The Access Circle – March 2026 

Welcome 

Dear Round Table members and supporters, 

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I warmly welcome you to The Access Circle, our first regular newsletter. With our mission in mind, the primary way in which we leverage and optimise our collective expertise and knowledge is through our flagship event which is of course our annual conference. However, we want to do more to support ongoing connection and knowledge share among our members in-between conferences by way of a regular newsletter. Ideally, it will be published on a monthly basis, but the frequency will very much depend on the engagement and contributions we receive from our members. So please feel free to send me your feedback and suggestions for future newsletters to [email protected]. 

In this issue: 

• News Roundup
• Tech Talk
• Upcoming Events
• Member Matters

Happy reading! 

Francois Jacobs 

Consumer Representative 

News Roundup 

This section will feature news items relevant to our community, and this month we start with a big one. 

David Rice OAM 

It is with great pleasure that we share the news that our very own David Rice, who has been serving on the Round Table Executive since 2021, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2026 Australia Day Honours for service to people with disability. You can read more about David’s involvement and achievements in the sector on the Australia Day 2026 Honours List, but we will use this space to share the message of congratulations that came from our President on the day after the Awards: 

Dear David,

It is with great pleasure and admiration that I extend my warmest congratulations on being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in yesterday’s Australia Day Honours. 

This recognition of your service to people with print disability is truly well-deserved. Your dedication, advocacy, and tireless work have made a profound difference in advancing accessibility and inclusion, and this honour reflects the impact of your contributions. 

The accessibility community is fortunate to have your leadership and commitment, and I am personally grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside you in this important field. 

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on this wonderful achievement. 

With warm regards, 

Agata

Global Braille Literacy Campaign 

Peter Greco interviewed Frances Gentle about the Global Braille Literacy Campaign, a joint ICEVI and WBU global initiative launched on World Braille Day 4 January 2026. You can listen to the interview on Focal Point and read about the campaign on the ICEVI website. 

Tech Talk 

Here we aim to bring you updates about the latest technology developments in the field of braille and other alternative formats.  

We are currently experiencing rapid progress in the field of tactile graphics and Multiline Braille Reading more broadly, and we are thrilled to have HumanWare exhibiting some of the latest devices at our conference in May. If you can’t wait that long, we invite you to watch this recent webinar on the Dot Pad X. 

These devices take Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics accessibility to the next level, but they are increasingly used in wider contexts, as demonstrated by this LinkedIn post where David Woodbridge explained how he was using the Monarch during the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. 

Upcoming Events 

With our annual conference just over two months away, it should come as no surprise that we’re dedicating this section to conference matters, but if you’re aware of any other upcoming events that fellow members might find of interest, please let us know. 

Thank you to everyone who secured the early-bird rate for the 2026 Round Table Annual Conference. We are delighted with the strong response and look forward to welcoming delegates to Adelaide in May. If you missed the early-bird deadline, registrations remain open, and we would highly appreciate you helping to spread the word about the conference. An easy way to do this if you have a LinkedIn profile, is to share this post about the conference with your networks. 

Under this year’s theme, Innovation, Collaboration and Empowerment: Gateways to Information Access, the program brings together speakers and delegates from Australia, New Zealand, Ethiopia, Japan, South Korea and the USA. This international perspective strengthens the conversation around current challenges, sector innovation and future opportunities in information access.  

The 2026 Conference will be held at the Pullman Adelaide from Sunday 24 May to Tuesday 26 May 2026, with the Australian Braille Authority meeting taking place on Saturday 23 May. 

Why Attend Round Table 2026? 

• Stay ahead of emerging trends in accessibility, inclusive publishing and assistive technology.
• Gain practical insights and real-world strategies from sector leaders.
• Connect with professionals influencing information access across Australia, New Zealand and internationally.
• Contribute to meaningful discussions shaping the future of accessible information.
• Strengthen your organisation’s visibility and commitment to inclusion.

Round Table offers a unique forum for collaboration, knowledge sharing and professional connection within the information access community. 

We are grateful to Beyond Blindness, our 2026 Platinum Sponsor, for their valued support of the conference and the work of Round Table. 

The exhibitor space is shaping up strongly, with organisations including HumanWare, Pentronics, and See Differently showcasing products and services that support accessibility across the sector. 

Registrations remain open, and with strong early interest confirmed, we encourage you to secure your place. Visit the 2026 Round Table conference for full program details and to complete your registration. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Adelaide in May. 

Member Matters 

We extend a warm belated public welcome to our new members who have joined the Round Table over the last few months. Their details have been added to our member organisations list and we encourage you to collaborate and draw from the vast knowledge we collectively hold. 

State Library Victoria

If you attended last year’s conference you may recall the fascinating presentation which was called Enhancing Accessibility in Public Libraries: Insights from Australian Library Staff. The presentation highlighted the need for knowledge sharing to place libraries in a strong position to better serve their customers with access needs, so we were delighted when the State Library Victoria joined as a member in September last year. We are excited about their potential to assist in engaging other state libraries. 

Dotted Beats Pty Ltd

Dotted Beats is a company that specialises in music tuition and mentoring for people with multiple Disabilities and Vision Impairment.  

Beyond Blindness 

Beyond Blindness has joined as both our Platinum Sponsor for the 2026 conference and our newest member organisation.  

That’s it for this edition, if you have any news items such as new technology making a difference, or events you think readers would be interested in attending , then please submit items of maximum 400 words by the end of the month to [email protected] for consideration for the next newsletter.