Latest News
- Learn Braille at Croydon Vision
Unlock the world of touch reading with our braille course! Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your skills, this course will teach you the fundamentals of braille.
Every Friday 11am-1pm at Bedford Hall, 72-74 Wellesley Road, Croydon, CR0 2AR
Book by calling 020 8688 2486 / 07395 247699 or emailing [email protected]
- Free Christmas content in Accessible Formats
Boots
2025 will be the 20th consecutive year that RNIB have worked with Boots to provided accessible versions of their Christmas Gift Guide. Christmas Gift Guide are available in audio, braille and large print.
Customers can order their free accessible copy now.
Call 0345 070 8090 or email [email protected]
From Monday 27th October, the content will also be available online, including an accessible PDF of the Gift Guide at boots.com/christmas-gift-guide/accessible-gift-guide.
M&S
Christmas Food Magazine available in audio and braille.
Braille copies can be ordered by emailing [email protected].
Lakeland
Christmas Magazine available in audio. Requests to [email protected] or call 01539 488 100.
Free content
- Alzheimer’s Society Dementia together bi-monthly magazine: Available in audio. Requests to [email protected] or call 0330 333 0804.
- British Heart Foundation Keep your heart healthy publication. Braille copies of the booklet can be ordered via bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/keep-your-heart-healthy-braille-version. Easy Read version is also available at bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/keep-your-heart-healthy-easy-read-booklet
- British Heart Foundation Understanding high blood pressure. Braille copies of the booklet can be ordered via bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/braille/understanding-high-blood-pressure-braille-version
- Deafblind Open Hand magazine available in audio and braille. Request via deafblind.org.uk/get-support/open-hand-magazine. Alternatively, customers can contact the Deafblind helpline to be added to the mailing list: call 0800 13 23 20, text 07903 572885, email [email protected] or text relay 18001 then 0800 13 23 20.
- National Trust Quarterly magazine for National Trust members: Audio and large print requests can be ordered by emailing [email protected] or calling 01733 375 370.
- Vogue Monthly magazine. Audio via vogue.co.uk/article/british-vogue-audio-braille-2025, digital braille file requests from [email protected]
- Charged publications Braille Chess Association quarterly chess magazine for members available in braille. If people are interested in finding out more about the Braille Chess Association please ask them to contact the Publicity Officer at [email protected]. Membership is priced at £10 per year (4 quarterly gazettes) or £20 for five years (20 quarterly gazettes).
- British Legion Magazine available in audio and large print. Membership fees charged at £20 per year. Sign-up here.
- Diabetes Balance magazine available in audio and large print. Sign-up for £3 a month. This includes a sign-up form and an option to pick if they’d like to receive Balance in an a large print or audio format.
- RSPB magazine available in audio. To arrange membership and order magazine please call 01767 693 680.
- Irrelevant or Irreplaceable: Is the Perkins Brailler Really so Old-Fashioned? Tonight at 7:30 PM
The “old-fashioned Perkins” is a term we hear (and perhaps use) a lot. Whilst it is true that it was invented over fifty years ago, the evolution in braille writing in the period leading up to the first Perkins Brailler being sold was immense, with dozens of braille writers coming to market. Some of them survived; some of them have been almost completely forgotten; but all of them have a story to tell.
In this Masterclass, we are delighted to be joined by Alan Thorpe, Perkins repair expert and owner of the largest known private collection of heritage braille equipment in the world. We will explore how ideas around braille writing evolved over time, from stylus to Stainsby and beyond, and discover afresh why the Perkins Brailler is considered by many to be a timeless treasure.
Register for the Masterclass here.
To join by phone, please use these details:
- Phone number: 0131 460 1196
- Meeting ID: 878 2641 0908
- Passcode: 123456
- Monarch meets JAWS: Unlocking the future of Multiline Braille, Wednesday 22 October at 5:00 PM
Vispero and HumanWare invite you to an exclusive webinar showcasing the future of braille access with Monarch and JAWS. Together, we’ll demonstrate how multiline braille and split braille open new possibilities for education, productivity, and independence.
