by Sharon Lovering
The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to slovering@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
And the Touch of Genius Prize Winner Is …
The 2026 winner of the Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is Ann Cunningham for a teaching method and product called Flip-pics, that creates tactile graphics for the blind and visually impaired. Flip-pics offers an innovative way for a blind person to understand even complex images with more clarity and less clutter. It segregates information into physical logical layers that align with linear perspective principles.
Ann Cunningham, author, artist, and innovator, of Golden, Colo., began teaching tactile art at the Colorado Center for the Blind in 1999. Since then, she has completed multiple projects, won many awards and recognition from organizations across the country. Her work spans these diverse areas as she helps people develop connections to fine art and graphics through touch. Her tactile artwork can be seen in public works of art across the United States and into Canada.
She is a founding member of the Tactile Art Collective, dedicated to exploring and expanding the field of tactile art. She is a co-owner of Sensation Books, makers of the Sensational BlackBoard, dedicated to making information about the world more accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired. Cunningham passionately believes that tactile access to properly formatted art can play the same role for people who are blind that visual art plays for people who are sighted.
USA Goalball Women’s National Team Finishes Fifth at Malmö Lady Intercup
The USA Goalball Women’s National Team put together a competitive showing at the Malmö Lady Intercup, finishing 5th overall against a strong international field. Team USA opened the tournament with a 5–2 win over Great Britain, powered by three goals from Amanda Dennis, along with contributions from Eliana Mason and Asya Miller.
In their second match, the team battled Japan in a tightly contested 6–5 loss, with Dennis again leading the offense with four goals and Mason adding another. The team closed out pool play in dominant fashion with a 12–2 victory, highlighted by five goals from Dennis and four from Lisa Czechowski, alongside additional scoring from Miller, Mason, and Hailey Andress.
Advancing to the knockout stage, Team USA faced Brazil in the quarterfinals, where they came up short 4–0. The group responded with resilience in the 5th–6th place match, earning a 5–3 win over South Korea behind three goals from Asya Miller and two from Amanda Dennis to secure a 5th place finish. The tournament served as a valuable opportunity to compete against top international opponents, build chemistry, and refine performance as the team continues to gain momentum heading into the World Championship in China next month and looks ahead to long-term development toward the 2028 Paralympics.
MIUSA Turns 45!
In 2026, Mobility International USA celebrates its 45th anniversary. You are invited to join us and meet MIUSA Global Fellows from around the world for an evening of hors d'oeuvres, live auction, and other surprises as we honor the communities and individuals who have supported MIUSA to thrive at 45.
The 45th anniversary celebration will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Eugene, Ore. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the program will start promptly at 7 p.m. The venue is wheelchair accessible; the event will be ASL interpreted. No tickets will be sold at the door.
For more information, or to get tickets, visit https://miusa.org/event/celebrate45/. Questions? Contact Suz Dunn, sdunn@miusa.org.
Thinking about Upgrading Your Braille Device?
There’s no time like the present! For a limited time, trade in your BrailleNote Touch Plus 32 or BrailleSense 6 and receive $1,000 toward a new BrailleNote evolve 32, or $500 toward a new BrailleNote evolve 20. This trade-in offer is expected to end at the end of the year. For more information, visit https://www.humanware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BrailleNote-evolve…, or call 1-800-722-3393.
New at National Braille Press
National Braille Press has a number of new books and other items available.
Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a tactile map of the United States. Created by the Universal Design Lab at the Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace (NJ), this 3D tactile puzzle includes a black plate and 42 pink state puzzle pieces to fit into place. (Eight small Northeastern states are permanently fixed into place on the plate.) The state pieces are identified in braille on the front and in large print on the back, perfect for learning geography. Please note that quantities are limited.
Also available is a tactile Statue of Liberty.
Over in the children’s section, the newest book is “Noodles on a Bicycle,” by Kyo Maclear. This is a vibrant historical picture book about Tokyo's bicycle food deliverers, who balanced towering trays of steaming hot noodles on their shoulders while navigating crowded city streets. It is available in contracted braille (UEB) for ages 3 to 8.
