News

Last week saw the 40th CSUN Assistive Technology Conference take place in Anaheim, California, bringing together manufacturers, distributors, educators, researchers and users from all over the world. As ever, a wide variety of braille products was on show at the exhibit hall, and the conference programme featured several braille-related presentations including research on how the length of a braille display affects reading speed, reflections on 200 years of tactile literacy, and the first public draft of the new EBraille specification.

In this session, we’re excited to be joined by the team from Double Tap, the popular technology show from Accessible Media Inc. Steven Scott and Shaun Preece both attended CSUN for the first time this year. They will tell us about the braille products they saw and share their perspectives on how CSUN compares with exhibitions like Sight Village in the UK.

We will also be joined by Australian assistive technology expert and braille enthusiast Scott Erichsen. Scott has been at the forefront of the development of braille technology for over twenty years as a user, a private beta tester and a distributor, and will tell us about the new and improved products in the exhibit hall. He will also share his insights into how the braille technology industry is evolving and the part that CSUN plays in driving innovation forwards.

Register for Perspectives from CSUN here.

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 898 9330 6464
• Passcode: 123456

After much user testing and discussions, the first ever silently described silent film screening will be taking place on Friday 21st March in the beautiful Scottish town of Bo’Ness (an easy 30 minute journey from Edinburgh or Glasgow). The newly restored 1917 feature film, ‘The Pride of the Clan’, stars Hollywood royalty, Mary Pickford as Marget MacTavish and encompasses clan politics, daring sea rescues, quaint island customs, a thwarted romance and a rag-to-riches storyline, along with, of course, some highland dancing.

The live music accompanying this film will be provided by the extraordinary duo of musicians and silent film accompanists Stephen Horne and Elizabeth-Jane Baldry who, between them (and often in the same performance) play harp, flute, piano and accordion.

Patrons can bring their own wifi-compatible refreshable braille device, or opt to request a headset to receive good old fashioned audio description (itself a rarity for silent film, and itself a unique experience combined with live music), which will also be available through the HippFest at Home online offering for 48 hours after the event.

Tickets (for both in-person and online) are on sale through the HippFest website.

Polly Goodwin says: “I would be so very grateful if you could share this invitation with anyone you think might be interested. My hope is that we get an audience excited to try out this new experience, and even more excited to give me frank and full feedback afterwards to further develop the process of opening up a unique part of cinema to people who are blind or have low vision.”

If you are interested in attending please contact Polly Goodwin.

Join Peter and Andrew for an exclusive look at the first Monarch firmware update.

Discover the exciting new features in our first update, including KeyMail, Internet browsing, and a preview of the highly anticipated eBraille experience.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see how Monarch continues to evolve!

Register here

My name is George Fence, and I am a second year PhD student at Birmingham City University. My research focuses on haptic technologies for accessibility, which are devices that use the sense of touch.

I am currently recruiting participants from the United Kingdom for and in-person test. If you have experience reading Grade 2 Braille and are familiar with the Perkins keyboard layout, this research might interest you.

The study will involve using a new Finger Braille reading device which uses six actuators worn on the fingers in the Perkins keyboard layout to show Braille characters. The goal of the study is to explore combining vibration and pressure to improve reading performance, and the findings could be used to improve haptic technologies such as Braille displays.

Participation in the study is completely voluntary, and the collected data will be anonymised. By taking part in this research, you will contribute to knowledge in the field of accessibility.

Testing will take place at Birmingham City University, or we can discuss meeting in a public space (e.g. public library) closer to you.

Participant Inclusion Criteria

• Must know how to read Grade 2 English Braille.
• Must have experience with a Perkins keyboard or finger Braille.
• Must be an adult. (over 18 years of age)
• Must identify as having a vision and/or hearing impairment or disability; or have professional experience working with disabled individuals. (e.g. vision impairment, hearing impairment, deafblindness)
• Must be able to communicate verbally in English with the researcher.
• Must be able to provide informed consent and agree for an interview to be recorded.
• Must be able to travel to Birmingham or to meet in a mutually agreed public location.

If you are interested in experiencing new Braille technologies and want to find out more about the study, please submit your interest on this Microsoft Form or contact me directly by email.

HumanWare is thrilled to announce Monarch Version 1.2, the first of many exciting updates! This release introduces KeyMail, our brand-new email application, along with groundbreaking first preview experience of the new anticipated eBraille advancements, improved web browsing, and a visual display on demand feature.

KeyMail – Stay connected with ease

Introducing KeyMail, the powerful new email application from KeySoft, supporting Office 365 and Google email accounts. With KeyMail, students, teachers, and professionals can effortlessly communicate, share documents, and exchange tactile graphics. Plus, a new multi-line email experience makes reviewing messages more convenient than ever.

Alongside KeyMail, we’re also introducing a Contacts application, making it easier to manage your connections and send emails efficiently.

eBraille – A new era of accessible reading

Monarch is pioneering support for the revolutionary eBraille file format, making it the first refreshable braille device to do so. In collaboration with Dolphin, the Victor Reader app powered by EasyReader now offers a preview experience of eBraille. With two of three core elements already integrated, this marks a significant step toward a more flexible and advanced digital braille future.

Smarter web browsing with Ecosia

Navigating the web just got better! The latest update to Ecosia now enables smoother navigation, allowing you to review more webpage content — perfect for a seamless browsing experience.

