of Technology Innovation at the National Council for the Blind in Ireland.
This session explained how various levels of braille technology, for example a note taker or display, might be advantageous for you in different situations. It also covered how mainstream technology has embraced braille to all our advantages.
Stuart focused particularly on the ElBraille with Focus 5th edition display, the Braille Sense Polaris and the QBraille from Selvas Healthcare.
In this first episode of Braillecast Extra, we re-acquaint ourselves with Megan Paul, winner of the 2016 Onkyo Braille Essay Writing Competition. We're treated to a complete reading of her winning essay, following our interview with her on the very first episode of Braillecast.