Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc.

2026 Conference Program

Innovation, Collaboration and Empowerment: Gateways to Information Access

The 2026 conference will explore how innovation and collaboration can open doors to greater independence and inclusion for people with print disabilities. Together, we’ll look at practical ways to ensure everyone has the tools, resources and opportunities they need to access information on equal terms, so that information access is not only a recognised right, but a lived reality for all.

Dates:

Saturday 23 May to Tuesday 26 May 2026

Venue:

Pullman Adelaide Hotel
16 Hindmarsh Square
Adelaide, South Australia

Phone: +61 (08) 8206 8875

Platinum Sponsor: Beyond Blindness

Please note: The conference program may be subject to change without notice.

Program Date: 5 March 2026


 

Saturday 23 May 2026

9:00am – 9:30am Registration

9:30am – 3:30pm Australian Braille Authority (ABA) Annual Meeting

Chair: Tristan Clare

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

The agenda for the day will be circulated prior to the meeting. Further details will be made available through the OZBRL listserv.

9;30am – 10:30am Welcome and opening announcements

10:30am – 11:00am Morning Tea

11:00pm – 1:00pm ABA Annual Meeting continued

1:00pm – 2:00pm Lunch

2:00pm – 3:00pm Feature Presentation

3:00pm – 4:00pm Afternoon Tea and time to connect

6:00pm – 8:00pm Welcome Function and Conference Opening

Venue: Pre Function Area, Pullman Adelaide Hotel

 


 

Sunday 24 May 2026

8:30am – 9:00 am: Registration

8:30am – 5:30pm: Technology and Services Exhibition (Hindmarsh 4)

9:00am – 10:15 am Session 1 Plenary

Chair: Agata Mrva-Montoya

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

9:00am – 9:20am: Conference Announcements and Roll Call

9:20am – 9:30am: Welcome and President’s Introduction: Agata Mrva-Montoya, President, Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc.

9:30am – 10:15am: Keynote Address

1       Understanding the Cohort: What We Know about the Prevalence of Blindness and Low Vision in Australia

Presenter: Jonathan Craig, Vision 2020 Australia

10:15am – 10:45am Morning Tea

10:45am – 12:15am Concurrent Sessions 2 & 3

Session 2 Chair: Sonali Marathe

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 3 Chair: Francois Jacobs

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

10:45am – 11:15am:

2a     Policy and Resourcing Changes Needed by the Australian Information Accessibility Sector

Presenter: Ariella Meltzer, Centre for Social Impact UNSW

10:45am – 11:15am:

3a     Studio 1 – A Talk-Back Show that Isn't a Talk-Back Show

Presenters via Zoom: Sam Rickard & Lizzie Eastham, Vision Australia Radio

11:15am – 11:45pm:

2b     Buying a Better Future: The Power of Procurement in Education and Employment

Presenter: Melanie Chatfield, Blind Citizens Australia

11:15am – 11:45pm:

3b     Empowering Voices – Powerd Media’s Internship Program Creating Pathways for People with Disability in Radio and Podcasting

Presenter: Eliza Hull, Powerd Media

11:45pm – 12:15pm:

2c     Statewide Vision Resource Centre: Supporting Teaching and Learning for Victorian Students Who Are Vision Impaired

Presenter: Di Bennett, Statewide Vision Resource Centre

11:45pm – 12:15pm:

3c     VIITALS: Vision Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Pre-Employment Training and Adult Life Skills

Presenter: Lee Strickland, Dotted Beats Pty Ltd

12:15pm – 1:00pm: Lunch Break

1:00pm – 2:30pm: Concurrent Sessions 4 & 5

Session 4 Chair: Sonali Marathe

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 5 Chair: Frances Gentle

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

1:00pm – 1:30pm:

4a     From Policy to Practice: Embedding Accessibility in Australian Public Libraries

Presenters: Agata Mrva-Montoya, University of Sydney & Jo Kaeding, University of Adelaide

1:00pm – 1:30pm:

5a     Title TBC

Presenter: David Woodbridge, Humanware

1:30pm – 2:00pm:

4b     Vision Australia Library Supporting Print Access in Public Libraries

Presenter: Tom Eason, Vision Australia Library

1:30pm – 2:00pm:

5b     Adult Braille Training Reimagined: Empowering Learners Through Inclusive Design, Evidence-Based Practice and Bold Collaboration

Presenter: Carlia Rix, Vision Australia

2:00pm – 2:30pm:

4c     Meaningful Encounters with Art: Audio-Tactile Art History in Galleries and Museums

Presenter: Sophie Coppenhall, Monash University

2:00pm – 2:30pm:

5c     Beyond Access: Reimagining Print Disability Services Through a Belonging and Joy Lens in Higher Education

