News

Braille Screen Input

Did you know that you can write braille directly on the touchscreen of your iPhone or iPad? Technology writer Judy Dixon tells you how in this comprehensive book with clear instructions and concise practice exercises. In addition to writing braille, Braille Screen Input can be used to navigate web pages, search for apps, and control your device, among other useful functions. The book includes a list of gestures with assigned functions, a list of commands that have braille dots assigned to them, and instructions on how to customize commands.

Read the table of contents and buy the book here!

3D Printing

How can you print a 3D object without spending loads of money on a 3D printer? What is filament? How can a blind or visually impaired person even navigate the software to start the process in the first place? This book from technology writer Judy Dixon answers all of these questions and more. Judy includes a glossary of useful terms, describes how she has created an accessible workflow, and goes through the process of printing a button from start to finish. She also lists several books, websites, keyboard shortcuts, and other 3D-printing resources to help anyone wanting to get started with 3D printing!

Read the table of contents and buy the book here!

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

If you have experience reading English Braille and are familiar with the Perkins keyboard layout, this research might interest you.

What is involved:

The session will involve reading words using a new Finger Braille reading device, which uses six actuators arranged in the Perkins keyboard layout to show Braille, and scoring the emotional response you feel after each word.

The goal of the study is to explore how conveying emotions through affective haptics could potentially enhance Finger Braille reading, 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.

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

I look forward to welcoming you to the study and answering any questions you may have.

Thank you for your time!

Orbit Research is pleased to announce the release of firmware version vB1.01.00.00r28 for the Orbit Reader Q20 and Q40.

Following are the new features and improvements:

1. Resolved an issue where QWERTY keyboard keys occasionally did not function correctly on the host when Orbit Reader Q40 is connected to a screen reader by using the HID-Braille protocol.
2. Resolved an issue where connection with screen readers did not automatically resume on when unplugging and plugging the cable back in using the HID-Braille protocol.

Important notes:

1. Starting with this release, 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.

Orbit Research is pleased to announce the release of firmware version A1.xx.00.09r58 for the Orbit Reader 20 Plus

Following are the new features and improvements.

1. Resolved an issue where folder and file names were displayed incorrectly when creating a new folder or renaming a file while the Hindi language was selected.

The liblouis developer team is proud to announce the liblouis release 3.37.0.

Noteworthy changes in this release

The nice thing about creating a release is that you get to bring in all these wonderful contributions that people have provided. This time we have new and improved braille tables for Danish, Devanagari, English grade 3, Estonian 6-dot, Hungarian, Italian 6-dot, Norwegian and UK 8-dot computer. Anthony has done incredible work to fix obscure opcode bugs. XANOY and PGZXB have patched many security problems and finally Benedict Carling has improved typeform handling for back-translation so that it is finally usable.

I’d like to thank everybody for helping to bring liblouis forward.

For a detailed list of all the changes refer to the list of closed issues.

New features

• The typeform buffer is now populated during back-translation. This allows applications to detect emphasis (italic, bold, underline) when translating braille back to text. Thanks to Benedict Carling of Paige Braille.
• The YAML test format has a new “expected_typeform“ field to test that emphasis in braille is correctly detected during back-translation.

Bug fixes

• Both “sufword“ and “prfword“ now correctly recognize “seqdelimiter“ characters as word boundaries during forward translation and respect “nocontractsign“ during back-translation, thanks to Anthony Tibbs.
• Fix contraction opcode bugs when using “nocontractsign“ thanks to Anthony Tibbs.
• Fix a NULL pointer dereference “lou_readCharFromFile“ thanks to XANOY.
• Fix a memory leak in “parseLanguageTag“ when parsing invalid queries and a heap buffer overflow in “syllableBreak“. Both thanks to PGZXB.
• Fix a stack overflow when an invalid “LOUIS_LOGLEVEL“ string is provided and avoid a crash when the table resolver is NULL. Both thanks to Anthony Tibbs.
• Fix an infinite loop in “isEmphasizable“ caused if characters mistakenly reference one another thanks to Anthony Tibbs.
• Fix “capsword“ translation with “endword“ apostrophe’d letters (e.g. AA’s, FBI’s) again thanks to Anthony Tibbs.
• Fix a heap buffer overflow in “translateString“ when handling “joinnum“ or “joinword“ rules. Thanks to Christian Egli for fixing and zerojackyi for reporting it.
• Various code cleanups thanks to Bert Frees.
• Fix a stack buffer overflow in “pattern_compile_expression“ and a stack buffer overflow in “_lou_getTablePath“ when “LOUIS_TABLEPATH“ is too long, both thanks to PGZXB.

