Author: Matthew Horspool

From Adam Wilton, Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired, Canada

Dear colleagues,

Happy World Braille Month! I’m in touch today to share something that may be of interest to you or to educators in your networks.

Each year a group of organizations from across Canada get together to plan and deliver virtual activities to celebrate braille and what it represents to the learners that we serve. To mark this important month, for the past several years we’ve produced a set of fun activities that are free to download – they just need to be embossed and produced for learners like any other braille or tactile file.

Braille Boost 2026 is Winter Olympics-themed! There is a tactile graphics activity, a word search, and a word scramble. Materials are in UEB (contracted and uncontracted) and available in English and French. We produced a short video to promote this year’s Boost (YouTube short – I think it’s pretty great, but I may also be terribly biased).

Here is the link to Braille Boost 2026 via our World Braille Month page. Complete a very short request form and the link to the materials is automatically emailed to the address provided in the form. We have also included an archive of past years’ files!

Please feel free to share with anyone who may be interested and would find these activities useful.

I hope your 2026 is off to a great start!

All my best,

Adam P. Wilton, PhD, COMS

Program Manager – PRCVI and ARC-BC

prcvi.org | arc-bc.org

Orbit Research is pleased to announce the release of firmware version B1.xx.00.04r23 for the Orbit Reader 40.

Following are the new features and improvements.

1. Resolved an issue where the screen reader USB connection failed to resume after unplugging and reconnecting the USB cable.
2. Resolved an issue where after exiting Mass Storage mode the unit froze when switching emulation from “Off” to “Varioultra40” or “Varioultra40” to “Off”.

Notes:

Please note that if the device’s current firmware version is B1.xx.00.04r14 or an earlier version, following points must be considered:

1. The device settings will be reset to their defaults after the upgrade.
2. If localization has been applied, you will also need to re-apply it after the upgrade using the package available on our website.

The firmware package can be downloaded from our website’s Support menu.

To identify the proper firmware package for your unit, you will need to check the version number of the firmware currently loaded on your unit. If your unit does not turn on or if you are not able to read the version number from your device, please contact our technical support team.

To check the version number of your current firmware package please follow the following steps:

1. Power ON your unit.
2. Press the Select + Up key to open the menu.
3. Scroll down to the item “Version” by pressing down the arrow key.
4. It should display the firmware version number on your Braille display.

Check the first four digits of the version number and click on the respective link in the table on our website to download the appropriate firmware package.

Once downloaded, you can install it using the SD card method or using the Windows utility program.

The Orbit Reader 40 firmware package is available here.

The Orbit Reader 40 Localization package is available here.

For instructions on upgrading the Orbit Reader 40, please refer to Section 26 of the User Guide available on the website.

For our first Masterclass of 2026, we are delighted to be joined once again by James Bowden, RNIB’s Braille Technical Officer and the UK’s representative to the International Council on English Braille.

This time, James will be discussing accent signs in UEB: what are they, how do we write them, and why are they important?

Topics will include:

• An overview of common accents, and why braille readers should care about them
• How to read and write accents in UEB
• How accents affect capitals and contractions
• Accents in non-English braille codes and when we should use them

There will be lots of examples, plenty of time for questions, and possibly the opportunity to sneak in some general UEB topics at the end if there’s time.

Register for Accents in UEB

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 878 0869 6203
• Passcode: 123456

Vispero and Dot Inc. are excited to present an exclusive webinar highlighting Dot Pad X and JAWS, a powerful combination that puts multiline Braille at your fingertips. Discover how this portable, versatile multiline braille display works seamlessly with JAWS to support efficient navigation and productivity.

We’ll demonstrate JAWS braille modes—including wrapped and cropped views—along with working in documents, tables, and spreadsheets, using the status line, Split Braille, and more. Join us to see how JAWS and Dot Pad X together are transforming braille access and expanding opportunities for education, work, and independence.

Dot Inc. Presenters: Tim Hornik and Dave Williams

Vispero Presenters: Elizabeth Whitaker and Rachel Buchanan

Register for Dot Pad X and JAWS: Expanding Opportunities with Multiline Braille

Software updates for Android and iOS devices have come a long way over the years, especially for braille readers. Whether you want to learn to type more quickly, or practice your braille writing skills, this workshop is for you! Our presenters will go in-depth into the braille features available on both iOS and Android mobile devices, including braille screen input.

