Latest News
- Registration Open for Braille Readers are Leaders Contest
It’s time for the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest, sponsored by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. The contest starts December 1.
The National Federation of the Blind is proud to partner with the American Action Fund for this Braille literacy contest. Braille reading students, adults, and teachers of the blind across the U.S. compete against other participants in similar contest categories for seven weeks. Encourage more Braille. Improve reading skills. Win prizes. Participate in the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest.
- Log the number of minutes read each day
- Register and log minutes read each day online using Beanstack
- Youth participants earn prizes and fun badges as you read. The more you read the more prizes you will receive at the conclusion of the contest.
- Earn entries into a drawing for a fabulous grand prize! The more minutes you read, the more entries you earn.
- Read the most number of minutes in your category and receive a cash prize in addition to all other prizes earned.
The contest will begin on December 1, 2025, and run through January 16, 2026. Improve your Braille reading and speed, something that will last a lifetime!
Register for the contest and complete the first activity: Receive a contest T-Shirt. This will be mailed to you as soon as possible so you can enjoy it while the contest is still in progress. The rest of the prizes will be mailed soon after the contest concludes.
Register for Braille Readers are Leaders on Beanstack
Learn more about the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest
We are excited to offer BeanStack as the means to register and log minutes for Braille Readers Are Leaders this year. BeanStack will allow you, your child, or your student to receive encouragement and prize reminders in real time as minutes are logged. As always however, the American Action Fund is committed to helping all those who are interested in participating in this contest. If you are unable to register or log minutes read online, please email [email protected] for assistance.
- Selvas BLV is officially partnered with the Dot Pad X!
Selvas BLV is thrilled to bring Dot Pad X—the groundbreaking multi-line and graphics Braille display—to customers across the United States!
As the proud North American distributor of HIMS Braille products, including the BrailleSense 6 tablet and Braille eMotion smart display, we’re excited to introduce a powerful new companion device for anyone seeking a richer, more dynamic Braille experience. Dot Pad X opens the door to multi-line reading, vivid tactile graphics, detailed diagrams, real-time graphs, and so much more.
Already compatible with popular screen readers like VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS, Dot Pad X will soon be fully supported by the HIMS BrailleSense 6 tablet as well. That means you’ll be able to enjoy books in the BrailleSense DAISY player with multi-line text, tactile illustrations, simplified menu navigation, and real-time graph rendering through the BrailleSense Math graphing calculator.
Dot Pad X is the most portable, reliable, and affordable device in the multi-line Braille market—and when paired with BrailleSense 6, accessibility reaches a whole new level of possibility.
Read more, including special US pricing, in the Selvas BLV Newsletter
- Braille Bar on Tuesday
Our popular Braille Bar returns this Tuesday at 7:30 PM. No question is too small, from kit to code – just ask and our experts will assist you!
Or, to join by phone, use these details:
- Phone number: 0131 460 1196
- Meeting ID: 880 3508 8878
- Passcode: 123456
- DAISY Board Webinar, Wednesday 12 November, 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
At their Board meeting in Geneva on November 12th, the wider DAISY community are invited to attend the free open session conducted via webinar to hear the latest developments on topics including:
- The eBraille Specification
- User Requirements for DAISY Reading Apps
- Artificial Intelligence for DAISY Members
- Updates from Member Organizations
- Transcription Production Assistant Vacancy, Gateshead
RNIB is advertising for a Transcription Production Assistant.
Closing date: 11 November 2025
- Repost: Recommended Braille-Related Podcasts
We are always delighted to receive Newsletter submissions from our audience. Here is one such article, from a devoted participant in our Tuesday evening sessions, recommending some interesting podcasts:
Pro Braille. Worldwide Initiatives For Accessible Music
The first one is a very engaging conversation about Braille music. It was recorded for my friend’s Youtube channel TifloInfo. He published it for the Russian speaking audience but he also published an original version in English. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJBnvn-AgDk&pp=0gcJCfwJAYcqIYzv
Here is the description from the video page:
“It was only ten years ago that Braille music was in a crisis,” says Dr. Sarah Morley Wilkins. “However, through international efforts of dedicated people and organisations, this trend has been reversed.” To find out more and to explore avenues of international cooperation in promoting accessible music, we speak with Dr. Sarah Morley Wilkins (Project Manager of the DAISY Music Braille Project) as well as two other distinguished panelists:
- Jay Pocknell, Music Officer at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and Project Manager of Sound Without Sight
- James Bowden, Braille Technical Officer, RNIB)
The show is hosted by Ksenia Blake, Yana Leschenko, and Andre Polykanine. Please note: This is the original version of a live interview, recorded for a Russian-speaking audience.
Release date: 8 October 2025
Bridging Access to Braille: An In-Depth Look at Braille Access on iOS 26
Next are two podcasts about Braille Access in iOS 26. The first one is from AppleVis. Scott Davert recorded it. Here is the link: https://applevis.com/podcasts/bridging-access-braille-depth-look-braille-access-ios-26
It has a transcript.
