News

This week, in celebration of the festive season, we bring you a light hearted evening of braille entertainment in the form of a braille quiz!

James Bowden will be our quiz master, asking questions about the braille code, braille history, braille technology and much more.

There are no prizes, no winners and no losers: just write down your answers and see how well you’ve done at the end.

This session will not be recorded.

Register for the quiz.

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 813 8644 3936
• Passcode: 123456

Please note that, due to the multiple federal holidays, for this month only, That All May eRead is being held on the third Tuesday of the month. The regular schedule will resume in January.

The topic for the Tuesday, December 16, 2025, That All May eRead online program will be NLS eReader Searching: Tips and Tricks. We will open the program with a brief presentation and demonstration and then answer questions about the Zoomax and HumanWare Braille eReaders for the remainder of the hour.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. EST and last for one hour.

To access the program, go to: https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1617395179?pwd=FHWAS45p50HiFtyuLiPaieJY7Ta4bD.1

Meeting ID:        161 739 5179

Passcode:          412765

Remember that the program is recorded. Do not speak if you do not wish to be on the recording. If you wish to speak, you may request to do so by raising your hand.

If you choose to dial in to the call, use the telephone numbers provided below. The Zoom.gov ID will not work with standard Zoom.us.

• +1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose)
• +1 646 964 1167 US (US Spanish Line)
• +1 646 828 7666 US (New York)
• +1 669 216 1590 US (San Jose)
• +1 415 449 4000 US (US Spanish Line)
• +1 551 285 1373 US (New Jersey)

International Numbers

You can find recordings and transcripts of previous That All May eRead programs on the NLS website at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/that-all-may-eread.

For more information, please contact [email protected].

The Braille Revival League is a special-interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. It has worked since 1980 to promote and advocate for the use of braille. It currently has nearly 300 members and one of its many activities is the Braille Buzz which is a zoom meeting held on the third Wednesday of even-numbered months at 8:30 PM Eastern Time.

We are overjoyed that, on December 17 at 8:30 PM, we will be welcoming two people from a not-for-profit foundation we have wanted to appear for quite a while, the TouchPad Pro Foundation.  Daniel Lubiner is the Executive Director and Inventor of the BrailleDoodle. We will get a chance to ask him how and why he thought of such a thing. We will explore with Daniel and Dawn Campbell, Chief Operating Officer, the very unusual model of being a not-for-profit, as opposed to a for-profit company, that he has created to market the product.

The BrailleDoodle is a simple but revolutionary tool that helps people of all ages learn Braille in a fun, learner-led way. It also doubles as a tactile drawing board for art, shapes, math, maps and STEM exploration.

Because it requires no batteries, no software, and no connectivity, it’s fully portable and ready to use anywhere. Using a magnetic stylus and a steel ball bearing, it’s an intuitive, empowering tool for blind, low-vision, neurological, and tactile learners worldwide. It’s truly one of the most innovative and exciting products to come along in quite a while.

The Braille Revival League made the BrailleDoodle our item on the recent holiday auction.

We are truly looking forward to having both Daniel and Dawn with us and will leave lots of time for your questions as well.

‘Phone: 312-626-6799

Meeting ID: 822 9799 7659

Passcode: 1961

Patty Slabby is now President of our organization but has been kind enough to allow me to continue to run this activity!

Patty and I and the rest of the Board hope you can join us as we explore the Braille Doodle which is already making a huge difference for braille!

Paul Edwards

Second Vice-President

Braille Revival League

A FREE online webinar via Teams.

Learning braille can open up a whole world of opportunities, information and pleasure – it’s all about access.  However, before you start the business of learning the intricacies of all those dots it helps to refine gross and fine motor skills as well as being able to use a light touch.  These don’t just happen of their own accord or overnight, especially if you are learning braille because of sight loss – as a teenager, say.  This session will give ideas linked to foundational braille (pre braille) and how to make learning these skills fun and incidental.

We welcome questions in advance but there will also be the opportunity to ask questions throughout, via the ‘Chat’ function of Teams.

Bookings will close on Friday 27 February and the Teams Link will be sent to delegates on Monday 2 March.

Find out more and register

This webinar was held live on Monday 8 December. Watch the recording on the Dot YouTube channel.

The Tactile Times Accessible Advent Calendar is back!!

For those of you who are already fans of the Tactile Times Accessible Advent Calendar, and anyone who might be looking for an accessible Advent Calendar that works with screenreader, it is back again, full of jokes and surprises for 2025, through the link below:

The calendar is aimed at young people and is fully-accessible with all major screen readers using a computer or a phone and you can also access it with a BrailleNote Touch. (I have included some shortcuts and navigation ideas that work with the calendar below). This Calendar and the content have been developed by young people who are blind and VI themselves and contributions are always welcomed from any young person who would like to hear themselves behind a door. To submit a joke, piece of Christmas music or poem performed by the young person just send a recording (voice memos etc) to [email protected] and then keep checking the calendar!

