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Seeing AI: The 2025 update
Posted Apr 2025
There are many ways to support and accommodate visually impaired people. One of those is finding out their communication preference, to provide any information/communications (such as letters and leaflets) in in an accessible document. This could be large print, Braille, audio, or in an electronic format such as a Microsoft Word document.
Asking a visually impaired person their preferred format is a must. It could be the difference between a visually impaired person choosing to access your offering or not.
Accommodating visually impaired people’s format preferences demonstrates corporate social responsibility, and will make the visually impaired person feel included, valued, and more independent.
Below we talk through some different accessible formats, and give some top tips on creating accessible documents in the different formats.
Please note: This blog focuses specifically on documents you may typically produce on paper in standard print, such as a letter you may post out, or a leaflet somebody may pick up at a customer service desk.
Large print
Not all people with sight loss need their printed materials in large print. It depends on their preferences, for example using a magnifier or CCTV to magnify text themselves.
By contrast, some visually impaired people may need documents in a very large font (for example font size 36pt). Ask for their preference.
At Henshaws, we tend to send printed material using Arial 18pt, unless we know the person’s preferences.
It isn’t just about font size though. For some, using colour contrast also helps with their reading. For example, black text on a yellow background is a good option.
Watch our video below in which we talk through examples of good and bad contrast.
Braille
Transcribing materials into braille requires specialist equipment (a braille embosser) and specialist software. Braille embossers and the software are very expensive. Braille transcription also requires a specialist skillset to ensure the braille is at the highest standard.
In most cases, if a visually impaired person requests information in braille, your cheapest, and most efficient, option is to outsource the request to an organisation with the specialist software and skillset at the ready.
In the UK, Unified English Braille (UEB) is the standard format. There are two types of UEB: uncontracted and contracted. When transcribing materials into braille, ask the person for their preference, if they haven’t specified it already.
There are various organisations that offer a Braille transcription service. Henshaws is one of them! Contact us for information about costs and to find out more.
One of our regular braille transcription requests is to braille the ballot papers for some of the councils in Greater Manchester. This gives voters have more independence at the polling station.
Audio
Some visually impaired people like to have documents in an audio format, meaning that the information is read aloud for them to listen to.
You can create documents in audio format in two ways: recording a person reading out the document, or using a synthesised voice. Using a synthesised voice is our preferred option, as it’s relatively quick and easy. Synthesised voices are getting more sophisticated and people with sight loss are more willing to accept them, especially with advances in Artificial Intelligence. There are plenty of ‘free’ and ‘paid for’ solutions if you go online. There are even some companies offering it as a service. We tend to use two solutions: the free ‘spoken track’ feature on Apple Mac, and the Amazon Polly service.
There are various ways you can get the audio document to the person. You can use a thumb drive, compact disc, email, or online cloud service like Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Watch our video below to hear Amazon Polly in action
Digital documents
Some visually impaired people prefer digital documents that they can read on a device such as their phone or computer. There are various file types including Microsoft Word Document, PDF and plain text.
While all of these file types are accessible, many visually impaired people prefer a Microsoft Word document.
When creating accessible Word documents, there are simple steps to follow to ensure the document is as accessible as possible. Scope For Business has produced an article outlining top tips for making Word documents accessible.
Other formats are also acceptable, for example PDF, plain text and HTM. However, it is important to ensure that the file you produce is accessible. For example, avoid PDFs which feature the text as an image, and ensure that you tag PDFs correctly so that the person can find the information they need quickly.
If sending documents digitally, we recommend Word document as the standard, and other formats available should the person prefer an alternative.
Like audio, you can put digital documents on a thumb drive, send them via email, or via a service like Dropbox or WeTransfer.
RoboBraille
RoboBraille is a free online service for converting documents into various formats including Braille, audio and accessible digital formats including Word, RTF, TXT and PDF.
The service is cloud-based – upload the file you want to convert, select your conversion preferences, enter your email address, and you will receive the result in your inbox.
Please note: Artificial Intelligence powers the conversion, not a human, so ensure that any errors have been corrected manually before distributing the accessible document.
RoboBraille is a great service for getting the ball rolling, but it is preferable to make the document accessible yourself.
A major advantage of RoboBraille is that the service allows for conversion into a wide range of formats.
Articles For The Blind
Articles For The Blind is a way of sending materials to a visually impaired person.
Articles for the Blind is a shceme that Royal Mail run that enables you to post materials to visually impaired people, completely for free.
There are, however, caveats. Any printed materials must be in Font 16pt or above (unless it is an original copy of a document also provided in another format, for example a print copy enclosed with a Braille copy); the package must be addressed to a named person (not ‘the occupier’ or ‘dear customer’); and you cannot send personal, sensitive and confidential documents.