Here is the description from the page:
In this episode, Scott Davert gives us an in-depth demonstration of Braille Access. New in iOS 26, Braille Access aims to offer an experience similar to dedicated braille note takers.
What’s new in iOS 26
The second podcast covering Braille Access on iOS, is Access On by Jonathan Mosen. Here is the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-new-in-ios-26/id1777481188?i=1000729563307
How JAWS Went Multiline and Playful Learning with Lego
The next podcast I’d like to talk about is Raising the Dots. Dave had a great interview about support for multiline Braille displays in JAWS. Here is the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-jaws-went-multiline-and-playful-learning-with-lego/id1824662653?i=1000731184766
Here is the description from the episode page:
Going behind the recent introduction of multiline braille support in the popular JAWS for Windows Screen Reader, this month we hear from Joe Stephen, a blind software engineer with Vispero, on the new Wrapped and Cropped modes and why they’re a breakthrough for tables, spreadsheets, coding, and even braille music.
Playful learning & research: Prof. John Ravenscroft from the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Sensory Centre and ICEVI Europe speaks with us from the Tactile Literacy Conference about his work with LEGO Foundation and LEGO Braille Bricks, highlighting the global push for braille and tactile literacy.
An in-depth look at multiline Braille support in JAWS
Here is another one about multiline Braille support. This one is an FSCast episode: https://blog.freedomscientific.com/fscast-261-an-in-depth-look-at-multiline-braille-support-in-jaws-and-an-ai-user-survey-by-the-afb/
This one also has a transcript: https://blog.freedomscientific.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FSCast261-August2025Transcript.htm
Here is the description from the podcast page:
On this episode, Joe Stephen and Rusty Kelly unveil some of the details of our upcoming support for multiline Braille.
Monarch: The Future of Braille and Beyond
And the latest one about multiline Braille support:
It has the transcript.
It’s See Things Differently with HumanWare.
The title of the episode is: Monarch: The Future of Braille and Beyond.
It’s quite an engaging, fast-paced and interesting conversation about different ways of using a multiline Braille display in educational and professional environment. The discussion was led by the Senior Braille product manager Andrew Flatres.
Here is the description from the page:
In this milestone 10th episode of See Things Differently, Rachel Ramos and David Woodbridge hand the mic to HumanWare’s Braille Product Manager Andrew Flatres for a deep-dive into one of the most exciting innovations in accessibility tech: the Monarch.
Andrew is joined by Chris Cooke, Scott Erichsen, and Allison Meloy, three early Monarch users who share how this groundbreaking tactile device is transforming the way people experience Braille and tactile graphics. From first impressions to classroom applications and the “wow” moments of exploring diagrams through touch, their stories highlight what makes Monarch so revolutionary.
Recently recognized by Time Magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2025, the Monarch represents a major leap forward for digital Braille — and for the future of accessible learning.
Whether you’re a teacher, tech enthusiast, or just curious about what’s next in accessibility, this conversation will leave you inspired by what tactile technology can achieve.
Here is the link to the transcript: https://see-things-differently-with-hu.pinecast.co/episode/276dfff2/monarch-the-future-of-braille-and-beyond
Inside Apple’s Braille Access and the Future of Braille Literacy
Podcast At Your Fingertips – Braille Then and Now has a new feed.
I’d like to bring your attention to the latest episode talking about Braille Access on iOS and about multiline Braille displays. Here is the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-apples-braille-access-and-the-future/id1841245814?i=1000731264761
Here is the description from the episode page:
Discover what’s new in Braille accessibility with Apple’s latest updates. From iOS 26’s “Braille Access” mode to creative uses of BRF files and multi-line displays like the Monarch, this episode of At Your Fingertips explores how technology continues to shape modern Braille literacy and why it still matters in 2025.
This episode dives deep into Apple’s new Braille Access feature in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe, revealing how it allows users to create BRF (Braille Ready Format) files, take notes, perform calculations, and seamlessly switch between apps using a Braille display. Host Chris Cooke explains practical use cases—from writing Braille music to sharing specialized code—and highlights how iCloud storage makes Braille more portable than ever.
Listeners are also introduced to Seeing Hands (seeinghands.org), a nonprofit distributing Braille books and dictionaries for young readers and developing Sudoku puzzles for multi-line Braille displays like the Monarch.
The show closes with reflections on the ongoing “Braille debate” discussed recently on Double Tap: whether Braille remains essential in a world of screen readers and AI. Chris Cooke offers a compassionate perspective, acknowledging both lifelong Braille users and those who struggle with tactile reading, while celebrating literacy, technology, and inclusion.
Posted on4th November 2025AuthorMatthew Horspool Edit
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Copyright © 2014-2025.The Braillists Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales, no. 1187244. Our governance and policy documents can be found on our Governance page.
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.
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