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 ....
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Christmas is coming; the goose is getting fat; and some of Santa’s most trusted helpers have been sent, on secondment, to the Royal National Institute of Blind People , where they’re busy writing letters to visually impaired children in accessible formats. Co-ordinating this effort on behalf of RNIB is Racheal Jarvis, News Agent Team Leader, and she joined us to tell us more about this exciting project. To request a letter from Santa, please fill out the form on this page , email santa@rnib.org....
Nov 16, 2020•22 min•Ep. 19
Dave Williams, Braillists 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 .
Nov 09, 2020•1 hr 1 min
This is an overview of the Orbit Reader 20, held as part of a Stay Safe: Stay Connected call on Monday 27 July 2020....
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 8 min
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 a...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 4 min
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....
Oct 19, 2020•8 min
Based in Boston Massachusetts since 1927, National Braille Press is a global leader in producing high quality, affordable braille materials and developing innovative technologies advancing braille literacy for blind and visually impaired children and adults everywhere. In addition to its first class braille transcription facility, producing everything from standardised tests to restaurant menus, NBP has a unique specialism in publishing original books by blind authors expressly for blind people,...
Jul 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 18
The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) is Australia’s largest non-government provider of services supporting thousands of adults, children and their families with hearing loss or vision impairment. Established by an Act of Parliament in Australia in 1860, it now operates via a number of Centres, promoting the rights of all persons with vision impairment to inclusion in education, employment and society on the same basis as sighted persons – leaving no-one behind. Of particular n...
Jun 01, 2020•40 min•Ep. 17
James Bowden is the Braille Technical Officer at RNIB , whose hard copy braille library is currently out of action due to COVID-19. We asked him what alternatives might be available. RNIB Services RNIB Reading Services RNIB Newsagent RNIB Online Shop Libraries Project Gutenberg The National Accessible Library from Seeing Ear Software Send to Braille Robobraille Braille Blaster Duxbury...
May 11, 2020•15 min•Ep. 16
For many in the blind community, Dean Martineau will be a household name. Prolific in the technology sphere, he’s perhaps best known for his Top Tech Tidbits newsletter, which has been published every Thursday for over ten years. In the past, he was also the voice behind the Sound Computing audio magazine, and delivered bespoke technology training under the brand of Top Dot Enterprises. Towards the end of 2018, he started a new initiative which uses a combination of audio tutorials, electronic b...
Apr 02, 2020•37 min•Ep. 15
This episode features the last of the content that we recorded at the recent Sight Village South East exhibition. Namely, a seminar from the Braillists Foundation entitled "Making the Case for Braille in the 21st Century", the notes from which are included below. We also present a comprehensive demonstration of the Braille Screen Input feature on iOS. Chapter markers have been inserted throughout this episode to aid navigation. Making the Case for Braille in the 21st Century Abstract Braille is ...
Mar 18, 2020•52 min•Ep. 14
This episode features a couple of interviews that we recorded at the recent Sight Village South East exhibition. We also hear one person’s perspective on the ElBraille . Jenny Axler, Technical Support Manager at Hims and Stuart Lawler, Manager of Sight & Sound Ireland, join us to discuss the BrailleSense Polaris and Polaris Mini, QBraille XL, and the fifth generation Focus line of braille displays from Freedom Scientific . Sean Randall from New College Worcester was loaned an ElBraille in 20...
Feb 10, 2020•23 min•Ep. 13
4 January is Louis Braille's birthday (he would have been 211 this year if he was still alive). It's no coincidence, then, that, since 2019, the United Nations has formally celebrated this date as "World Braille Day" , an international day of observance "... to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people." In spite of how recent it is, it already feels firmly established in the calenda...
Jan 12, 2020•20 min•Ep. 12
We hear from Kristina Salceanu, founder of Advent Of Change about their braille advent calendar . It's available for £29.95 online via both Advent of Change and John Lewis and it's also available at John Lewis's Oxford Street store.
Dec 18, 2019•27 min•Ep. 11
We’re back! And we start our new series with an overview of the braille landscape, including: Royal Blind’s resources for National Braille Week (7 to 13 October 2019) The seventh General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille , 11 to 15 May 2020 at the Google Academy in central London, in particular the call for papers. Braille On Display updated for 2020 Lego Braille Bricks and accessible instructions Mattel Braille Uno (also available from RNIB ) Advent Of Change braille adve...
