For NextSense Publications Officer Tristan, the written word has always been a big part of her life—from the Stephen King novels she would devour as a teenager, to the short stories she wrote later on.

Tristan, who is blind, plays an integral role reviewing and producing content for our Accessibility and Inclusion team. From our in-house braille production unit, the team creates accessible materials for people who are blind or have low vision across Australia—such as braille, large print and accessible E-text textbooks, novels, restaurant menus, children’s books and diagrams. They also produce tactile graphics and objects.

Tristan’s love of reading and talent for writing was a big motivation behind her decision to undertake a Master of Creative Writing after leaving school. But she craved the structure and company of an office environment, so when an opportunity came up to volunteer for NextSense, she took it up. Later, her skills and interests found an excellent match in our Accessibility and Inclusion team as a proofreader and transcriber.

Unlike print, braille font size and density are consistent and in a linear layout to make it easier and faster for readers to find and read it. So, when transcribing printed textbooks—which often have diagrams and images placed around the page and in different columns—decisions need to be made around the appropriate layout.

Once a braille version has been produced, Tristan usually works alongside a sighted copyholder, who reads aloud printed text while Tristan scans the braille version and picks up any errors or inconsistencies in formatting between the two.

She also uses her refreshable braille display and screen reader software to compare texts and advises on the accessibility of tactile materials such as mathematical diagrams and maps, which need to be reproduced in a way that best captures what’s being taught. Clever use of tactile shading, for example, can illustrate depth and differentiate between surfaces.

Tristan has worked for NextSense for 15 years and loves the variety of content she gets to work with. This can range from producing braille versions of childhood classics like Playing Beatie Bow, to mathematics textbooks for HSC students.

She has seen big changes in her field since she started. In the past, tactile diagrams were hand-drawn before being embossed, but these days the drawing is done on a computer, significantly reducing the amount of time needed to produce them.

In this recent NextSense Institute Podcast episode, Tristan and her brother Ben, who is also blind, are interviewed about how they navigate the world—locally and globally. In it, Tristan describes the challenges and opportunities that moving to a new workplace has brought, requiring her to learn how to navigate three different public transport connections.

For Tristan, getting orientation and mobility support is about more than just learning the best way to get from A to B—it helps her gain independence, and improves her confidence and fitness.

“You’re learning all kinds of soft skills and how to deal with the public, how to keep your cool if you go through the wrong bus stop,” she says.

Her new workplace is located directly opposite an aquatic centre, which Tristan says is wonderful as it’s meant she can walk over independently for a swim, allowing for more spontaneous life choices.

Listen to Tristan and her brother Ben's interview on the NextSense Institute podcast (transcript available).