In Touch discusses braille’s future and how it adapts alongside today’s variety of assistive technologies that can aid with reading, writing and consuming information. We are helped by young braillists from St Vincent’s School in Liverpool and three seasoned braille users, Jackie Brown, Ian Macrae and Dave Williams.
Author: Matthew Horspool
New Horizons Offers Coverage of the Annual Conference of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities
The New Horizons weekly radio programme from Blind Citizens Australia is back, and recently featured a series on the 2026 conference of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities.
- Round Table Part 1 featuring Dr Frances Gentle and the ICEVI/WBU Global Braille Literacy Campaign
- Coverage from Round Table Part 2 featuring Aasha Rose and her PhD research on braille literacy
- Round Table on Information Access Special Feature featuring the unedited versions of the above programmes
From Richard Turner: The Recording of the Orbit Research Zoom Meeting for July 2026 and the Transcript are Now Available
The recording and the transcript from yesterday’s meeting is now on my web site.
The recording is in the usual zip file at: https://www.turner42.com/OrbitResearchJuly2026ZoomMeeting.zip
And the Transcript is at: https://www.turner42.com/OrbitResearchJuly2026ZoomMeetingTranscript.txt And, as always, all other Orbit Research recordings and transcripts for some are at: https://www.turner42.com/ori.html
How braille changed my life and how I help others to recognise its importance
We were recently reminded of this article on the RNIB website which, though some months old now, may still prove an interesting read.
TAVIP Masterclass: The Canute Scientific from Bristol Braille, Tuesday 14 July at 7:30 PM
We are pleased to promote this event from TAVIP as an alternative to our Braille Bar which is taking place at the same time. From TAVIP:
I am pleased to invite you to a TAVIP Masterclass with Ed Rogers from Bristol Braille who will be talking about the development and launch of the Canute Scientific.
The inspiration behind the Canute Scientific has been to develop a machine which will empower blind people studying or working in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM subjects).
Incorporating a 360-cell refreshable Braille display (9 × 40 cells) with a 13-inch synchronized visual monitor, the Canute Scientific enables blind and sighted users to collaborate equally on technical content.
As an evolution of their Canute Console, the Canute Scientific has a faster processor, new system board, thinner and lighter chassis and is built with improved production processes. It also has a lot more in the way of connectivity options, allowing people to work on various hardware projects and a suite of custom applications to work with various forms of data and schematics.
As with their other devices, this was built with feedback and testing by Braille readers.
Ed will talk about the design concept, the product details, and how it will be able to help people studying or working in technical career roles.
Whether or not you are in the market for a multi line braille display, do join us for what will be a really interesting discussion about the development of braille technology and it’s relevance in a wider range of subject areas.
Background to Bristol Braille
Whilst there have been efforts to develop more affordable single line displays, multiline Braille has typically been beyond the reach of most Braille readers, with devices costing into multiple thousands. This is despite the obvious advantages for productivity and greater context awareness that multiline Braille offers.
To try answering this, Ed rogers founded Bristol Braille with the mission to bring an affordable multi line Braille display to the market.
Since inception, Bristol Braille Technology has worked closely with Braille readers to test and develop their innovative solutions. They created the award winning world’s first affordable multiline Braille display, the Canute 360, releasing it in 2019. This followed many iterations and hands on feedback from Braille readers both in Bristol and beyond.
The Canute 360 display was followed by the Canute Console, a stand alone multi line Braille workstation. The console combined the 9 line Braille display with a high contrast visual HD monitor meaning both blind Braille readers and sighted colleagues could view the same information simultaneously.
Their machines are designed and built in the UK at their Bristol based workshop, which also hosts regular Braille Space events. These offer opportunities for people to try out the equipment and share ideas with likeminded folk.
Bristol Braille will also be taking the Canute Scientific on the road to various events this year, including Sight Village. Further details of events can be found at https://bristolbraille.org
As usual, the zoom details for the Masterclass are as follows:
If you are already logged in you can enter our ID 2222 397 064, or Connect to the TAVIP Zoom Room by clicking or tapping this link: https://zoom.us/j/2222397064 If you’d prefer, you can dial in on 0203 695 0088 and enter our meeting ID 2222 397 064. You don’t need to enter a participant ID.
Orbit Research July Meeting, Wednesday 15 July at 5:00 PM
The next Zoom call with Orbit Research is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 15 July at 5:00 PM UK time (11:00 AM CDT).
Join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84091906758?pwd=6bwbwWeyaavYGrcNMWea5jGEqKrpw2.1
Meeting ID: 840 9190 6758
Passcode: 022695
Job Vacancy: Alternative Formats Manager, Glasgow University, Deadline 28 July
The Alternative Formats Service Manager will lead the Alternative Formats Team and Service and will strive to deliver an outstanding student experience, supporting a whole university approach to accessibility. The post-holder will provide operational management and expert knowledge regarding accessibility of teaching materials, texts and assessment materials.
The role will involve managing a team of Alternative Format Officers to deliver support to disabled students and ensure that the service provision of physical and digital accessible materials meet and exceed, where possible, statutory requirements. The post-holder will act as a leading advocate in the promotion of inclusivity and accessibility and ensure promotion and implementation across the University. They will also lead in the evaluation and, where appropriate, the deployment of innovative solutions to accessibility within teaching and learning.
Braille Layout Survey from A2I Transcription
From A2I:
We’d love your thoughts about Braille documents.
We’re exploring people’s preferences when it comes to Braille layouts and how we can make Braille documents even easier to read and navigate.
Your feedback will help shape the future of accessible information.
Your input plays an important role in helping us improve the Braille documents we produce and ensure they meet the needs of the people who use them.
Please click the link below to take part in our short survey (around 5 minutes) and tell us what you think.
Thank you for taking the time to share your views. We really appreciate your feedback.
Take WebAIM’s Screen Reader Survey, Deadline 31 August
WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey #11 is now open, and we encourage all screen reader users to take it.
Though not strictly a braille survey, there are opportunities to indicate on the survey whether you use a braille display with your screen reader, and this is important data to collect.
WebAIM’s User Surveys are widely used across the web accessibility field to inform development decisions and track trends over time.
- Closes: 31 August 2026
- Duration: Approximately 5–10 minutes
- Results published: September 2026
The Braille Monitor: Now In eBraille
The Braille Monitor, the flagship publication of the National Federation of the Blind, NFB, is now available in the new eBraille format. Three issues are available so far.Read the Braille Monitor