News

We are pleased to announce the release of firmware version vB1.01.00.00r31 for the Orbit Reader Q20/Q40.

Following are the new features and improvements:

1. Added a new profile setting to the menu named “Profile 5”, with Hindi set as the default language. Users can set any available language in this profile.

Users can type in Hindi Braille using the “S D F J K L” as Braille input keys when Braille input mode is enabled in the menu.

Important notes:

1. Support for all screen readers via USB is provided natively via the HID-Braille protocol. This will make sure a smooth connection with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack over USB. Note: the minimum version of JAWS required to properly support the Orbit Reader Q family of displays over USB is JAWS 2026.
2. The HID-Orbit protocol, while still available, should only be used for special compatibility situations.
3. Support for JAWS over Bluetooth is available using the legacy Orbit Reader 40 driver. This means that some JAWS Braille functionality will only be available over USB.

The firmware package link is available here: https://www.orbitresearch.com/orbit-reader-q40-firmware-download/ For instructions on upgrading the Orbit Reader Q20/Q40 firmware, please refer to Section 26 of the User Guide, which you can download from here: https://www.orbitresearch.com/orbit-reader-q40-user-guide-downloads/

Version 3.1 of the HumanWare software is now available. It includes the following new features:

• You can search and browse the NLS music collection on BARD.
• The default search language is English, and you can change the default language in Settings.
• If you are a student who uses Bookshare, you can access Assigned Titles.
• LibLouis braille tables have been updated.
• Braille tables for a variety of languages have been added, along with learning tables to help students learn braille.
• A variety of bugs have been fixed.

New BARD Search and Browse Options

A new option called Music has been added to the NLS BARD menu. When you select it, you will find the same options for Music that you have for books, including Search Music, Advanced Search for Music, Recently Added Music, Most Popular Music, and Browse Music Categories.

All magazine options have been combined into a Magazines category, which is on the NLS BARD menu just below Browse Book Categories.

You can now specify a default language to use when searching BARD. English is the default, so you don’t need to do anything if you want your searches to show only English results. To change the setting:

1. On the main menu, press S or the Down thumb key until you reach Settings, and press Enter.
2. Press Enter on the first choice, which is User Settings.
3. Type N or press the Down thumb key until you reach NLS BARD Settings, and press Enter.
4. Press the Down thumb key until you reach Search Language, and press Enter.
5. Select your desired language, and press Enter. The display says, “search language” followed by your chosen language.

If you want to search in a different language for a particular search, the Language option in Advanced Search is still available and works as it did before.

Assigned Titles in Bookshare

If you are a student and books have been assigned to you in Bookshare, you can now access those assignments. Choose the Assigned Titles option on the Bookshare menu, which is just below Reading List.

New Braille Languages and Learning Tables

LibLouis translation tables have been updated. In addition, a wide variety of braille language tables have been added. Note that these tables will change how text files are displayed; they won’t change the menu prompts or how braille files are displayed. To select a language:

1. On the main menu, type S or press the Down thumb key until you reach Settings, and press Enter.
2. Select Braille Profile, and press Enter.
3. Choose the braille grade whose language table you want to change, and press Enter. Note that the available languages are different for computer braille, uncontracted braille, and contracted braille.
4. Use the thumb keys and/or first letter navigation to move to the language you want. Search for the English name of the language, such as German rather than Deutsch. Press Enter on the desired language.
5. Use the thumb keys or first letter navigation to move to the language table you want, and press Enter. In this menu, languages are named in their native language, such as Deutsch rather than German.
6. Change the language of other braille grades if desired.
7. Type S or move to Save configuration and press Enter to save your changes.

One option in the contracted braille list is English Braille Learning. This opens a list of braille tables designed to work with various braille curricula, such as Braille Easy Steps and Fingerprints. When you select a learning table, only the contractions students have learned by the time they reach that lesson are displayed. If you are using one of these curricula, you can change the learning table you use as you learn more contractions.

External Drive Improvements

If you connect a cartridge, flash drive, or SD card containing an older version of the eReader software than the version on the machine, your eReader will ignore it instead of asking if you want to roll back.

AutoCopy should work well whether you use a library cartridge or a drive named U-S-LOC.

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

A variety of bugs have been fixed.

