News

We are pleased to announce that we will once again have a stand at Sight Village London this year.

We’ll be at table 80, in between Eye Matter and Synapptic, second from the end of row 9.

Matthew will be on the stand for both days, and other members of the Braillists team will also be present throughout the event. We will have some reset objects to give away, as well as our usual assortment of tactile objects to explore.

We’ll also be presenting a seminar on both days showing you how to customise braille display and keyboard shortcuts on your iPhone. Join us in Seminar Room 1 at 2:15 PM on Tuesday or 1:05 PM on Wednesday.

The new address for this year is: ILEC Conference Centre, 47 Lillie Rd, London SW6 1UD

The nearest station is West Brompton, which is accessible by Underground, Overground and National Rail.

Opening times are as follows:

• Tuesday 18 November: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
• Wednesday 19 November: 9:30 AM-3:30 PM

Please do come along and say hi; it will be lovely to catch up with you there!

Alphabetical

• AccessMind – Orbit Research: row 10, table 88
• Braillists Foundation: row 9, table 80
• Bristol Braille Technology: row 2, table 14
  Book a demo
• ClearVision Project: row 10, table 84
• Dolphin Computer Access Ltd: row 4, tables 31-32
• HumanWare Europe Limited: row 6, tables 53, 72-73 and 84
• Index Braille AB: row 3, tables 23-24
• JW.ORG: row 3, tables 27-28
• Professional Vision Services: row 1, tables 5-8
• RNIB: row 2, tables 20-22
• Sight and Sound Technology: row 1, tables 9-13 and row 2, tables 15-17
• Torch Trust: row 7, table 68
• VisionAid Technologies Ltd: row 6, tables 55-58

By Row

Row 1: Professional Vision Services (5-8), Sight and Sound Technology (9-13)

Row 2: Bristol Braille Technology (14), Sight and Sound Technology (15-17), RNIB (20-22)

Row 3: Index Braille AB (23-24), JW.ORG (27-28)

Row 4: Dolphin Computer Access Ltd (31-32)

Row 6: HumanWare Europe Limited (53, 72-73 and 84), VisionAid Technologies Ltd (55-58)

Row 7: Torch Trust (68)

Row 9: Braillists Foundation (80)

Row 10: ClearVision Project (84), AccessMind – Orbit Research (88)

Tuesday

10:15 AM Room 2: Introduction and presentation of our company Index Braille

12:20 PM Room 1: Join Bristol Braille’s Presentation

2:15 PM Room 1: Stay in Command: Customising Keyboard Shortcuts on your iPhone or iPad

2:55 PM Room 1: Celebrating 200 Years of Braille: Past, Present, and Future

Wednesday

10:25 AM Room 2: Introduction and presentation of our company Index Braille

12:25 PM Room 1: Join Bristol Braille’s Presentation

1:05 PM Room 1: Stay in Command: Customising Keyboard Shortcuts on your iPhone or iPad

Our products and how we achieve “Braille printing made easy”.

Presentation of our free software “Index tactile graphics” and how to create and edit braille graphics.

Presenter: Mikael Vikman Sunna

Tuesday: 10:15 AM, Seminar Room 2

Wednesday: 10:25 AM, Seminar Room 2

Bristol Braille’s presentation at Sight Village London for the unveiling of ground-breaking new features and products, introducing the world’s most powerful and flexible suite of functions and hardware for multi-line Braille.

Bristol Braille will explain how they are pushing the boundaries of tactile technology and will redefining accessible collaboration with features to transform accessibility in STEM, enabling faster, smarter, and more efficient workflows whether in the lab, classroom or workplace. Be among the first to experience how these breakthroughs empower visually impaired professionals and learners to achieve more than ever before.

Presenter: Ed Rogers

Tuesday: 12:20 PM, Seminar Room 1

Wednesday: 12:25 PM, Seminar Room 1

Did you know you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard or braille display to any iPhone or iPad? It’s a great way of improving your productivity and efficiency.

