Latest News
- 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
- Using the Canute 360 with Duxbury, Tuesday 16 September at 7:30 PM
You might be familiar with many functions of the Canute 360 from Bristol Braille Technology, but did you know it can work seamlessly with the widely popular Duxbury Braille Translator? When connected to a Windows machine, the Canute can output Braille text in real-time using Duxbury’s six-key Braille entry, or display any translated text loaded into the application.
This added functionality can significantly enhance the usability of the Canute 360, particularly for those who need to quickly navigate content in a multi-line environment. If you already have Duxbury and the Canute 360, you’re set to go!
Join Bristol Braille Technology’s Ed Rogers and Sight and Sound Technology’s Stuart Lawler to learn not only how to set up this integration but also explore a variety of use cases. Don’t miss this opportunity to maximize your Canute 360 experience!
Register for the Masterclass here.
To join by phone, please use these details:
- Phone number: 0131 460 1196
- Meeting ID: 862 7390 4662
- Passcode: 123456
With thanks to Bristol Braille Technology and Sight and Sound Technology for their sponsorship of this event.
- Braille Lessons Limavady, Friday 5 September to Friday 24 October, 3:00 PM
Braille workshops for 8 weeks
Where: Limavady library, 5 Connell Street, Limaady BT49 0EA
When: Friday 5 Sept for 8 weeks
Time: 3pm to 4pm
Facilitator: Mary Lea
Open to all levels – starting at the very beginning!!
Contact: [email protected] or phone 028 7776 2540
- Invitation to Touch: Beyond Vision – Tactile Art Exhibition for the Visually Impaired, Monday 15 September, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM or 6:00 PM-10:30 PM
Carveco are excited to invite you to “Touch: Beyond Vision”, an inclusive exhibition that reimagines how we experience art.
Join them at the iconic OXO Tower in London for a unique event where visual culture is brought to life through the sense of touch.
This exhibition is designed especially for blind and visually impaired visitors, but it’s open to everyone—artists, educators, families, and accessibility advocates alike.
What Awaits You:
- Over 20 tactile artworks crafted using Carveco’s AI driven relief technology, featuring famous musicians, landmarks, historical figures, and personal stories.
- A community mural wall of 3D-printed, touchable photographs contributed by blind individuals.
- Audio descriptions, braille labels, and guided touchpoints for independent exploration.
Why Your Involvement Matters
This is a movement in consumerising Art for the visually impaired. Using our new AI driven technology, we aim to demonstrate how accessibility and design can intersect in real-world, creative applications and make it accessible to anyone with visual impairment. It also provides a platform to connect with others committed to inclusive practices — including educators, artists, charities, and advocates.
We’d be delighted to have you join us, not only to explore the exhibition, but to discuss potential ways we might collaborate further in supporting accessibility through design and technology.
If you’re interested in attending or know anyone who nay be, please don’t hesitate to use the links below to register your interest.
For further information, please email Ashlee Zogala on [email protected]
- Discover Firmware 3.0 for the BrailleSense 6 and 6 Mini, Tuesday 16 September at 10:00 PM
Selvas BLV is proud to announce that BrailleSense 6 firmware version 3.0 is due for release by the end of September!
This major update delivers a redesigned Main Menu and Settings dialog, an enhanced Word Processor, a new Braille Practice app for teaching and learning Braille, the highly anticipated new Web Browser, and more.
They will be holding a webinar to preview this firmware and have a live Q and A session on Tuesday 16 September at 10:00 PM UK time.
Join link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88034816739
Join them to explore how this update advances productivity, learning, and accessibility.
- 200 Years of the Braille System – From Slate to Display
The 11th World Blindness Summit recently concluded in São Paulo, Brazil. This session took place on 2 September 2025, the first day of proceedings.
From the Programme
PLENARY SESSION 1: 09:00 – 10:30
Session Number: P1
Venue: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Moderator: Yaw Ofori DebraSpeakers:
- Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Ghana; Martine Abel-Williamson, New Zealand – Launching a Braille Literacy Campaign – More Braille, More Empowerment.
- Regina Fátima Caldeira de Oliveira, Brazil – BRAILLE, YES, because reading is essential!
- Frances Gentle, Australia – Braille in the Digital Age: Integration of Tactile Literacy and Artificial Intelligence and Assistive Technologies
- Márcia Noronha de Mello, Brazil – The Braille System and the Advancement of Technologies as a Tool for Inclusion
Watch the Session
The session is available as part of the YOuTube stream for day 2, starting approximately 22 minutes from the start. It lasts approximately 90 minutes.
- Braille Research Makes 3-Minute Thesis Competition
Aasha Rose has been working towards a PhD focussed on braille literacy and quality of life at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. As part of this, she has had the opportunity to submit to the 3-minute thesis (3MT) competition.
You can watch her presentaition on YouTube here: Does braille literacy impact quality of life?
The competition has a People’s Choice Award. If you would like to vote for Aasha’s presentation to win that award, simply like it on YouTube. Voting closes 12 September at 5:00pm.
- Important Survey for Users of the Mantis, Chameleon, Monarch, PageBlaster/PicsBlaster, Polly and other Braille Products from APH
2025 Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Satisfaction Survey
Attention: All Users of APH Products! If you have purchased APH products and services to use in education or rehabilitation settings, we want to hear from you!
This brief survey is conducted annually and is designed to accomplish several key goals:
- Give users an opportunity to share their experiences with APH products and services.
- Help us coordinate priorities and improve our product development processes.
- Collect performance data as required by the federal Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
Follow the link below to complete the survey and learn more.
All individual responses will remain confidential. Your feedback about our performance and product effectiveness DOES make a difference.
Survey response deadline is Friday, October 10.
- Brailliant BI X, Mantis Q40 and Chameleon 20 Firmware 2.5 Now Available
HumanWare recently announced firmware version 2.5 for the Brailliant BI X, Mantis Q40 and Chameleon 20. Download the release notes for more information.
- Paige Connect is now available in the US with APH!
We are very happy to share that Paige Connect is now officially available in the U.S. through the American Printing House (APH).
Federal quota eligible
$339
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.