Instructions for Installing Version 3.1 of the NLS HumanWare eReader Software

There are two ways to obtain the update. It can be uploaded manually or by using Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi Method:

In order to use this method, your eReader needs to be connected to Wi-Fi and connected to an AC outlet, or the battery level must be at least 50 percent. Once the unit is on and connected to Wi-Fi, it will automatically check for an update. When an update is available, a message will appear on the braille display that says, “Update available.” If you wish to download it, arrow down to the OK button and press Enter. If not, arrow to the Cancel button and press Enter. If you choose the OK button, a message will appear that states, “Downloading.” If you choose Cancel, the unit will automatically check again in 24 hours.

Once the update has downloaded, a message will appear on the display that says, “Install update now?” You can choose OK or Cancel. If you choose OK, the unit will complete the update process automatically.

The unit will shut down and then restart. The first message on the display says “Updating.” Next, the braille display slowly fills with braille cells. When the cells completely fill the display and the display shuts down again, the update is complete. You may now turn on the unit as normal.

You may also check for a download at any time when connected to Wi-Fi:

Go to Settings, then Software Update. Click on “Check for Updates.” If an update is available, a message saying so will be displayed. If there is no new update, the message will state, “No update available.”

The Manual Method:

You may also install the update manually. The eReader must be plugged into an AC outlet, or the battery level must be at least 50 percent. Request the update file on a cartridge from your network library. Note that NLSDownload/Tech Support cannot provide a cartridge containing the software. Plug  the cartridge into the eReader. After a few seconds, the unit will display a message indicating that the drive has been inserted. Next, the unit will display a message that says, “Install update now?” Arrow to the OK button or the Cancel button and press Enter. If you choose OK, the update will happen automatically.

When the update begins, the unit shuts down and restarts. After a short message, full braille cells slowly fill the display. When the cells have completely filled the display, the unit shuts down. This is the indication that the update is complete. At this point, you may turn the unit back on, go to settings, about, and confirm that you are running the latest version of the software.

I just published a patch release that addresses a number of issues in the October release. The changes are listed below. Note that the version (1.34) remains the same but the date/build number should reflect today’s date.

BT Mail is more reliable when setting up accounts and reading messages and newsletters. Links are announced and opened more reliably, and deleted messages now reach the Trash folder on servers where they previously bypassed it. Outgoing messages preserve line breaks and signature formatting. Gmail messages sent offline now wait in the Outbox for sending later. Security fixes prevent malicious links in messages or attachments from running hidden commands.

When composing a message, you can choose Plain text or Markdown and manage attached files through a single Attachments item. Replies and forwards open in the message body, ready for writing. S with Dot 8 sends your message from any field, including the body.

Terminal Mode has several improvements to Bluetooth audio. Siri no longer tries to use the connected BT Speak or BT Braille as a microphone. Problems with devices failing to reconnect after Terminal Mode is turned off and back on have also been addressed.

In the Editor, text files edited in Grade 2 Braille now remember their grade when reopened. The input grade is announced when opening or switching between text files. Spelling the current word and following web links also work more reliably. The Quick Text Note and Quick Braille Note entries have moved higher in the Editor menu, just below the other file-related commands.

The Talking Shell gives more reliable feedback when moving through the command line by character or word. Review mode has improved speech and Braille support, and games run more reliably. F10 on a QWERTY keyboard now works within shell programs, allowing you to open their menus or exit, as appropriate.

In Desktop Mode, Direct Braille Input now supports typing in Grade 2 Braille in the Desktop shell.

Wi-Fi supports more network types and reports connection status more clearly.

The context menu in BARD now works for downloaded publications.

Long podcast URLs can now be pasted into the Podcasts app. Text-entry fields accept up to 1,024 characters.

The Dictionary now supports lookups containing more than one word, such as ice cream.

Morse Play has more responsive tones and improved stability in listen mode.

Removing a USB drive no longer leaves an empty drive entry behind.

On BT Braille, changing the neural reading voice takes effect immediately. There are also improvements to voice selection, narration, battery charging and reporting.

Hello everyone,

I’d like to share something we have just launched at Fundación Chile, Música y Braille, a nonprofit in Chile: BrailleScore, a free app for blind and visually impaired people to read, write and share music in braille.

