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    • Bristol Braille’s vision

    Bristol Braille conceptualises, manufactures and distributes radical new Braille technology from our workshop in Bristol, England. We developed the world’s first affordable multiline Braille display, the Canute 360, with 9-lines of refreshable Braille.

    Following that we developed the Canute Console, a multiline Braille device that promises even more in the world of Braille capabilities.In response to a lack of accessibility in the blind STEM world, we are now developing the Canute Scientific, with charts, maths and graphic capabilities making STEM accessible for all.

    Who we are

    We are a not-for-profit company committed to increasing literacy, numeracy, employment and independence for blind people through the transformative power of Braille. We work closely with our friends and partners in the blindness community to design products that fulfil the real needs of Braillists across the world.

    ‘The Canute’s need to be used in the school setting, universities, higher education and employment. Where there are gateways into employment, that is absolutely crucial.’

    — Roger Firman, UK Association of Accessible Formats & British Standards Institution & Canute Console Owner.

    Our founder’s vision

    “Embossed Braille is ten times the cost of print. Affordable Braille is essential for blind literacy, education and employment, yet Braille use has declined, due in no small part to stagnant technology.“

    “So as a team we’ve dedicated the last twelve years to creating better Braille technology and breaking down the barriers blind people face. Bristol Braille is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to serving blind communities through the invention and provision of Braille devices. Some of us are engineers, others specialise in supporting accessible products.“

    “After trialling various single-line prototypes we decided, in 2012, to concentrate all our efforts on multiline refreshable Braille. Making Braille more affordable wasn’t enough. Reading Braille twenty or forty cells at a time is no better than reading print off a ticker tape, or a calculator screen. We began work on the Canute.“

    “Finally, in 2020, after fourteen prototypes and years of love had gone into the design, both by our team and our community in the Braillists, the Canute 360 launched.” — Ed Rogers, Managing Director

    Canute Was Designed Within The Community

    “Braille is knowledge and knowledge is power” 

    Louis Braille

    Steph holds a Canute 360 box

    The Canute was co-designed with our partners in the Braillists Foundation CIO, the National Federation of the Blind and many more. Hundreds of people put in thousands of hours to test and feedback on the designs, break them, shape them and generally make the whole thing work.

    In recognition of the role of so many members of the community, we have open-sourced the source code for the Canute 360’s ebook reading software. View the sources on Github and feel free to open an issue to suggest an improvement.

    To develop our devices we held regular public meetings testing, redesigning and explaining Canute’s electro-mechanical design. These were held at local Braillists groups, membership of which is open to everyone with an interest in Braille

    Designed And Made In The United Kingdom

    We are proud that Canute 360, the world’s only commercially available multiline Braille display, is manufactured in the UK.

    We design, prototype and assemble Canutes in our workshop in Bedminster, Bristol. 

    Get in contact, we’d love to show you around!

    Thanks, And Dedications

    We are devastated to announce the death of Zac Wilcox, our friend and colleague, without whom the Canute project would never have come close to succeeding. Zac died in 2021, aged 40.

    Zak standing outdoors in a blue waterproof jacket, eyes squinting against he sun

    We also remember the redoubtable N Krishnaswamy, who was a true inventor at the vanguard of affordable Braille and inspired the Canute project. NK died in 2017.