Refreshable Braille Displays
Read your phone in braille.
What it is
A braille display is a small device with raised pins that pop up to form braille. Pairs with iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC over Bluetooth. Read texts, emails, web pages — anything on the screen — in braille.
Top picks (2025)
- Orbit Reader 20+ — $700. 20-cell entry-level. Good for new users.
- HumanWare Brailliant BI 20X / 40X — $2,000-3,500. Standard in schools.
- Mantis Q40 ($2,500) — combines QWERTY keyboard + 40-cell braille.
- Focus 14 Blue (Vispero) ($1,500) — portable, popular with travelers.
- Monarch (APH) — multi-line tactile graphics device, new-generation.
Funding sources
- State vocational rehab — pays full cost for working-age adults heading back to work.
- Schools (IEP) — district provides for students.
- VA — fully covers for vision-impaired veterans.
- Lions Club, civic organizations — often pay for one device.
- Medicare — does NOT cover (lobbying ongoing).
- National Federation of the Blind — Tenacity equipment program.
Pair with iPhone (FREE)
- Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver (must be ON).
- Tap Braille → Braille Displays.
- Turn ON your braille display, put in pairing mode.
- iPhone discovers it. Tap to pair.
- Type braille shorthand into iPhone or read screen.
Free braille resources
- Bookshare — 1.2M ebooks free for print-disabled readers.
- BARD (Library of Congress) — free audiobooks + braille books.
- Hadley Institute — free braille classes for adults losing vision.
- National Federation of the Blind training.
- NLS Braille and Talking Book Library — federal free service.
Late-life vision loss?
It's never too late to learn braille. Hadley Institute has free correspondence and online classes specifically for adults who lose vision later in life. Most adults learn enough basic braille for labels (medications, food cans) within 3-6 months. Audio + braille combined is most powerful.