I am also sharing a lesson plan that Perkins School for the blind put together to practice screenreader navigation using this Advent Calendar

1. In JAWS, you can use Insert+F5 to get a list of all 24 doors on the page, press enter to select one, and then simply press the number 4 to jump straight to the door’s contents.
2. Alternatively, you could use this is an opportunity to practice navigating tables. In any browser supporting quick navigation keys, just press the letter t to jump to the advent calendar (which behind the scenes is actually a table). After that, you can navigate around it either using JAWS table layer mode (Insert+Space followed by the letter T) or the AltControl Key to the right of your space bar in conjunction with the arrow keys.
3. If you’re on a phone you can still practice rotor skills by setting the VoiceOver rotor to “headings” to find the table, “Form controls” to find the doors and more.
4. You can also practice more general keyboard shortcuts in conjunction with the calendar. In Chrome for Windows Control+D will bookmark the page so you can come back later, and Control+M will play the audio file in doors that contain one.

Happy December all!

RNIB has recently made the following announcement with respect to its Personal Transcription service.

What we’re announcing:

We’re pleased to confirm the new model for RNIB’s Personal Transcription Services:

Personal Braille music transcription is coming back in-house, delivered by RNIB experts free of charge.

From listening to the community, it was clear that braille music is a distinctive strength for RNIB. You told us that too few suppliers can provide braille music to a consistent standard at present – we see this as a significant risk for the future sustainability of braille music delivery, and we heard you.

RNIB’s braille music transcribers deliver national expertise and are trusted by the people who use the service. Their work underpins educational and cultural inclusion – enabling musicians to learn, practice, and perform. We will continue to deliver this specialist service free of charge.

Beyond our own service, we’re committed to strengthening braille music provision across the UK by working collaboratively with other organisations to upskill transcribers and build capacity in the sector over time. A stronger, more diverse marketplace benefits everyone. We’ll also work to ensure that where relevant, music transcription is produced at source by publishers and educational institutions.

All other personal transcription (general braille, large print, audio, tactile) will continue through our partnership with our third party supplier, at no cost to users subject to fair usage. The process stays simple – contact the RNIB Helpline, and we coordinate behind the scenes.

Digital braille support – we recognise this is a personal choice, and if and when our community would like support with digital braille, we’re here to help. This includes training, technology grants, and peer networks where you can learn from others’ experiences. We will develop this over time.

Our commitment to braille:

RNIB remains committed to braille in all its forms. We continue to deliver our Library with over 11,000 braille books, our Braille Music Library, RNIB Bookshare with thousands of accessible titles, and lead nationally on braille standards, training, and advocacy.

We’ll also continue our work to ensure transcription is produced at source – working with health, education, and other sectors to build understanding that they have a legal responsibility to provide written material in accessible formats. We stand ready to support anyone facing barriers to transcription, advocating for their rightful access to information.

Full implementation begins early 2026, and we’ll continue to keep you updated as we move forward.

A message from Code Factory:

Dear Eloquence Community,

We’re excited to share some important news directly with you, in case you missed our recent press release: Eloquence, the legendary text-to-speech (TTS) voice, is finally coming back to Android!

Starting today, December 2, 2025, we are launching the public beta of Eloquence for Android. To ensure a smooth experience and gather valuable feedback, we’re releasing the beta in stages. This means we’ll be gradually inviting more users over time, starting with a limited group and expanding step by step. If you’re not able to join immediately, don’t worry—we’ll notify you as soon as the rollout is complete and everyone can access the new Eloquence.

How to join:

• On Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.codefactoryglobal.eloquencetts
• From the web: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.codefactoryglobal.eloquencetts

As a reminder, Eloquence is now rebuilt as a 64-bit app, with support for both new and older Android devices (Android 7 or above, 32-bit and 64-bit).

The new version will be available through a subscription model, allowing us to keep it updated and sustainable for the future.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to welcome you back to Eloquence and will keep you updated as the rollout progresses!

Best regards,

The Code Factory Team

Code Factory wants to increase the number of testers in their closed Google Group for Eloquence for Android.

Here is the link to apply: https://forms.gle/uyM8hF3xTbvzLzaWA

You may share this form with anyone interested in requesting access.

Please note:

• As a member, you will receive early updates, which may include bugs.
• Apply only if you have testing experience and can recover your device if it becomes unresponsive.
• You are expected to evaluate new versions and provide detailed feedback in the group. A subscription is required.
• The group language is English, so you must be able to communicate in English.
• Respectful communication is required. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.

Position: Self Employed basis – 15 hours minimum but can offer more if required

Hourly rate:  This is dependent on experience

Do you have experience teaching Braille with a passion to help others learn.  We are looking for a patient and reliable Braille Teacher to support one of our students to develop essential literacy and communication skills through Braille.   We will accept an experienced teacher or a skilled Braille user who would love to share their knowledge.

Responsibilities:

• Teach Braille reading and writing
• Develop and adapt lesson plans to meet our student’s needs
• Support our student in building confidence and independence
• Collaborate with family and support staff where appropriate

Requirements:

• Proficiency in Unified English Braille
• Experienced teaching or tutoring visually impaired learners
• A deep understanding of child development principles and effective teaching methodologies.
• Patience, empathy, and the ability to motivate students from diverse backgrounds.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.  Therefore, we will require anyone working with our students to have an enhanced DBS check.  You will be self-employed with the ability to invoice for your time.

If you are passionate about making learning accessible and empowering others through Braille, then please apply by sending your cv to [email protected]