Braille House

Our 2025 Annual Report is more than a snapshot of the year – it's a celebration of the people, books and community that make Braille House so special.

If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, our 2025 Annual Report is available online in PDF and accessible large print Word formats. We are also pleased to provide copies in alternative formats, including braille. Please contact our team if you would like a copy.

Inside you'll find the stories, milestones and achievements made possible by our borrowers, volunteers, members, donors and supporters. Together, you are helping ensure that Australians who are blind or have low vision can continue to access braille, literacy and connection.

Thank you for making 2025 such a remarkable year.

Read the 2025 Annual Report here: https://www.braillehouse.org.au/about/governance/annual-reports

“I wish I had found Braille House years ago.”

Riley, a Year 11 student from Cairns, discovered Braille House while searching for braille books online.

“Braille books can cost around $1,000, so my reading was limited. It was very frustrating,” he says.

Now, Riley reads regularly and enjoys a wide range of books, from historical fiction to crime novels. With support from Braille House staff, he continues to access new titles and build his love of reading.

“I was eager to read The Cane, and the staff were great — they sent it to me as soon as it was returned.”

For Riley, braille is independence, learning and opportunity.

This EOFY, your support helps ensure more people like Riley can access braille books and resources that support learning, literacy and independence.

Donate before 30 June: https://www.givenow.com.au/braillehouseeofy2026

Braille House is having a bit of a spa day!

After decades of faithfully serving Australians who are blind or have low vision, we think the old girl has earned a little pampering.

She's been looking after us for years. Now it's our turn to look after her.

Thanks to the generous support of the Lord Mayor's Charitable Trust and Dulux, our beloved Braille House in Annerley is receiving some much-deserved care and attention.

Braille House has stood proudly in Annerley for generations, serving people from every corner of Australia. More than bricks and mortar, she is a place of learning, friendship and connection, and a source of pride for so many in our community.

We're making sure she's ready to continue bringing the world to the fingertips of many more generations to come.

We can't wait to show you her glow up.

Children learn about the world through play.

For some children, that means seeing bright colours, watching stories unfold in pictures, and exploring with their eyes.

For others, it means discovering braille beneath their fingertips, exploring through touch, and unlocking imagination, literacy and independence.

Play sparks curiosity, builds confidence and helps children find their place in the world. Yet too many children who are blind or have low vision still face barriers to accessing the braille and tactile learning opportunities they need to thrive.

This International Day of Play, we recognise that every child has the right to learn, explore and play in ways that work for them.

At Braille House, we're proud to support early braille literacy and help create more opportunities for children who are blind or have low vision to learn through play. It's why we're proud to support the ICEVI and World Blind Union Global Braille Literacy Campaign, which advocates for every child to have access to braille from an early age.

Did anybody hear us on 4BC Brisbane Drive yesterday?

Our wonderful borrower Mia Forrester and her mum, Katie, joined Gary Hardgrave to share their story and talk about the importance of accessible reading.

A huge thank you to Mia and Katie for helping shine a light on the life-changing power of braille and accessible reading.

🎧 Catch the interview below and let us know what you think!

Braille House's Leslie Heagney, Katie Forrester and daughter Mia join 4BC Drive - 4BC Drive with Gary Hardgrave Listen to the full chat with Braille House's Leslie Heagney, Katie Forrester and daughter Mia.

What does the word challenge mean to you?

As the theme of the 105th Dickinson Memorial Literary Competition, it’s a word we’ve had on our minds recently.

Does challenge make you think of issues you face in your life, or of issues you have previously overcome? Does it make you think of future challenges that worry you, or of challenges you are eager to take on?

Does challenge make you think of the news, and of the challenges we have yet to solve in conflict, uncertainty and change? Does it make you think of humanity flying around the moon, descending to the deepest depths of the ocean, and challenges conquered?

Is it the challenge of a knight throwing down the gauntlet, or competing at the Olympics? Is challenge frustration or opportunity? How can two people understand the same challenge so differently?

Part of what makes ‘the Dickinson’ great is the opportunity to share in our experiences through expression in writing. There is no doubt that challenge is something we all think of – if you are inspired to write something of your own thoughts about challenge, we strongly encourage you to participate in the competition. Or, share your thoughts here.

Website link for competition details: https://www.braillehouse.org.au/education/dickinson-memorial-literary-competition

Your gift is more than a tax deduction.

This end of financial year, your support can help bring the world to the fingertips of Australians who are blind or have low vision.

Your donation can:
📚 Help create braille children’s books
🧩 Support tactile toys and learning resources
💻 Assist with transcribing books into tactile formats
⠿ Help families learn braille together

Every donation helps create access to reading, learning, and connection, it brings the world to their fingertips.

Donate before 30 June and help make your impact go further.

Donate here: https://www.givenow.com.au/braillehouseeofy2026

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

There is always something special about our Friday library dispatch.

Our iconic blue library bags are lined up and ready to begin their journey to readers right across Australia.

Lovingly packed by our dedicated volunteers, each bag is filled with something different – from new releases and much-loved classics to magazines and twin vision picture books.

Some are heading to little fingers exploring braille for the very first time. Others are destined for readers building their confidence and skills every day. And some are on their way to our longest-standing borrowers, whose love of reading has spanned decades.

Every bag tells a different story before the book is even opened.

By the time our friendly postie collects these bags, they'll be carrying more than books. They'll be carrying learning, independence, entertainment and connection.

Is one of this week's blue bags heading your way? What are you hoping the postie brings this week?

Today is World Day for Assistive Technology.

At Braille House, we're passionate about braille literacy and the many ways people access information, stories and learning.

From braille books arriving in homes across Australia to refreshable braille displays that provide instant access to digital content, technology continues to create new opportunities for people who are blind, deafblind and have low vision.

As a proud supporter of the ICEVI–WBU Global Braille Literacy Campaign, we recognise that braille and assistive technology are not competing solutions – together they help build literacy, confidence, independence and inclusion.

We're celebrating the technologies that help people read, learn, work and connect every day.

What piece of assistive technology couldn't you live without?