Braille table improvements

• Add a complete implementation for UK 8-dot computer braille according to the standard created by the BAUK (Braille Authority of the UK) and currently maintained by the successor organization, UKAAF thanks to Seeing Hands.
• Vastly improved Italian 6-dot braille table thanks to Tommaso Nonis of Vision Dept S.r.l.
• The table has been completely redesigned, and various mathematical symbols, capitalization and punctuation were fixed.
• inputting characters from A to J no longer results in numbers being inserted instead.
• Parentheses, quotation marks, brackets and braces now display correctly
• Emphasis marks have been introduced for bold, italic and underline, allowing these to be viewed in screen reader utilities that support them.
• Improvements to Norwegian thanks to Lars Bjørndal.
• Corrections to Danish Grade 2 thanks to Bue Vester-Andersen.
• Improvements to Hungarian forward and backward translation thanks to Attila Hammer.
• Major updates to Devanagari to comply with the new Bharti Braille rules 2.1. Also support for back-translation support was added thanks to Dipendra Manocha and Jake Kyle.
• Add an Estonian 6-dot braille table based on the official Estonian Braille Standard (March 2009) and Eesti punktkirja käsiraamat (2011) thanks to Artur Räpp and Taniel Kirikal.
• Improvements to English grade 3 thanks to Bue Vester-Andersen.

Backwards incompatible changes

• The “literal“ opcode has been removed as it was synonymous with the “compbrl“ opcode.

New, renamed or removed tables

New

• et-6dot.utb

Removed

• it.tbl – use it-it-comp6.utb instead

Next release

The next release will be published on June 1 2026 so please keep up the excellent work and keep those improvements coming.

Share and Enjoy!

– Christian Egli, on behalf of the liblouis developers

While the name may be straightforward, the innovation behind BrailleSense 7 is anything but. This next-generation platform represents a major leap forward in performance, usability, and future-focused design.

This series is offered in 3 different sizes:

• BrailleSense 7: 40-cell
• BrailleSense 7: 32-cell
• BrailleSense 7: 20-cell

Planned features across all models include:

• Android 15 operating system
• Expanded braille-first applications
• Integrated AI capabilities
• Touch-sensitive braille cells
• User-replaceable battery
• Included QWERTY keyboard case with secondary battery
• Powered by Google Gemini AI

CSUN Launch & Preorder Promotion

BrailleSense 7 will be officially unveiled at CSUN 2026, where we will begin taking pre-orders and continue doing so up until the time we start shipping.

While we can’t reveal the price yet, we can say that we will be offering a large discount on all pre-orders. Visit the Selvas BLV booth #508 to place your preorder early, as initial stock will be given on a first-come first-served basis.

Read the full newsletter

We are thrilled to invite you to join Dot Inc. at the 2026 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference!

This year, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in assistive technology. From groundbreaking AI integrations, to accessible infrastructure and new hardware, we have an incredible lineup to share with you.

The Future is Dot AI: with Microsoft and Google

We are proud to unveil a suite of AI-powered solutions that transform education and productivity:

• Dot Point (Microsoft Partnership): Leveraging the power of the Microsoft Copilot+ PC, this solution allows PowerPoint presentations to be experienced tactilely like never before.
• Gemini on Chromebooks (Google Partnership): We are bringing the classroom to life by combining Google Gemini and Chromebooks, giving students instant access to textbooks, handouts, and educational materials.
• Dot Explore: Our innovative new Braille practice app that leverages AI to provide comprehensive pre-and-early Braille instruction.

