Leisure Reading with Refreshable Braille, Part 2 (Extra 34)
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...
View ArticleDrawing Pictures With Your Perkins (Extra 35)
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...
View ArticleDrawing Stars with your Perkins (Extra 36)
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...
View ArticleChoosing and Setting UP Your Embosser (Extra 37)
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...
View ArticleBraille on iOS, Part 1 (Extra 38)
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...
View ArticleBraille on iOS, Part 2 (Extra 39)
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...
View ArticleBraille on iOS, Part 3 (Extra 40)
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...
View ArticleCare and Usage of your Perkins Brailler (Extra 41)
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...
View ArticleBraille Around the World (Episode 37)
We know about braille in the UK, of course, and we regularly hear about braille in other developed English-speaking countries – the US, Australia, New Zealand and so on. But there are many other...
View ArticleWhat Happened at CSUN? (Episode 38)
The annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference took place in March in California, and there were lots of exciting braille and tactile graphics announcements. We assembled a line-up of braille-using...
View ArticleBraille Technology in Everyday Life (Extra 42)
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...
View ArticleFormatting Your Braille (Extra 43)
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...
View ArticleBraille Without a Braille Display: Braille Screen Input and More (Extra 44)
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...
View ArticleGetting to Know RNIB Reading Services (Extra 45)
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...
View ArticleWhat Happened at ICEB? (Episode 39)
The International Council on English Braille held its Mid-Term Executive Committee Meeting from 5-9 June 2022. As well as transacting various items of business, there were lively discussions around the...
View ArticleHow Perkins Braillers are Made (Episode 40)
In April 2022, our Chairman, Dave Williams, travelled to Boston Massachusetts in the US to run the Boston Marathon. While he was there, he took a trip to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown...
View ArticleBattle of the Braille Keyboards (Extra 46)
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...
View ArticleBraille for Beginners On-Demand (Episode 41)
Find out all about the Braillists Foundation's new Braille for Beginners On-Demand programme in this archive of the launch event which took place on Monday 10 October 2022.
View ArticleSix Dots to Success (Episode 42)
We are delighted to be collaborating with Sight and Sound Technology for our inaugural online conference to mark World Braille Day. Find out more in this episode, and register for the conference here.
View ArticleBraille in the Technology Industry (Episode 43)
On Tuesday 15 November 2022, we hosted an incredibly informative panel discussion around writing software and working in the technology industry in general when using a braille display. We heard from...
View ArticleFestive Fun: More Christmas Pictures with a Perkins Brailler (Extra 47)
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...
View ArticleAn Evening With George Bell (Episode 44)
George Bell has been at the helm of Techno-Vision Systems for at least 35 years. In that time, he has brought many blindness products to the UK market, repaired numerous machines which would have...
View ArticleUsing Braille Displays with Phones and Tablets (Episode 45)
The Braillists Foundation recently held its first face-to-face event since the Coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, we catch up with some of the people who attended, and we also hear recordings of...
View ArticleHow a Blind Musician and Programmer Developed the First Braille Music...
The blind community is not without its fair share of innovators: Louis Braille himself, of course, alongside many others who brought us the braille code we know and love today. Elsewhere, the blind...
View ArticleIntroducing Linux (Extra 48)
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...
View ArticleBraille Technology Throughout the Ages (Episode 47)
This episode focusses on braille technology: its past, present and future. We are joined by historians, people working in the braille technology industry today and developers of the next generation of...
View ArticleSix Dots to Success: Welcome, Keynote and Braille for Beginners (Extra 49)
)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...
View ArticleIntroducing Git (Extra 50)
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...
View ArticleSix Dots to Success: Braille at School (Extra 51)
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...
View ArticleMeet Hable One: the Portable Bluetooth Controller for your Smartphone (Extra 52)
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...
View ArticleSix Dots to Success: Braille in Higher Education and Employment (Extra 53)
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...
View ArticleSix Dots to Success: Braille for Leisure (Extra 54)
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...
View ArticleSix Dots to Success: What Braille Means to Me and Panel (Extra 55)
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...
View ArticleProgramming for the Canute Console (Extra 56)
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...
View ArticleCSUN 2023 (Episode 48)
Dave Williams, Chairman of the Braillists Foundation, and Ed Rogers from Bristol Braille Technology discuss the braille products to emerge from this year's event.
View ArticleUEB Indicators: How to show capitals, bold, italics, underline and more...
“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...
View ArticleAn Introduction to the Orbit Reader (Extra 58)
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...
View ArticleRevitalise your Braille Reading Technique (Extra 59)
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...
View ArticleTransferring Content to your Braille Display (Extra 60)
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...
View ArticleThe Braille Doodle (Episode 49
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just pick up a tablet of sorts, draw on it, and have the drawing in a tactile form? And wouldn't it be even more wonderful if you could simply erase the drawing...
View ArticleBraille Into Christmas (Extra 61)
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...
View ArticleThe Braillists at NFB 2023 (Episode 50)
The Braillists Foundation held a face-to-face meeting at the 83rd annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind at the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel, Texas, in July 2023. Our Chairman, Dave...
View ArticleTwo Conferences in the Summer … Or Should That Be Winter? (Episode 51)
It's an exciting time for braille as we approach the 200th birthday of the braille code, and the International Council on English Braille will be celebrating in style this year with its eighth General...
View ArticleMulti-Line Braille in the Classroom (Episode 52)
The braille community is buzzing about the next generation of braille display: multi-line devices which can show anything from tables to tactile graphics at the press of a button are now a reality, and...
View ArticleCatching Up with Bristol Braille Technology: Canute 360 and Canute Console...
Bristol Braille Technology CIC recently released version 2.1 of the firmware for Canute 360, the world's first multi-line braille E-reader. Canute has come up in conversation many times before, but...
View ArticleTactile Diagrams at the Open University (Extra 62)
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...
View ArticleCSUN Round-Up 2024 (Episode 54)
The 39th CSUN Assistive Technology Conference took place from 18 to 22 March in Anaheim, California, hosted by the Centre on Disabilities, Division of Student Affairs at California State University,...
View ArticleThe New Braille Features in iOS 16 and 17 (Extra 63)
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...
View ArticleThe Braille Shorthand Code (Extra 64)
“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...
View ArticleAdding Your Own Contractions to Your Screen Reader Using Liblouis (Extra 65)
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...
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