Visual display on demand – A game changer for sighted peers

Need to toggle between visual braille and text output? Now you can—instantly! Our new braille viewer shortcut (Press Enter + Backspace + V) makes it easier for sighted users to review braille on screen and print it when needed.

Read the full announcement

Closing date: Saturday 31 May 2025

Since 1997, the CNIB has organised a Canada-wide Braille Creative Writing Contest for children and young people. This important competition celebrates braille literacy and encourages young people to flex their creative muscles while practicing their braille skills.

This year, the CNIB is especially allowing UK entries from VICTA students!

Put the power of literacy at your fingertips! Write a short story, essay, or poem on any topic or re-purpose something you’ve written for school this year.

Entry criteria

We can accept original stories, essays or poems written in:

• Contracted or uncontracted braille – use the braille you know!
• Perkins or computer (6-key entry)
• Computer braille is accepted – please contact [email protected] so that we can confirm the best format for you to send it in
• The contest is open to children and young people aged between 5-17 years old who are registered or are registrable as blind or partially sighted
• Entrants must be permanent residents of the UK
• The online entry form must be completed by a parent/carer
• By completing the online entry form, you agree to your child’s entry as well as your child’s name and age being used by VICTA, including being displayed on the VICTA website and on VICTA social media channels

The results of the recent VICTA Braille Art Competition are in, and the galary of entries is now live on the VICTA website. Read the full announcement here

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!

Register for the Braille Bar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdOyopjMiHdyORwRuXacnY9IrA4lVN2Bh

Or, to join by phone, use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 880 3508 8878
• Passcode: 123456

If you are registered for our Braille for Beginners On Demand course, our next Office Hours session will take place on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Please look out for a reminder email containing your unique joining link. If you have not received it by Tuesday lunchtime, please write to [email protected] for assistance.

If you are new to braille and not registered for Braille for Beginners, please consider signning up at www.braillists.org/beginners.

For people not following Braille for Beginners, your next session will be next Tuesday. Please see next week’s Newsletter for more information.

The DAISY Consortium’s Music Braille Project and RNIB would like to invite teachers of music braille – blind and sighted – to an online Round Table on Teaching Braille Music.

• Description: An international forum for blind and sighted braille music teachers to share experiences, challenges and best practices around teaching braille music, and to plan for the future.
• Date: Online: Friday 7 March 2025
  Time: 1100-1300 GMT/UTC
• Hosted by: DAISY Consortium & Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
• Event format: Short presentations followed by discussion, in English. Recorded.

Register by 5 March to receive joining instructions.

If you have something you’d like to share, or issues you’d like to see discussed at the Round Table please include this in the ‘ideas for topics’ field.

Sign up to the DAISY Music Braille Project mailing list if you wish to receive notes from the meeting.

Can’t make it? You can also register and sign up to the DAISY Music Braille Project mailing list to receive notes from the meeting and receive notifications of any future events around music braille. Use the ‘ideas for topics’ field to share any news or comments/questions you would like to be covered at the event.

We look forward to seeing some of you on 7 March for what we know will be a very fruitful discussion.

With best regards,
Sarah Morley Wilkins and Solveig-Marie Oma (DAISY), and Jay Pocknell (RNIB and Sound Without Sight).

Aims

1. Identify challenges in teaching braille music and share solutions.
2. Review existing courses and digital tools for teaching braille music.
3. Identify opportunities for sharing resources internationally, and/or future development of new tools, resources, and interventions.
4. Capture sector requirements and recommendations in a report.

Background

The DAISY Music Braille Project has been successfully working to reverse the decline in braille music use and expertise, and now more braille scores can be made available than ever before. Furthermore, advances in notation and conversion tools, file format standards and opportunities for file-sharing, together with the publication of a list of available online teaching and learning resources, make it easier for braille scores to be produced and used.

The next challenge faced by the sector is to increase the number of teachers able to teach music braille, with access to effective resources, especially in smaller countries. Greater international collaboration can foster resource sharing and innovation. This Round Table is intended to start this collaboration.

Discussion Topics

1. Approaches, materials, tools and courses for teaching music braille in different settings and in different countries.
2. Ways to increase numbers of educators who can teach music braille.
3. Keeping it fun – how to make learning music braille engaging, interactive and music-led.
4. Gaps in resources needing to be filled.
5. Requirements for an international working group and priority areas for action.

With thanks to our friends at Sound Without Sight for handling registrations and hosting the online meeting for us.

About the DAISY Consortium

DAISY is an international non-profit membership organization working with over 150 partners all around the world to improve access to reading for people with print disabilities. We work closely with technology companies, standards agencies and publishers to ensure that the reading and publishing technology of tomorrow provide an accessible future for all. We have a dedicated workstream around access to music braille and accessible music publishing.

• DAISY home page
• DAISY Music Braille Project
• DAISY Accessible Music Publishing

About RNIB

RNIB, the Royal National Institute of Blind People, is the UK’s leading sight loss charity. We offer practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. We raise awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaign for change to make our society more accessible for all. We want to change our world so there are no barriers to people with sight loss.

• Home page
• Music Team

About Sound Without Sight

Sound Without Sight is a community-led initiative, supported by RNIB, aspiring to become the “one front door” for information related to music and accessibility. Its Knowledge Hub and Monthly Meet-ups provide space for blind and partially sighted musicians to share experience and solutions, including information about accessible formats for music notation.

• Home page