• Converts MusicXML into braille music and back.
• Works with screen readers and braille displays.
• Includes a library of more than 100,000 scores.
• Free for blind and low-vision people.

Launch video: https://youtu.be/gxbIHoEN-Rg

Website: https://braillescore.com

Tip: the first time, the app opens in Spanish. Open the menu “Voz y lectura” › “Idioma”, choose English and press “Guardar”; it remembers your choice.

Any feedback is very welcome. Pablo, Fundación Chile, Música y Braille

Media and information literacy starts with access — and access should mean independence.

Every day, people read information on screens, signs, packaging, labels, public notices and documents. They can check a detail, return to a sentence, compare information and decide what matters to them.

Blind people need that same freedom: to access written information directly, independently and at the moment we need it.

Braille makes this possible. On paper, on everyday objects and through digital technology, it gives us direct access to the written word. We can check the spelling of a name, read instructions, identify a product or consult our notes without having to ask someone else to read for us. We choose what to read, when to read it and what to keep private.

This independence is an essential part of media and information literacy. To question, evaluate and contribute to information, we must first have meaningful access to it. Braille literacy gives blind people a strong foundation for learning, critical thinking, self-expression and informed participation in society.

The Global Declaration on Braille Literacy in Education calls attention to the importance of braille literacy. This Global Media and Information Literacy Week, let us carry that call into classrooms, libraries, workplaces, public spaces and digital services. Educators, publishers, public authorities and technology providers all have a role in making braille part of everyday access to information.

For sighted people, finding written information is an ordinary experience. For us as braille readers, finding an important piece of information in braille, exactly where it helps us, can still be a moment of surprise and joy.

That joy says something about how much independence braille brings — and how rarely we are given it.

As long as we can still list the situations and places where braille is available, there is still too little of it.

#MoreBrailleMoreEmpowerment #Braille #MediaAndInformationLiteracy #Accessibility

Episode 99 of Access On, is on. This week, a comprehensive review and demonstration of the BT Braille from Blazie Technologies. The company has built a Braille note-taker and a full computer with a Blazie heart and a Linux brain. It comes from a family whose names meant note-takers to blind people for almost 40 years. So does the BT Braille live up to that Blazie name? Listen to find out. Subscribe to Access On wherever you get podcasts, or download the audio of this episode at: https://pinecast.com/listen/ab0f4488-5f68-46ff-9bbb-ab35e1d91e97.mp3

We hope this webinar helps you explore the options and choose the right model for you.

Watch on YouTube

There are also some important offers and deadlines to keep in mind:

• The BrailleNote evolve QWERTY 40 is now available for pre-order. Order before the end of 2026 and you could qualify for a discount of up to £500.
• The price of the Braille keyboard version will increase at the start of 2027. Ordering this year means you can secure it at the current, lower price.
• The trade-in offer ends on 31 December 2026, so now is a great time to put your current device towards an upgrade.

If you’re Team Braille, get in quick! Take advantage of the trade-in offer and move up to a higher-specification BrailleNote evolve at a lower price before the year ends.

To pre-order, discuss a trade-in or find out which discounts you qualify for, please contact our team. We look forward to helping you take your next step with BrailleNote evolve.

I put both the mp3 recording and the transcript in the zip file for Wednesday’s meeting.

Here is the link:

OrbitResearchOctober2026ZoomMeeting.zip, INCLUDES MP3 recording and transcript As always, previous recordings and transcripts and more are at: https://www.turner42.com/ori.html

The October 2026 Orbit Research Zoom Call has been scheduled.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85630425656?pwd=jhEXfGhF1oPLfaaXBnzaZBtZ982L8e.1

Meeting ID: 856 3042 5656 Passcode: 449681

The topic for the Tuesday, October 27, 2026, That All May eRead online program will be Care and Use of NLS eReaders: Troubleshooting and Other Miscellany. In the remaining time, we will answer any questions you have about the NLS Braille eReaders.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. To access the meeting, go to https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1603971745?pwd=AAyByFXmbZ94WHMCroPt1Iw28Se5mU.1

Meeting ID: 160 397 1745

Passcode:          471174

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

Remember that the meeting is recorded. Do not speak if you do not wish to be on the recording.

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:
Tamara Rorie
Head, Patron Engagement Section
[email protected] or [email protected]