Did you miss last week’s webinar from Blazie Technologies?
Did you hear it but liked it so much that you want a second replay?
If you fall into the first camp, the problem is solved. If you’re in the second camp, who could blame you?
Whatever camp you’re in, a recording of our latest webinar is now available from our Web site’s Guides and Media page. We have lots of news and announcements, plus demos of some of what’s coming in our next update. Enjoy.
Literacy is the foundation of learning, inclusion, participation, and empowerment. As the ICEVI–WBU Global Braille Literacy Campaign continues its call for More Braille, More Empowerment, we mark World Day for Assistive Technology by recognising the important role that assistive technology can play in advancing braille literacy and expanding opportunities for people who are blind, deafblind, and have low vision.
Braille literacy remains a fundamental right and a cornerstone of inclusive education, lifelong learning, and meaningful participation in society. In an increasingly digital world, braille literacy and assistive technology together can create new pathways to learning, communication, independence, and participation across all stages of life.
When designed, developed, and deployed inclusively, assistive technology has the potential to transform how braille is taught, learned, accessed, and used. From refreshable braille displays and accessible learning platforms to emerging digital and AI-driven solutions, technology can strengthen braille teaching, expand opportunities for braille reading and writing, and support the development of literacy skills that foster independence, autonomy, confidence, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.
As recognised in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, access to braille, alternative formats, and assistive technology is essential to achieving inclusion and equal participation. We therefore encourage governments, educators, technology and AI developers, publishers, organisations of persons with disabilities, and development partners to work together to ensure that technological progress strengthens braille literacy and contributes to a more inclusive and accessible world.
Throughout June, the More Braille, More Empowerment Campaign invites relevant stakeholders to share stories demonstrating how braille literacy and assistive technology together are creating opportunities for learning, inclusion, participation, and empowerment.
#MoreBrailleMoreEmpowerment
#TechnologyForBrailleLiteracy
Most braille displays include an integrated Perkins-style keyboard which can be used to enter and edit text. But did you know you can also use your braille display’s braille keyboard to perform complex QWERTY keyboard keystrokes? Join Matthew Horspool to find out how!
We will cover:
To join by phone, please use these details:
The Braille Working Group of the European Blind Union would like to invite you to a round-table discussion this Wednesday, June 17, at 18:00 Central European Time (16:00 UTC).
Braille was a major theme at SightCity 2026, Europe’s largest trade fair for blindness and low-vision technology, held in Frankfurt last month. New devices were unveiled, new partnerships were announced, and a couple of long-established players in the accessibility industry made a comeback.
There is much to share and discuss, and we in the Braille Working Group look forward to sharing our impressions and answering your questions. We hope you will join us this Wednesday for an informal conversation about the latest developments in the world of Braille technology.
Please, register for the Table Talk (Google form) to get the link for joining us. We will send the link to the registered participants on Wednesday.
Participants, who have been receiving our e-mails after the registration to our previous sessions, will get the link to join us automatically.
We hope to see you this Wednesday. Because Braille matters.
How might you use braille at university, and what funding is available to help you get it? Join Connor Scott-Gardner to find out!
Connor has experience as an advocate, DSA assessor and university student. In this session, he will share:
This session will be particularly relevant if you are about to start a university course, but much of the information will still apply if you are part-way through your studies. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session.
Register for Braille at University
To join by phone, please use these details:
The ICEB Executive Committee has recently approved a significant update to the choice and placement of grade 1 indicators, section 1.7 of the Guidelines for Technical Material (GTM). The new guidance clarifies when it is appropriate to use a grade 1 symbol, word or passage indicator and will be of particular interest to those working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The updated guidance gives a consistent approach to selecting which kind of grade 1 indicator to use, removing confusion where the same mathematical expression could be written in multiple ways.
ICEB is delighted to invite you to a special town hall event, taking place at 20:00 UTC, on Thursday June 4th, where we will explain these changes in detail, provide examples and most importantly, answer your questions.
If you are a transcriber, a teacher, or a braille reader (especially working with Mathematics or scientific notation), this session will most certainly be of interest.
Please register here to attend. We look forward to your company!
On Tuesday 16 June 2026, Louis Braille Campus will be hosting their second ever Demo Day. This year’s event will focus on universal design and international collaboration.
Demo Day is an event for discovering and testing advancements in accessibility innovations that allow people with disabilities to live more independently.
All talks will be available in both English and French, with subtitles and translations.
Registration is free, and the event will take place on Tuesday 16 June 2026, at 9am, at the Louis Braille Campus in Paris, France.
“HELP! I can’t use my braille device on the internet because I don’t know how to braille the login details!”
This is a common challenge for braille display users. Whether it’s connecting a braille display to wi-fi, adding an email account to a braille notetaker, typing a password in Braille Screen Input on an iPhone or using your braille display to log back into your computer after it’s fallen asleep, the question of which braille code to use and how to braille the increasingly complex sequences of letters, numbers and special characters we often use still catches even the most seasoned braille user out.
“Do I need to use computer braille? I don’t know that.”
“I’m using UEB: can I use contractions?”
“How do I braille an ‘at’ sign?”
“Can I still use dot 6 for capitals? What about if there’s a mix of upper case and lower case?”
In this session, Matthew Horspool will answer all of these questions and more, covering topics including:
This session is likely to be quite fast-paced. There will be plenty of time for questions, but we encourage you to take your own notes relevant to your specific devices and credentials.
Register for Entering Usernames, Passwords and Other Technical Details on a Braille Keyboard
To join by phone, please use these details:
Join Dave Williams and Timothy Hornik from Dot Inc. for a practical webinar exploring reading with Dot Book and Dolphin EasyReader on the Dot Pad.
We’ll show how braille readers can access books, navigate content, and make the most of multiline braille for a richer tactile reading experience.
You are welcome to attend this event, featuring a presentation from our own Dave Williams at 7:00 PM.