Braille remains at the heart of RNIB's work. We champion the development of braille technologies and provide a huge range of braille related products, publications and services, giving braille users even more opportunity to take charge of their own lives.
Braille products
We spend millions of pounds every year on developing new products and technology for blind and partially sighted people. This is done through directly commissioning new products, working in close partnerships or providing support and promotion for products already in development. All developments are global and RNIB works with 150 distributor contacts across the world.
All of our braille products are aimed at making daily life easier for blind and partially sighted people. From braille board games to diaries and organisers, labelling equipment and pill dispensers to refreshable braille displays and notetakers, hundreds of products are available through our
online shop
Our cheapest braille product is clear labelling tape (for use with a dymo labeller) and our most expensive is a braille embosser at over £7,000.
RNIB also offer a range of products and materials to support people to teach and learn braille.
Reading braille is the only way of independently accessing words without someone or something reading them to you. In this way nothing has replaced braille - braille books and magazines remain very popular.
Braille books
RNIB is the largest publisher of braille books in Europe. These are available for members to borrow through the RNIB National Library Service or to buy through our online Book Site (details below).
We lend 83,200 braille books and music scores through our library every year. We also sell 4,000 books a year through our online Book Site.
RNIB National Library Service
Our
National Library Service is the largest specialist library in the UK for readers with sight loss with over 40,000 titles available for loan including a large collection of braille books. You can also sign up to receive updates about new books as they are published.
RNIB Book site
You can visit our
Book Site to browse and buy from our catalogue of over 7,700 braille books, 150 accessible maps and 1,600 braille music manuscripts.
Braille magazines
We have an extensive choice of
magazines catering for a variety of customers including titles specifically for children, journals for professionals and numerous leisure magazines.
Whether you're interested in music, current affairs, health, relationships, books, puzzles or parenting, we have a magazine to suit you. We publish in a range of accessible formats from contracted braille (grade 2) to email.
Braille alphabet card
The braille alphabet card shows the embossed braille alphabet, punctuation marks and numbers, together with the print translation.
You can
order one free copy of the English card from our online shop. If you would like multiple copies of the card there will be a small charge. For details of the Welsh alphabet card, please call 0303 123 9999.