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!
This week’s Braille Bar will have a particular focus on the Orbit Reader, following the very popular Masterclass a couple of weeks ago.
Or, to join by phone, use these details:
A message from RNIB:
We are pleased to announce the 2023 season of the Gardner’s Trust Braille Music Literacy Awards. These awards, administered by the RNIB, are designed to test the reading, understanding, and performing of Braille music. They offer music Braillists the opportunity to receive expert feedback and assessment of their specialist skills, as well as the chance to showcase their musical independence.
The awards are open to music Braillists of any age (the previous age restrictions have been lifted), with five different levels available. All candidates will receive a report and a certificate of entry. The best entrant at each level who reaches the required standard will also receive a prize ranging from £10 for Level 1 candidates to £50 for Level 5.
Tests will be held from October 2023 to November 2023. Feedback and certificates will be sent to all candidates in January 2024, when we will also announce the prize winners. The exams can be taken in person at a location of your choosing or online.
Specimen tests, general regulations and requirements in Braille and print are available from the Music Advisory Service. Please note that it is now possible for a candidate to repeat a level they have taken in previous years. More information is available at: Gardner’s Trust Braille Music Literacy Awards | RNIB
For further details or to request the information pack and application form, please contact [email protected].
Ref: AC230/0623
Closing Date: 9am on Monday 26th June 2023
INTERVIEWS WILL TAKE PLACE ON: Week beginning Monday 3rd July 2023
Purpose of the Job: To assist the Head of Braille to be responsible for teaching students to read and write literary Braille, using a range of effective strategies.
For more information, please visit the Teacher of Braille page on the New College Worcester website.
Dear [Braillists Foundation] Community,
Happy National Volunteer Week!
At the Braillists Foundation, we deeply appreciate and value the dedication, time, expertise, and unwavering commitment of our incredible volunteers. Your efforts to spread the power of braille and empower individuals with visual impairments are truly exceptional. Today , we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who has generously given your time and talents to further our mission. While we recognize that we may unintentionally overlook some names in this message, please know that every single volunteer is invaluable to us, and your contributions do not go unnoticed.
We want to give a special shout-out to a few outstanding individuals who have gone above and beyond in their roles:
To all the volunteers who have selflessly given their time, energy, and expertise to the Braillists Foundation, we thank you. Your tireless efforts have enabled us to touch the lives of many individuals, fostering inclusion and empowering them to access information and opportunities through braille.
On this special occasion of National Volunteer Week, we want to emphasize that while we formally celebrate volunteers this week, we recognize and value your contributions every single week of the year. Your dedication drives us forward and motivates us to continue our vital work.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your tremendous support. Without you, the Braillists Foundation would not be the vibrant and impactful community it is today .
Wishing you all continued success and fulfillment in your endeavors.
With utmost gratitude,
Dave Williams
on behalf of the Board of Trustees
The Orbit Reader range is now very extensive and comprises the Orbit Reader 20, the Orbit Reader 20 Plus and the Orbit Reader 40. In this Masterclass, Dave Williams, Customer Experience Manager at RNIB and Chairman of the Braillists Foundation, will talk us through what these products can do, how they work, and the differences between Orbit Readers and other braille displays and notetakers.
You will learn:
Register for the Masterclass here.
To join by phone, please use these details:
Braille Literacy Canada (BLC) will be holding its third annual virtual braille symposium on Friday, June 2, 2023 from 1 – 5 PM EDT (10am-2pm Pacific/11am-3pm Mountain/Saskatchewan, 12pm-4pm Central, 2pm-6pm Atlantic, 5pm-9pm UTC).
This event will be of interest to braille readers, educators, transcribers, parents, producers and anyone else with a passion for braille literacy!
The schedule of events is as follows:
Each presentation will be approximately 30 minutes long, followed by a 15 minute question-and-answer period, and then a 15 minute intermission.
This event is open to anyone in Canada and internationally with an interest in braille.
It is free of charge to members of Braille Literacy Canada (or members of organizations who are corporate members of BLC) and $20.00 for non-members. Interested in becoming a BLC member? Annual membership (open to all Canadians) is $20 – check out our membership section for more information!
Registration will close on Thursday, May 31, 2023 at midnight. Live automatic captioning will be provided for the presentations through Zoom, and written transcripts of the presentations will be made available after the event. (Zoom is not able to support live captioning and transcripts for the French presentation at 1pm EST.)
Once you have submitted your registration, your request will be reviewed and a Zoom link will be e-mailed to you within a few days. If you do not hear from us or you have any other questions, please write to [email protected].
“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 Bowden, Braille Technical Officer at RNIB, Chairman of the Braille Coding Group of the UK Association for Accessible Formats, and the UK Representative to the Code Maintenance Committee of the International Council on English Braille, will describe the common indicators in UEB and give some real world examples of their use.
In particular, we will cover:
A handout will be made available on our website after the Masterclass. However, the pace is likely to be quite brisk, so we recommend being able to take notes during the session if at all possible.
Register for the Masterclass here.
To join by phone, please use these details:
RNIB are now reselling the Versaslate, a paperless braille frame, for £89.99. The product code is BF27.
Celebrate the historic occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty The Queen Consort with this special commemorative guide, published by RNIB Newsagent.
The Coronation takes place on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey, and will be followed by a weekend of special events.
We take you through all the longstanding traditions and pageantry of the Coronation Ceremony itself and, as Their Majesties want to encourage people to mark the occasion with friends, families and their communities, we also have information on how you can enjoy events such as the Coronation Big Lunches and the Big Help Out.
The commemorative guide also takes a look back at the lives of King Charles III and Camilla, The Queen Consort, and reflects on the Coronation of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 70 years ago.
Product Code: DUP0003655
Price: £3.50
RNIB is advertising a ten week work placement over the summer months to help them prepare a braille course for online delivery. The placement is specifically for people with lived experience of sight loss.
It is listed as “See Work Differently Placement – Content Development”. The Job reference is REQ0001692.
For more information and to apply, visit the Search for Jobs page of the RNIB website and enter “see” into the search box.