Presenter: Johna Wright, Mercer University

2:30pm – 3:00pm: Afternoon Tea

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Concurrent Sessions 6 & 7

Session 6 Chair: Leanne Smith

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 7 Chair: Jane Wegener

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

3:00pm – 3:30pm:

6a     Braille Challenge brought to Australia

Presenters: Claire Farrell & Aasha Rose, See Differently with the Royal Society for the Blind

3:00pm – 4:00pm:

7a     Workshop: Beyond Sight: Creative Collaboration and Tactile Storytelling in the GLAM Sector

Presenters: Lily Gower, SA School & Services for Vision Impaired & Danni Zuvela, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE)

3:30pm – 4:00pm:

6b     Braille Literacy Training

Presenter: Emily White, Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne

7a     Workshop: Beyond Sight continued

Move to Plenary

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

4:10pm – 4:40pm: Exhibitors Session

4:45pm – 5:45pm: Round Table AGM

Chair: Agata Mrva-Montoya

5:45pm: Close of Day 1


 

Monday 25 May 2026

8:30am – 9:00 am: Registration

8:30am – 5:30pm: Technology and Services Exhibition (Hindmarsh 4)

9:00am – 10:15am: Plenary Session 8

Chair: Francois Jacobs

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

9:00am – 9:15am: Welcome and Roll Call.

9:15am – 9:45am: Keynote Address

8a     More Braille: More Empowerment – A Global Campaign for Braille Literacy

Presenter: Frances Gentle, International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment

9:45am – 10:15am: Plenary

8b     Braille: More than just literacy, it's dignity, identity and freedom

Presenter: Aasha Rose, University of Southern Queensland

10:15am – 10:45am: Morning Tea

10:45am – 12:15pm: Concurrent Sessions 9 & 10

Session 9 Chair: Agata Mrva-Montoya

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 10 Chair: TBC

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

10:45am – 11:15am:

9a     Beyond Text to Speech: Exploring How Innovative AI Features in Assistive Technology Are Enhancing Access to Visual Information.

Presenter: Rebecca Clark, Quantum RLV

10:45am – 11:15am:

10a   Development of Assessment Checklist for Students with Deafblindness: Sensory Integration

Presenter: Shruti Bobade, Independent Researcher

11:15am – 11:45pm:

9b     Helper or Hinderer: The role of AI in Digital Accessibility

Presenter: Vithya Vijayakumare, VisAbility Ltd

11:15am – 11:45pm:

10b   Toward Literacy Equity: A Delphi Study on Supporting Braille Readers in Mainstream Classrooms

Presenter: Karen Croake, Armidale Catholic Schools (and the University of Newcastle)

11:45pm – 12:15pm:

9c     Touchcentricity, Accessibility and Modern Life

Presenter via Zoom: Annmaree Watharow

11:45pm – 12:15pm:

10c   Dual Media Readers: Where Braille is Presented with Colour Images to Facilitate Increased Literacy Skills

Presenter: Lauren Fountain, SA School and Service for Vision Impaired

12:15pm – 1:00pm: Lunch Break

12:30pm – 4:30pm: Concurrent Session 11

Session 11: Tour of South Australian School for Vision Impaired (SASSVI)
Venue: 1B Duncan Ave, Park Holme, Adelaide

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm: Travel to SASSVI Offices (for registered participants)

1:00pm – 1:30pm: Open class

1:30pm – 2:30pm: Workshop: Fluency at Your Fingertips

Presenters: Skye Jones & Skye Wittwer

2:30pm – 3:00pm: Afternoon tea

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Statewide Support Service, Resource Center, Accessible Format Production

Presenters: Jo Minnis, Lauren Fountain and Janine Land

4:00 – 4:30pm: Travel to the Pullman Adelaide Hotel

1:00pm – 2:30pm: Concurrent Sessions 12 & 13

Session 12 Chair: Thomas Bryan
Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 13 Chair: Jane Wegener
Chair: Hindmarsh 3

1:00pm – 1:30pm:

12a   Magnepins: A Low Cost, Buildable, and High Pin Count Refreshable Tactile Display

Presenter: Jim Smiley, Monash University

1:00pm – 1:30pm:

13a   Explaining to the Visually Impaired How Sighted People See the World

Presenter: Kazunori Minatani, National Center for University Entrance Examinations Japan

1:30pm – 2:30pm:

12b   Workshop: Chemistry Laboratory Experiments for Students Who Are Blind

Presenters: Anthony Katselas, Siegbert Schmid, Cary Supalo, Alice Motion, University of Sydney

1:30pm – 2:30pm:

13b   Workshop: Rethinking Co-Design Techniques to Include Touch – Let’s Make an Accessible Playground!

