Welcome to Vision Through Sound
Vision Through Sound enables visually impaired people to live their lives more fully by learning to use smart phones, computer technology and the World Wide Web.
We will help you to use a phone or a computer for work and for pleasure – to browse the Internet, to send emails, to download files, to contact friends and family, to join online communities – in fact, whatever you need a computer to do for you, we will give you the confidence and the tools to make it happen.
We are excited to be working on 2 projects that are cutting edge technology, the Canute and In Your Pocket, testing and developing them as well as providing training and support.
Help Shape the Future of Accessible Travel
Are you a keen traveller? Would you like to help design a new way for blind people to plan journeys with more confidence and freedom?
We’re working on a new project with the National Centre for Accessible Transport, to create tactile maps of the UK’s bus and train networks. These maps will help blind travellers discover new routes and re-familiarise themselves with old ones—whether you’re commuting locally or planning a holiday.
We’re looking for blind users to get involved right from the start. If you’d like to be one of the first testers, let us know which stations or routes interest you most. We’ll begin by developing maps for those areas. When you receive your first version, you’ll have the opportunity to give feedback so we can make the maps even better—for you and for others.
In future, we plan to offer a service where you can request a map by email and receive it either as a tactile hard copy or, even better, as an interactive version on your Canute Console.
Eventually, you’ll even be able to create your own custom maps directly on your Canute Console, once development is complete.
We hope this will make planning trips—especially holidays—much easier and less stressful, helping you explore more with greater independence.
Interested?
Get in touch and tell us which routes or stations you’d like to see mapped first.
Contact Ed Rogers email: enquiries@bristolbraille.org
The Canute Console
The Console is a nine-line Braille workstation for professionals and students doing programming or viewing and manipulating data.
Here are some of the applications for the Console:
- Better mathematics, graphing and diagrammatic tools. We are working with Vision Through Sound to develop a complete package of tools for GCSE and A-Level mathematics.
- We have released a dynamic Excel/CSV viewer maximising on-display information, tested with real-world budgets, data logs and statements
- A means to condense diagrams so they can be meaningfully traversed and understood in Braille. We’re implementing online street maps, transport maps* and even a computer-aided design package (watch this space!)
- *With the National Centre for Accessible Transport, we’re developing dynamic tactile maps of public transport networks. The first release will be available to existing Console owners from October.
- An improved workflow for day-to-day use, and a much more developed library for building applications called The Tactile Commons.
- Loan units: We are piloting a scheme offering loan units to people who have applied through Access to Work, Disabled Students’ Allowance or related international schemes.
- Other capabilities include music, and interactive football.
It is composed of a Canute 360 Braille display docked in a workstation that adds a pull-out QWERTY keyboard, a fold-up 13″ high contrast monitor, and runs off a Raspberry Pi 400 from the Linux command line.
Braille is literacy, employment and independence… it can also inspire us to do more, learn more, and most of all, to make more. We’re really excited to finally release the Console after over a year’s development. Its involved hundreds of miles travelled by planes, trains and automobiles, and great creative sessions with blind, deafblind and low vision Braille readers.
By pre-ordering you are supporting a business that has always been a not-for-profit, dedicating everything to creating devices with and for our community.
Thank you
Vision Through Sound is actively working with Bristol Braille technology, to design, promote and develop new applications for the Canute Console and provide technical support to customers.
Click here to learn how to order your Canute Console
CANUTE 360 LOW COST BRAILLE DISPLAY
The Canute is a braille e-book reader, the first multi-line Braille display in the world.
Bristol Braille Technology was awarded the top prize of $20,000 at the annual Dr Jacob Bolotin awards by the National Federation of the Blind!
We were recognised at the 2019 NFB Convention for our work in bringing the Canute 360 – the world’s first multi-line Braille e-reader – to market.
The Canute can display text, maths, music and tables. For the first time in a digital device, Canute 360 can display any six-dot Braille code across its nine-line, 360 cell display. A Braille library can now be stored on a single USB stick or SD card in BRF or PEF format and read directly from the Canute 360.
We are proud to introduce the CANUTE 360 low-cost Braille display. Available to order NOW from Vision Through Sound.
Vision Through Sound will be providing technical support by phone and email for the Canute. We can answer any questions and provide demonstrations within the UK.
You can get in touch with Bristol Braille Technology on +44117 325 3022 and enquiries@bristolbraille.co.uk, website https://www.bristolbraille.org
CANUTE 360: What People Are Saying
Looking for reviews and insights from users of the Canute 360? Here are some expert opinions and demonstrations of the device:
- Judy Dixon’s Review (American Foundation for the Blind): Read here
- David Woodbridge’s Podcast Review: Listen here
In Your Pocket – A Low Tech, Voice Operated Phone
In Your Pocket is a voice-operated, low-cost smartphone, providing easier access to thousands of talking books, daily newspapers and podcasts. It has the handy features we are all used to, such as a simple to use Sat Nav function and it is easy for the less technically able to use.
Imagine when you need to be able to see something in your surroundings, to be able to just say ’Be My Eyes’ to your Pocket and it will connect the camera, microphone and speaker to one of the 90,000 volunteers in the UK who can then describe what it is you need to know about.
The RNIB, Calibre and Torch Trust audio libraries can all be listened to. Plus, there are now 100s of internet radio stations available on In Your Pocket too. Just tell Pocket what you wish to listen to by station, location or subject and it will list the appropriate stations for you to choose from.
We have received Co-op funding to provide a limited amount of training to expand the availability of the In Your Pocket phones.To obtain this Covid safe training, contact me by email stephanie@visionthroughsound.co.uk or ring 07793906745.
Enabling Project
We have visited Zambia to provide training there too.
Our work in Zambia has 2 strands, one is our connection with the Lions School for the Blind in Ndola. Their computer has now been upgraded so it works with the Braille embosser to provide Braille literature. 100 Braille writing frames were sent out to Zambia in March 2021, so that every pupil has a means of making notes. We have sent out Perkins braillers and many Braille books.
There are 150 pupils there, previously they worked in pairs, with one pupil waiting for the other to finish. Now each pupil will have a frame to write on. They teach to the 11th grade, and many pupils we met said they aim to progress to university, become teachers, politicians or lawyers!
The other strand is where we are in touch with a group of blind adults in a village, who are creative in making products that they can sell locally and on the internet. We are developing ways of marketing their products with the help of two contacts in Zambia. They have now been purchasing baby chicks which they look after until they can be sold as chickens. When Steph was out in Zambiain 2019, she was able to set up two outlets to sell the baskets and mats which the villagers also make, therefore making them more self-sufficient. Additionally, they have asked for talking bibles in the Bemba dialect, so we have sent several, from www.megavoice.com
Pictures of our work with a blind community in Zambia can be seen here
Access to computer screens
Whatever your level of knowledge we will build on it. We can teach you about screen magnification and how to get the best from talking screenreaders like NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access)