Oct 12, 2019•15 min•Ep. 10
In this episode, we talk with Holly Scott-Gardner about studying Spanish, living abroad and the impact of braille on these pursuits. we also discuss: RNIB released the Orbit Reader 20 in the UK (product code HT358) on 8 August for £449, or £399 for Connect members. AFB Accessworld Review of the Brailliant BI-14: HumanWare’s Latest Step Toward Smart Braille Displays Apple iOS 12 introduces quick navigation in braille in web pages. To assign keys, go to Settings General Accessibility VoiceOver Bra...
Oct 09, 2018•29 min•Ep. 9
Where do new Braille signs come from? Who decides? Do we need a new Braille file format? We hear from James Bowden, a highly regarded Braille Specialist with RNIB . James is a member of the UK Association for Accessible Formats (UKAAF) and represents the UK on the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) , which met at ChildVision , the National Education Centre for Blind Children in Ireland, this April for its mid-term executive meeting. We discuss the new sign for a tick, requirements f...
May 07, 2018•27 min•Ep. 8
California State University of Northridge held their 33rd International Conference on Technology and Disability in San Diego this March. Braillecast made a whistle stop tour of the exhibit hall to discover what new braille and tactile reading products could be making waves in 2018. We'll hear about the tactile graphics Display that enabled blind students to touch a total solar eclipse , we learn about a metric braille caliper , we hear about the latest low cost braille tech from India , and we g...
Apr 03, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 7
In this episode we hear from Scott Davert from the US. Scott is a braille advocate and deafblind specialist and sits on the Disability Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission. As well as this, he actively promotes braille in the Applevis community, and has recently written a series of braille display reviews which have been published by Accessworld from the American Foundation for the Blind. In the UK, his expertise are shared through the RNIB Connect website. The conversatio...
Feb 02, 2018•27 min•Ep. 6
Paul Sullivan of the Bristol Braillists speaks with Alan Thorpe from EYECAN about manual braille writing equipment. Alan shares tips on caring for your Perkins Brailler and how the design has endured for over half a century. We also discover other historic Braille Writing machines including Pike Glouser, a British machine from the first half of the 20th century. EyeCan http://www.eyecan.org.uk/ History of the Perkins Brailler http://www.perkins.org/assets/downloads/research/history-of-brailler-1...
Oct 30, 2017•24 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, we have a detailed chat about the Orbit Reader 20, the long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated low-cost Braille electronic reading device. In Braille News: a variety of discounts and pricing information due to site village: Sight and Sound Technology have announced discounted pricing for VFO products for the duration of the exhibition season. Humanware have set the UK price for the Brailliant BI14 at £845.00 The price of the Duxbury Braille Translator is to increase as of August 1s...
Jul 16, 2017•23 min•Ep. 4
Dave Williams and guests catch up with all the latest news from last month's UKAAF AGM, explore issues facing blind students needing Braille in higher education, and we debate the value of the survey from the International Council on English Braille . In Braille News CNIB has begun shipping the Orbit Reader . APH and RNIB are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks. Another affordable Braille display is in the works - InnoVision have released the Braille Me refreshable Braille display . The ...
Jul 07, 2017•25 min•Ep. 3
This is Episode2 of Braillecast. Thank you for listening! Our host Dave Williams discusses the BrailleNote Touch, interviewing several teaching assistants at schools in the UK where the Touch is used. He talks to Greg Stilson from Humanware about the product. In Braille News As of the Windows 10 Creators Update, Braille support is now built directly into Microsoft Windows. See using Narrator with Braille in the user guide The UEB Code maintenance committee (part of the International Council on E...
Jun 07, 2017•26 min•Ep. 2
This is Episode 1 of Braillecast, a Podcast produced by and for Braillists everywhere. Our host Dave Williams interviews Megan Paul. Megan’s essay, “The Bumpy Road” , won the Junior category of the 2016 Onkyo Braille essay competition. In this chat over a cup of tea, Dave talks to her about the essay and her views on Braille more widely. In Braille news: The world premiere of a musical entitled “The Braille Legacy” is being staged at the Charing Cross Theatre London until Saturday 24 June. Direc...
Apr 30, 2017•19 min•Ep. 1
