Transforming Education with Multiline Braille

In this episode we meet two people on opposite sides of the world, both working in education, and both active in applying multiline braille technology in their work. Peter Cracknell has been supporting the development of braille technology for over 30 years. In 2023 Peter invited Dot to visit Australia where he connected Dot with teachers, alternate format producers and blindness agencies – including See Differently, who now distribute Dot Pad X. Peter is now working in Access Technology for the Queensland Department of Education in Australia. In this wide ranging conversation, we spoke with Peter about the impact of multiline braille technology, his thoughts about the evolution of Dot Pad X and what he hopes to see in future. Holly Baker is a talented mathematician and computer scientist working in the PhD Research Programme in Computing at the University of Bath, UK. Holly has been exploring how multiline braille technology can support independent study and research in STEM fields. We were invited to meet Holly in Bristol where she shared more about her findings thus far. Links: Peter Cracknell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peter-cracknell-081137ba_after-23-years-its-time-to-leave-quantum-activity-7378337080629895168-5Ys7 Dot Pad X from See Differently, Australia: https://seedifferently.org.au/shop/assistive-technology/braille/dot-pad-x-tactile-braille-display-online-only/ Holly Baker University of Bath: https://people.bath.ac.uk/hb581/