However, there are some features which don’t have a keyboard shortcut assigned to them by default, and others where the default keyboard shortcut is hard to remember or difficult to press.

In this seminar, we will show you how to customise your keyboard or braille display shortcuts so that your iPhone or iPad best meets your individual needs, and share some strategies for ensuring you can remember which shortcut you chose.

Presenter: Matthew Horspool

Tuesday: 2:15 PM in Seminar Room 1

Wednesday: 1:05 PM in Seminar Room 1

As we mark two centuries since the invention of braille, we’re excited here at Sight and Sound Technology and are taking a moment to reflect—and to look ahead to the future.

Braille has revolutionised access to information for blind and visually impaired people, and its impact continues to grow. When paired with the assistive technologies we’re passionate about, the potential is truly limitless.

Join Stuart Lawler, who will take us on a journey through the history of Refreshable braille technology, explore today’s innovations in both single and multi-line braille displays, and offer a glimpse into what the future may hold.

Presenter: Stuart Lawler, Head of Digital Content and Braille Specialist at Sight and Sound Technology

Tuesday: 2:55 PM, Seminar Room 1

Discover how the Dot Pad is revolutionizing access to information. We’ll provide a comprehensive overview of the Dot Pad X and dive into its core capabilities: accessing multiline Braille and stunning Tactile Graphics.

Learn how the Dot Pad X integrates seamlessly with leading screen readers—JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver.

Discover the powerful Dot Canvas platform.

During this session, we’ll:

• Explore the core capabilities of the Dot Pad X
• Explain how it works seamlessly with JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver
• Demonstrate how to create and share tactile content using Dot Canvas
• Answer as many questions as time allows from our attendees.

Register here on Zoom

About our Host

Dave Williams, Customer Success Manager, Dot Inc.

For 25 years, Dave has worked to advance accessibility for blind people. His professional background spans audio production, community media, agile design, and digital product testing, informed by his lived experience as a blind parent, international marathon runner, and award-winning volunteer.

Read more on the Dot Blog

Discover how your organization can support braille literacy through Braille Challenge, the only international program of its kind for students who are blind or visually impaired. This engaging workshop introduces both prospective participants and potential hosts to everything you need to know, including what Braille Institute provides, how to get started (it’s free!), and the different competition levels, including our newest Foundational category for beginning braille learners. Learn how to participate or bring the magic of Braille Challenge to your community!

Read more and sign up on the Braille Institute website

It’s time for the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest, sponsored by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. The contest starts December 1.

The National Federation of the Blind is proud to partner with the American Action Fund for this Braille literacy contest. Braille reading students, adults, and teachers of the blind across the U.S. compete against other participants in similar contest categories for seven weeks. Encourage more Braille. Improve reading skills. Win prizes. Participate in the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest.

• Log the number of minutes read each day
• Register and log minutes read each day online using Beanstack
• Youth participants earn prizes and fun badges as you read. The more you read the more prizes you will receive at the conclusion of the contest.
• Earn entries into a drawing for a fabulous grand prize! The more minutes you read, the more entries you earn.
• Read the most number of minutes in your category and receive a cash prize in addition to all other prizes earned.

The contest will begin on December 1, 2025, and run through January 16, 2026. Improve your Braille reading and speed, something that will last a lifetime!

Register for the contest and complete the first activity: Receive a contest T-Shirt. This will be mailed to you as soon as possible so you can enjoy it while the contest is still in progress. The rest of the prizes will be mailed soon after the contest concludes.

Register for Braille Readers are Leaders on Beanstack

Learn more about the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest

We are excited to offer BeanStack as the means to register and log minutes for Braille Readers Are Leaders this year. BeanStack will allow you, your child, or your student to receive encouragement and prize reminders in real time as minutes are logged. As always however, the American Action Fund is committed to helping all those who are interested in participating in this contest. If you are unable to register or log minutes read online, please email [email protected] for assistance.