Braillecast The Braillists Foundation

Many screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA, make use of the popular, open source Liblouis braille translation engine as part of their braille display support. In this session, we explained and demonstrated how to harness the power of Liblouis braille tables to implement additional contractions in your screen reader of choice.
If you use a long word regularly and find it is taking up too much space on your braille display, this is the session for you! It also serves as a brief introduction to Liblouis translation tables in general.
The session was presented by James Bowden. In addition to his work as Braille Technical Officer at RNIB, James is also the Chair of the Braille Technology Committee of the International Council on English Braille, and is the primary developer of the default UEB translation table in Liblouis. Over many years, he has not only added new symbols to the UEB tables, but has also corrected numerous errors with existing contractions, and he actively contributes to discussions about the future development of Liblouis.
Please note: although we did our best to present the concepts in this session in as simple and straightforward a way as possible, modifying Liblouis tables involves advanced file and folder manipulation, administration rights and working with computer code in a text editor. You do not need to be a computer programmer in order to benefit from this session, but it is best suited to people with intermediate to advanced computer knowledge.

“What’s wrong with grade 2?” In many cases, nothing. It strikes a good balance between compactness, readability and lack of ambiguity. However, in some cases, a code which is even more compact than grade 2 is extremely advantageous, especially when information needs to be written down at speed.



The Braille Shorthand Code was one attempt at creating such a system. Devised and used in the UK, it was last updated in 1959 and still has a loyal following.



In this event, we were joined by Dr Norman Waddington, a prolific user of the Braille Shorthand Code for many years. Norman explained the principals behind the Braille Shorthand Code and took us through some examples of some typical shorthand phrases. He also talked about the equipment which was traditionally used to produce braille shorthand and discussed who would benefit from using the Braille Shorthand Code.



To order The Braille Shorthand Code book from RNIB, quote archive number 513871.



A BRF version of The Braille Shorthand Code can be downloaded from the Shorthand Braille Codes page of the ICEB website.

iOS 17 was released last September, bosting a number of significant braille enhancements. In this Masterclass, we were joined by Scott Davert to find out more.



Scott is well regarded in the blind community as an expert in braille on iOS. He regularly contributes braille-related content to the AppleVis website, and presented a series of three Masterclasses introducing us to braille on iOS in 2022.



This was an extensive presentation followed by your questions. We also covered some of the new braille features in iOS 16 which have not been covered in other sessions.

The 39th CSUN Assistive Technology Conference took place from 18 to 22 March in Anaheim, California, hosted by the Centre on Disabilities, Division of Student Affairs at California State University, Northridge. There were many exciting braille product announcements at the conference, and the latest prototypes of previously announced braille products were also exhibited.



In this episode, we are joined by a panel of braille experts who attended the conference. They will help us unpack the announcements and share their thoughts on the products they saw.



If you are planning to attend any of the Sight Village exhibitions in the UK, this episode will help you decide which products you might like to see for yourself.



Products discussed in this episode:




Monarch from APH and HumanWare



BT Speak from Blazie Technologies



Orbit Speak, Orbit Reader Q20 and Orbit Reader Q40 from Orbit Research



Cadence from Tactile Engineering



Optima from Orbit Research and Access Mind



BraillePen24 from Harpo



NewHaptics



Paige Connect from Paige Braille



Braille eMotion from Hims



OneCourt



Various accessibility efforts from Procter and Gamble and Sony



Braille guide dog name tags from Elegant Insights




On the panel:




Chancey Fleet (chanceyfleet@mas.to on Mastadon) from the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library



J.j. Meddaugh (jage@mas.to on Mastadon) from A. T. Guys and Blind Bargains, home of the Blind Bargains Qast which is soon to return



Judy Dixon, President of the International Council on English Braille

Getting tactile diagrams at University is often not as easy as it should be. However, the Open University has an excellent reputation for accessibility, and has developed robust processes for students to request diagrams and for those diagrams to be designed and produced.



This session was presented jointly by Jeff Bashton, former Visual Impairment Adviser at the Open University; and Andrew Whitehead, Graphics Media Developer within the OU’s Learner and Discovery Services. It briefly outlined what the Open University is, before explaining what gave rise to the tactile diagrams initiative and how it was developed.



Andrew illustrated how diagrams are prioritised, and described the tools and techniques he uses to design and produce them. We learnt how these techniques are applied to standard graphs and charts, as well as more complex images such as a cross-section of part of the brain!



If you are currently studying at University, or thinking of starting a University course soon, this session serves as a case study of how Universities can provide effective support in this area. We gave details of DSA funding models at the end of the presentation.



If you are interested in tactile diagrams in general, this session offered valuable insights into the tools and techniques available and the reasons for choosing them.



Decision Tree: Deciding if a Tactile Diagram is Necessary




Start



Is the information a repeat of the facts?
Yes: go to 5.
No: go to 3.



Would the information be more meaningful in text form?
Yes: go to 6.
No: go to 4.
Return to 2.



Does the graphic require the reader to use visual discrimination or visual perception?
Yes: go to 7.
No: go to 8.
Return to 3.



Do not produce graphic.
Return to 2.



Create a figure description. Do not produce a graphic.
Return to 3.



Modify the graphic.
Return to 4.



Is the actual object unavailable, too small, too large, or too dangerous to examine by touch and perceived details?
Yes: go to 11.
No: go to 9.
Return to 4.



Does the reader need the information from a map, figure or graph to complete an assessment/task or to participate in discussions and/or answer questions?
Yes: go to 11.
No: go to 10.
Return to 8.



Do not produce graphic.
Return to 9.



Produce graphic.
Return to 8.
Return to 9.




Tactile Diagram Transcribers




A2I



All Formats



Pia



RNIB Business Services



RNIB Personal Transcription Services



Scottish Braille Press



Swansea University Transcription Centre



University of Leeds Equality and Inclusion Unit




Sources of Tactile Diagrams




RNIB Bookshare - Accessible Images



APH Tactile Graphic Image Library (TGIL)



National Braille Press (NBP)



Tactile Images and Maps from the Lighthouse for the Blind, San Francisco




Sources of Swell Paper and Heat Fusers




HumanWare Swell Form Machine



Sight and Sound PIAF Tactile Image Printer



HumanWare Swell Touch Markers



HumanWare Swell Touch Paper A4 100 sheets



HumanWare Swell Touch Paper A3 100 sheets



Sight and Sound PIAF Swell Paper



Braillists Consumables page




Other Links of Interest




Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics from the Braille Authority of North America (BANA)



Inkscape



Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment



Tactile Reading Conference 2025



Visio Tactual Profile and Feel Free

Bristol Braille Technology CIC recently released version 2.1 of the firmware for Canute 360, the world's first multi-line braille E-reader. Canute has come up in conversation many times before, but never specifically: what is it, and what can it do? In this episode, we sit down with Ed Rogers, Managing Director of BBT, to find out.



Links of interest:




Specification for supplementary Canute BRF metadata file



Information about Bristol Braille's braille music event on 13 April 2024