Another new book is “I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea,” by Janice Milusich. In this poetic story, a blind child uses her senses of touch, taste, hearing, and smell to vividly describe the changing seasons and the unique delights they each have to offer. It’s available in contracted UEB for ages 3 to 8.
And don’t forget an old favorite, “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” by Bernard Waber. It’s available in contracted UEB for ages 3 to 8.
Also new is “Math Riddles for Smart Kids: Math Riddles and Brain Teasers that Kids and Families Will Love,” for ages 10 and up. It contains 150 brain-teasing math riddles and puzzles designed to test logic, lateral thinking, and memory, and to help the brain recognize patterns and connections between different things and circumstances. It’s available in braille (1 volume) and as a BRF.
If you’ve got a kid who loves telling jokes, check out “You Quack Me Up: 800 Animal Jokes for Kids.” It’s available in braille and as a BRF.
For more information, call toll-free 1-800-548-7323, or visit shop.nbp.org.
Free Alexa Skill
Sound Stream is a free Alexa skill that lets blind and visually impaired users play their own audiobooks and audio files from Dropbox with full voice control on Amazon Echo devices. It provides the same voice-controlled audiobook experience as Audible, but for audiobooks from any source — Libro.fm, Downpour, Librivox, CD rips, and more.
Key details:
• Cost: Free (premium option available for unlimited content)
• Platform: Amazon Echo devices (US, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia/NZ)
• What it does: Voice-controlled playback of personal audio files from Dropbox
• Accessibility features: Full voice navigation, audiobook browsing, skip/rewind, track identification — all developed with input from blind users
For more information, visit https://soundstream.voiceactivity.com/ or https://medium.com/search?q=Sound+Stream+Voice+Activity.
Visionauta on iPhone, Android
Jonathan Santos, a blind software engineer who worked at Google and Samsung, announces the launch of the iOS version of Visionauta, a free app that uses artificial intelligence to help blind and low-vision people with everyday tasks. The app is now available on the App Store.
The release follows the success of the Android version, launched in early 2026, which became a major hit within the visually impaired community, reaching thousands of users and earning very positive reviews. Now, that full set of features is available to iPhone users as well.
Visionauta works as a portable visual assistant. Simply point the phone's camera to read text aloud, identify banknotes, find lost objects, or ask questions about the surroundings.
One of Visionauta's standout features — available on both iOS and Android — is Real-Time Conversation: a mode in which the user talks to the artificial intelligence by voice, naturally and continuously, while it describes the surroundings and answers questions instantly — as if there were, right beside them, an assistant who can see for them.
The app features include: Real-Time Conversation with the AI by voice, offline text reading, recognition of banknotes in several currencies (Brazilian Real, US Dollar, Euro, Mexican Peso, Yen, Canadian Dollar, and Australian Dollar), electronic magnifier with high-contrast modes, voice-command object finder, and an AI assistant that describes scenes and answers questions. The iOS version is fully integrated with VoiceOver and the iPhone's accessibility features.
The app is free, and available to download as follows:
• Download iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/visionauta/id6780104967
• Download Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.alphamob.aie
New Frontiers Magazine
Introducing a new magazine by, for, and about blind people, where sighted people are welcome to contribute. It will be a telephonic magazine, and the cost is your Philmore Productions membership. Soon there may be a PayPal to cover the cost of the magazine. For more information, call (773) 572-6258, leave your message Urgent and Private (to do this, press, 2, 1, and 1). You can get your own voicemail box by dialing (773) 572-3000. Topics will be about the positive aspects of blindness, fun experiences, and more. No negative comments about blind people will be accepted. You will be asked to leave a short message on why you want to join. If approved, you will be asked to go through a screening process. While approved, you will be asked to keep your messages positive. All articles should be limited to 5 minutes.
The name of the magazine is “New Frontiers Magazine.” For more information, contact Eric Calhoun at (773) 572-6258.