Accessible Infrastructure: Co-Location with LG

We are excited to announce our partnership with LG to showcase the Accessible Kiosk. Powered by the Dot Module and full Dot cell technology, these kiosks revolutionize public access – from purchasing tickets and navigating indoor maps to rendering tactile experiences of museum art pieces.

Visit LG and Dot Inc. to experience it firsthand – our booths are located right next to each other.

New Product Reveal: The Nemonic Dot Braille Printer

Be the first to see our newest hardware addition: a pocket-sized Braille Printer. This device is capable of producing durable indoor and outdoor Braille labels, ensuring accessibility is always within reach.

Read the full newsletter

Every so often, you’ll encounter a BRF file, with some vague footnotes about how you can use it to emboss your own hard copy of a document. But how do you actually do this?

In this session, Matthew Horspool will take us through the process step-by-step.

He will start by answering some common questions including:

• What is a BRF file anyway?
• How do I know what size paper I need?
• I don’t have the right size of paper: can I still emboss the file?
• Do I need special software to emboss a BRF file?
• Do I need to do anything special on my embosser before I emboss the file?
• I already have braille translation software installed. Why would I choose to emboss a BRF file?

He will then take us on a tour of a free program from Index Braille called IbPrint, which is designed specifically for embossing BRF files. He will explain why it is useful, show us where to download it, talk us through its settings, and demonstrate how it can be used to emboss BRF files on any embosser, even if it’s not made by Index!

Please note: you do not need to be a computer programmer in order to follow this session! However, some knowledge of how to change the settings on your embosser, a methodical mindset, and a willingness to experiment will all be an advantage.

Register for the session

To join by phone, please use these details:

• Phone number: 0131 460 1196
• Meeting ID: 812 9676 0267
• Passcode: 123456

Tek Talk meets 2/23/26 at 8pm Eastern and welcomes Venkatesh Chari, President of Orbit Research, to present an overview of Orbit’s affordable braille and tactile technology for blind and visually impaired users

The presentation will cover recent developments across the Orbit product line, including braille displays, notetakers and the Orbit Player along with a look at what is coming next. Orbit Research focuses on making high-quality assistive technology accessible worldwide, with particular emphasis on education, literacy, and employment.

Join the meeting in the Pat Price Tek Talk Training Room on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/839935813?pwd=eXFMRHpxNnhFZlRiMHAzRWNWYXM3Zz09

Meeting ID: 839 935 813

Passcode: awz

Tek Talk Programs can also be heard on ACB Media 1. Please visit the ACB Media Network Home page at www.acbmedia.org for upcoming events.

Those wishing to subscribe to past Tek Talk program archives can do so using their mobile device and podcast app of choice or using their computers and podcatcher program of choice. The link with which to subscribe follows: https://accessibleworld.org/feed/podcast/tektalk

Presenter contact info:

Venkatesh Chari, President of Orbit Research

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 888-606-7248

Website: www.orbitresearch.com

Contacts

Larry Gassman: Accessible World Co-Chair

Phone: 714-449-1958

Email: [email protected]

Alan Lemly: Accessible World Co-Chair

Phone: 601-919-6907

Email: [email protected]

The Accessible World, a division of Helping Hands For The Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, seeks to educate the general public, the disabled community and the professionals who serve them by providing highly relevant information about new products, services, and training opportunities designed specifically to eliminate geographic and access barriers that adversely affect them.

Your monthly opportunity to meet the CEO of Orbit Research and ask your questions.

Join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84149039732?pwd=SPyjPyMVGDV4d1bCjq5jYXQZFbEDET.1

Meeting ID: 841 4903 9732

Passcode: 278175