Essentially Braille

06/15/2026

I’m sure you are aware that Essentially Braille has a repair man for Braille writers and Braille displays and other Braille tech if the damage isn’t too severe. But did you know that the more you use your Braille Writer the less often you have to have it cleaned? Light use you need to have it cleaned and maintained every year but heavy use you might be able to wait as much as three years.

For more information contact us through

Custom Braille Your Way

06/12/2026

Do you know that we frequently write a blog about blindness, Braille, and other issues?

Lack of Vision Does Not Mean Lack of Thinking

I do not mean for this title to be offensive. In fact, I am going to be really blunt in this article. I will, however, apologize now if I go off on a tangent. This article is directed to people who will never see it, some individuals who will, but written for all who struggle with vision loss and other health problems, including myself. If you are easily offended, this may not be the article for you. Also, the last thing I want to do is sound like a victim. I am writing this for my community of the visually impaired in hopes that the right people will see it and wake up, not become woke as our society thinks of it, and make small helpful changes.

To read more go to

Custom Braille Your Way

06/11/2026

Are you new to using a white Cain? We would be happy to help you pick the one that’s right for you personally and can answer a few questions about it.

https://battleforblindness.org/types-of-white-canes-for-visually-impaired-people-and-how-they-improve-mobility

Personally, I like the urban Explorer with a Pathfinder 360 cane tip. But this may not be the right one for every person. Feel free to reach out and ask us.

essentiallybraille.com

Learn about types of white canes for visually impaired people and how they help blind individuals move safely and independently.

06/10/2026

We need your help!

Most of our Braille soap molds have broken. Do you or anyone you know, know how to make us new ones?

Essentiallybraille.com

Custom Braille Your Way

06/08/2026

ACB is thrilled to announce that the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act was just reintroduced in both the House and the Senate! Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia reintroduced the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky and Rep. John Rutherford of Florida have reintroduced the bill in the House.

This bipartisan legislation would help ensure that every child who is deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, deafdisabled, blind, or who has low vision is properly identified and provided with appropriate educational services needed to succeed. Additionally, it would help strengthen the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to guarantee students receive specialized instruction from qualified personnel and boost state accountability measures. This legislation would also assist parents and educators with updated resources from the Department of Education. Finally, it would lauch a national collaborative organizational resource to amplify evidence-based practices.

ACB proudly endorses this legislation.

The link to the press release can be found here: https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sens-markey-capito-reps-mcgarvey-rutherford-reintroduce-legislation-to-expand-access-to-educational-services-for-students-with-communications-disabilities

The link to the text of the bill can be found here:https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/alice_cogswell_and_anne_sullivan_macy_act.pdf

A Speak4 campaign supporting the Cogswell Macy Act will be shared soon!

Sincerely,

Grace Hart
Operations Administrator, Advocacy & Accessibility
American Council of the Blind
202-978-2593

06/08/2026

As a person with low vision, I have a great appreciation for color combination.

If you work for any city and design crosswalks, please keep these points in mind:

The higher, the contrast the better. Sometimes color does matter. Bright colors against muted colors help the most.

06/03/2026

ESSENTIALLY BRAILLE REPAIRS BRAILLERS AND SOME TECH DEVICES

Tonya Drew attended her first KCB convention before COVID. She became a KCB life member in 2019, and was an early KCB tech grant recipient. Tonya provides braille transcription services through her business, Essentially Braille; she has been an exhibitor at the KCB state convention several times.

Tonya and her husband Benjamin have now added braillewriter and electronics repair to their business. Since the KCB 2025 state convention last November, Benjamin has serviced several Perkins braillers for KCB members. His work has been exceptional and his charges are very reasonable. Benjamin also repairs some tech devices such as notetakers.

For more information about repair services available from Essentially Braille, contact Benjamin and Tonya at 502-706-5007.

Essentiallybraille.com

Custom Braille Your Way

06/01/2026

What is Essentially Braille?

Essentially Braille is a full service Braille Company. We offer everything from hand brailed products such as greeting cards and business cards to full-size books transcribed into Braille. We also have repairs and maintenance on Braille writers and some limited maintenance and cleaning for Braille displays.
We hope in the future to offer Braille labeling through the use of a 3-D printer.

Who is behind Essentially Braille?

Tonya Drew
Benjamin Drew
Jennifer Rieth
Jen Lyons
Jeffrey Friedlander
With special assistance from Joshua Rieth and others.

How can I help Essentially Braille?

Essentially Braille tries to offer assistance to those who need repairs done but needs to have it done for a fair price. Often people donate Braille displays and Braille writers to us and we can take the parts off and not charge customers for the parts. There is a base fee, but we try to do fair work for a fair price.

Where can I learn more about Essentially Braille?

essentiallybraille.com
Or call the office at 502-706-5007

We look forward to working with you!

Custom Braille Your Way

05/29/2026

Do you like articles about accessibility?

Do you like to read about repairs?

Do you like Braille?

Essentiallybraille.com

We have blog posts a couple of times a month on interesting topics related to Braille.

Custom Braille Your Way