Discover how cursor routing on multiline displays provides faster, more intuitive navigation across multiple lines of text, bringing braille access closer than ever to the experience of print. Learn how JAWS and the Monarch work hand-in-hand to deliver a powerful, seamless solution for braille users of all levels.
Join us to see firsthand how this groundbreaking collaboration is transforming braille access and empowering users worldwide.
- Enjoy Braille with SuperNova 24
SuperNova 24 Now Supports More Braille Displays
Recent updates to SuperNova version 24 now allow refreshable Braille users to access over 60 braille displays.
Layered Hotkeys
In Layered Hotkey mode, the Braille layer gives you over twenty easy-to-remember commands at your fingertips, making it simple to get more done with fewer keystrokes. For example, pressing CAPS LOCK + SPACEBAR, then B, then O will quickly toggle Braille on and off.
You can also simulate multiple keypresses directly from your HumanWare or Focus Braille display, letting you input Windows commands without moving away from your device.
Automatic Detection
SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader will automatically detect your Braille display when it is connected to your computer.
Braille Output Support
SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader supports two forms of Braille output: Computer Braille and Literary Braille.
Easy Navigation
Learning how to navigate content from a display as well as simulating common Windows commands can help you work more efficiently as it stops you having to move your hands away from your display to the keyboard to perform popular tasks.
Training Course
To find more information about various hotkeys, or for more information about multiple keypresses, visit the Dolphin Braille course.
Free 30-Day Trial
If you’re new to SuperNova or you’re running an older version, you are welcome to try this and other new SuperNova 24 enhancements free for 30 days.
- From AppleVis: Using a Braille Display on iOS: an Introduction
Friend of the Braillists Scott Davert has updated his article on AppleVis: Using a Braille Display on iOS: an Introduction.
The update reflects some changes to iOS 26, including Braille Access, and removes some obsolete information.
- Monarch named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025
HumanWare is proud and thrilled to share that the Monarch has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 in the Accessibility category. This global recognition celebrates our commitment to pushing the boundaries of braille innovation and inclusion.
The Braillists is a grass-roots community group offering high quality training and support to emerging and established braille users. We also work with family members, friends, colleagues and teachers of braille users, and connect braille users with braille technology developers and funders.
What Is Braille?
Braille is a simple code for representing written language. We believe braille has the potential to transform the life of any blind person who has the opportunity to learn it.
Discover more about braille on this page.
Learn Braille
We support hundreds of adults to read braille by touch in a few short weeks through our innovative and approachable Braille for Beginners course. Free of charge, it comprises hard copy resources through the post and a series of short pre-recorded lessons, supplemented by email and Zoom support from highly qualified and experienced tutors.
Find out more about Braille for Beginners and register here.
There are plenty of other courses available too, for both children and adults, reading by touch or by sight. We have made a list of these on our Learn Braille page.
Perkins Repairs and Other Braille Equipment
The Perkins Brailler is the most established braille writer in use today, and even machines from the 1950s can still be serviced and repaired. We have compiled information about Perkins repairs, places to purchase Perkins Braillers, and other types of braille equipment on our Braille Equipment page.
If you are looking for braille paper, you can find it on our Braille Consumables page.
Our Aims
- Promote the value of braille as a proven literacy tool that enriches the lives of blind people.
- Support efforts to make affordable braille and tactile reading technologies available to all blind people irrespective of education and employment status.
- Provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas about the development of future braille technology.
Find Out More
Join our announcements only mailing list to receive our weekly newsletter.
Join the conversation and meet other Braillists on our discussion forum.
Connect with us on Twitter (@Braillists) or like us on Facebook for up to the minute Braillists news.
Listen to some braille-related audio on Soundcloud (braillists).
Please see our Sponsors and Partners for information on organisations who are supporting us.
Get In Touch
Email [email protected] or call 020 3893 3392. Further details on our Contact Us page.