Presenter: Lara Anderson, Leona Holloway, Matthew Butler, Monash University and Dagmar Reinhart, University of Sydney

2:30pm – 3:00pm: Afternoon Tea

3:00pm – 5:00pm: Concurrent Sessions 14, 15

Session 14 Chair: Vithya Vijayakumare

Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 15 Chair: Agata Mrva-Montoya

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

3:00pm – 3:30pm:

14a   Beyond Global Standards: How the African Disability Protocol Strengthens Access to Copyrighted Works and Advances the Marrakesh Treaty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Presenter: Yohannes Takele Zewale, Addis Ababa University and Light for the World

3:00pm – 3:30pm:

15a   Empowerment to Navigate Academia as Blind Academics: The Importance of Cross-Institutional Peer Connection and the Recognition of Crip Time

Presenters: Katie Butler, University of Newcastle, Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes, University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne, Kim Kinnear, Deakin University

3:30pm – 4:00pm:

14b   Bridging the divide that exists

Presenter: James Dunn, Queenstown Men’s Circle

3:30pm – 4:00pm:

15b   International BLV Students at the Crossroads: Navigating Pedagogical Content Across Language and Sensory Barriers in British and Australian Universities

Presenter: Jing Hu, Monash University

4:00pm – 5:00pm:

14c   ANZAGG Workshop: Hands-on encounters with accessible art and artefacts

Presenters: Leona Holloway & Sophie Coppenhall Monash University, Debra Murphy & Trent Bretts, Vision Australia

4:00pm – 5:00pm:

15c   Workshop: Rewriting the Writing Classroom: Playful, Print-Inclusive Pedagogy in Higher Education

Presenter: Johna Wright, Mercer University

6:30pm – 7:00pm Pre-dinner Drinks
Venue: Pre-function area

7:00pm – 11:00pm Conference Dinner
Venue: Hindmarsh Rooms 2 & 3

11:00 pm: Close of Day 2


 

Tuesday 26 May 2026

8:30am – 9:00 am: Registration

8:30am – 1:00pm: Technology and Services Exhibition (Hindmarsh 4)

9:00am – 10:15am: Plenary Session 16

Chair: Thomas Bryan

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

9:00am – 9:15am: Welcome and Roll Call

9:15am – 9:45am: Keynote Address

16a   The progress in STEM globally

Presenter: Cary Supalo, Research Developer at Educational Testing Service (ETS), Princeton

9:45am – 10:15am: Plenary Feature

16b   Accessibility of Museums for BLV: International Initiatives and Guidelines

Presenter: Dagmar Reinhardt, The University of Sydney

10:15am – 10:45am: Morning Tea

10:45am – 12:15pm: Concurrent Sessions 17 & 18

Session 17 Chair: Annette Sutherland

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 18 Chair: TBC

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

10:45am – 11:15am:

17a   Accessible Content: Building a Framework through Local and International Collaboration

Presenter: Victoria Owen, University of Toronto

10:45am – 11:15am:

18a   Using Value Sensitive Design to Improve Accessibility and Inclusion in Playgrounds

Presenter: Lara Anderson, Monash University

11:15am – 12:15pm:

17b   Workshop: AI in the Production of Tactile Graphics

Presenter: Matthew Butler, Monash University

11:15am – 12:15pm:

18b   Workshop: Braille in the Wild: Exploring the Potential Impact of Increased Braille Presence Outside the Regular Context of Educational and Reading Materials

Presenters: Ben Clare, South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment & Janine Land, SA School and Services for the Visually Impaired

12:15pm – 1:00pm: Lunch Break

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Concurrent Sessions 19 & 20

Session 19 Chair: Francois Jacobs

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

Session 20 Chair: Vithya Vijayakumare

Venue: Hindmarsh 3

1:00pm – 1:30pm:

19a   The Writings on the Wall: Charting the Void with UV Printing

Presenter: David Davenport, Blind Low Vision NZ

1:00pm – 1:30pm:

20a   Unlocking the Music of Braille: The NextSense Online Braille Music Notation Introductory Training Programme

Presenters: Frances Gentle, ICEVI & Craig Cashmore, PeppaCode

1:30pm – 2:00pm:

19b   Advocacy: Where Has the Passion Gone

Presenter: Tony Starkey, Beyond Blindness

1:30pm – 2:00pm:

20b   Collaborative Pathways: Designing an Accessible Music Studies Exam Through Trial and Error

Presenter: Oliver Land, SA School and Services for the Visually Impaired

Move to Plenary

2:15pm – 3:00pm: Plenary Session 21

Chair: TBC

Venue: Hindmarsh 1 & 2

2:15pm – 2:45pm: Plenary

21a     Title TBC

Presenter: TBC

2:45pm – 3:00pm: President’s Final Address

Agata Mrva-Montoya, President, Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc.

3:00 pm: Close of Day 3, Conference Finishes