For nearly 200 years, the tactile reading system of Braille has enabled people of all ages that are blind or vision impaired to read and write. Yet in an age where synthetic speech and audiobooks are widely available, just how relevant is Braille in the modern world? Where can someone learn Braille and what sort of Braille products are available to those who read it?

In celebration of National Braille Week and World Sight Day taking place this month, this episode of Talking Technology explores these questions and more.

On the show we welcome a panel of guests, including:

• Breda Dowling, Sales and Services staff member in NCBI, to tell us about the wide range of Braille products available both in-store and online in the NCBI Shop.
• Jodie McGriele, Training Services Manager at the National Training Centre in NCBI to tell us about the suite of course offerings including Braille that are available from the NTC.
• Audrey Tormey, Braille Tutor at the National Training Centre in NCBI who tells us about teaching Braille and shares her experience using the world’s first Braille smart watch, the Braille Dot Watch.
• Greg Flanagan, Work Training Officer in charge of the Braille Unit at Arbour Hill Prison, the only place in Ireland that services and repairs Perkins Braillers.

We tell how to sign up for an upcoming Braille course with NCBI Labs, and share details about exciting new products launched by Apple this week including an iPad Pro with M2 Chip, redesigned iPad, and an updated Apple TV 4K.

Regardless of your prior knowledge of Braille you’ll not want to miss this episode.

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