Register for Braille Features on iOS and Android Mobile Devices

Webinar promoted by: The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), Alternate Education Resources Ontario (AERO), Braille Literacy Canada (BLC), the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA), the CNIB Beyond Print, CNIB Foundation, the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS), and the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI).

The recording of this session is now available. Watch Now on YOuTube

The funeral of Jim McCafferty is taking place on Tuesday 20 January at noon. It will be streamed live, details of how to join can be obtained from: [email protected]

Are you interested in learning Arabic Braille? Have you ever wanted to experience reading the Quran in the same way that a sighted person would?

Basira Braille Institute is looking for expressions of interest in Arabic Braille classes. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned braillist, we want to hear from you.

We are proposing to hold sessions in Birmingham and Bradford, with a session held in each location every fortnight.

We intend to begin with the letters of the Arabic alphabet with the eventual aim of being able to read the Quran and other Arabic material fluently and confidently. We envisage that the course will require around 18 classes, but we would encourage students to work at their own pace. Students will also have the opportunity to solidify their knowledge by remaining with the group after completion of the course and engaging in further practice by reading to teachers out loud. We will also assist students to read Arabic Braille using their chosen Braille display or notetaker.

We anticipate each class will be priced in the region of £10-£15, subject to student numbers, on a “pay as you go” basis. However, we understand the financial pressures which our community is under. If you would find it difficult to pay for classes, we will endeavour to subsidise costs if possible.

We are hoping to begin classes in the summer of 2026, depending on sufficient interest.

Please express your potential interest by filling in this accessible Microsoft form which can be completed using your screen reader of choice.

Alternatively, please send any questions, comments or feedback to [email protected] or call 07759858538.

Victory Amps are offering braille panel options on any Victory amplifier worldwide, at no extra cost.

Victory Amps, which is based in the UK, started researching accessibility when they were building a customised amplifier for guitarist, and social-media personality, Anthony Ferraro. He had reached out, asking if he could try an amplifier in their existing lineup, but Victory wanted to build him an amp that was entirely accessible.

Read the full story on the Sound Without Sight website

Learning to read braille as an adult can be a daunting task. The majority of early braille learning materials often cater to young students or children, making finding beginning braille reading tools as an adult difficult.

Braille Bridge changes that. A combination of digital and hard copy reading materials for older transition-age students as well as adults learning to read braille, Braille Bridge makes the transition to learning braille easy.

Braille Bridge is not a learning curriculum, but a tool to provide adults with braille reading tools that were designed with them in mind.

“Learning and reading braille as an adult allows for more independence and knowledge of the world around you. Signs, keypads, and tactile labels are all examples of common use of braille in everyday lives,” said Laura Zierer, Braille Bridge Product Manager at APH.

Braille Fluency as an adult provides a level of independence in navigating the world, and the workplace. It allows adults to engage with their environment in a whole new way and gives them the opportunity to understand their environment through tactile exploration.

Braille Bridge offers age-appropriate reading material while catering to understanding the basics of braille. This material will aim to incorporate not only complex vocabulary along with interesting and advanced topics, but will include engaging stories for adult readers.

“Adults don’t like to practice braille on children’s books,” said Laura.

Braille Bridge materials are available in both digital and hard copy formats to ensure that anyone can utilize the product regardless of which braille reading device they choose to use. A significant portion of new braille readers and adults who are blind or low vision do not own a braille display or embosser making a delivered hard copy essential for access to braille materials.

For most readers, comfort and fluency develops over time. With limited access to braille learning reading materials, adults are often left with only early education or children’s material to practice with. All braille learners deserve access to interesting and motivating reading material to guide them in their journey to braille literacy.

“This product fills a very large need in the braille learning community of braille-curious, newly blind adults. Once my rehabilitation case was closed, I lost access to my braille tutor, and this self-guided document is the first training course that has been exciting and easy enough to inspire me to get back into regular braille practice. This is just about the highest praise I can give a product for this market,” said one Braille Bridge field tester.

Find access to digital and hard copy braille reading materials when you purchase Braille Bridge available now in the APH Store.