CONTACT: Frances Mary D'Andrea, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
Phone: 412-521-5797
Email: literacy2@mindspring.com
The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) held its 2012 fall meeting on November 2 – 4 in Los Angeles, CA. The Braille Institute of America (BIA), a BANA member organization, hosted the meeting. A well-attended Open Forum provided an opportunity for participants to learn more about the workings of BANA and to provide feedback. Members of the BANA Board reviewed the history and rationale behind Unified English Braille (UEB) and responded to participants' questions and concerns about its adoption.
During its three-day meeting, the BANA Board reviewed and acted on semiannual reports from its eighteen committees and deliberated issues and challenges facing braille users and producers. Based on recommendations from BANA technical committees, the following rulings were approved:
Modification to Section 191 of the Nemeth Code: A minor wording change to Section 191 of the Nemeth Code was recommended by the BANA Mathematics Technical Committee and approved by the BANA Board. By removing the word "outlines" from this section of the Nemeth Code, transcribers can use the nested list format detailed in Braille Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2011 when transcribing outlines and tables of contents in Nemeth. This change is effective immediately, and it is posted on the BANA website.
Minor change in wording of the Computer Braille Code Update: The Board approved a clarification to the Computer Braille Code Special Symbols Update 2010. This update makes clear the fact that CBC symbols are to be listed on the Special Symbols page in a specific order. This clarification is reflected in the files on the BANA website.
Document approved – Application of the Formats Guidelines 2011 to Nemeth Transcriptions: BANA's Mathematics Braille Technical Committee created a document that provides a quick guide to the updated Braille Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2011 for transcribers and proofreaders who produce Nemeth code materials. The Board approved this document, and it will soon be posted on the BANA website.
BANA welcomed a new member organization, the Alternate Text Production Center of the California Community Colleges (ATPC), and their representative to the Board, Sandy Greenberg. BANA also welcomed three new Board Representatives—Barbara Finkelstein from Associated Services for the Blind, Nancy Niebrugge from the Braille Institute of America, and Jackie Sheridan from National Braille Press.
The Board elected officers for the 2013 calendar year, and they are:
Chair: Frances Mary D'Andrea, representing the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB);
Vice Chair: Mary Nelle McLennan, representing the American Printing House for the Blind (APH);
Secretary: Jennifer Dunnam, representing the National Federation of the Blind (NFB);
Treasurer: Sue Reilly, representing the California Transcribers and Educators of the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI); and
Immediate Past President: Judy Dixon, representing the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
As reported in a press release distributed in early November 2012, the most notable action by the Board was the adoption of the Unified Braille Code (UEB) in the United States. The transition to UEB will take time and will require extensive preparation and coordination. The transition will follow a carefully crafted implementation timeline and plan that will take into consideration the various aspects of using, teaching, and producing braille. At its November meeting, the BANA Board appointed a UEB Implementation Task Force, which is constructing an implementation plan that will reflect input from the diverse communities involved in using, teaching, learning, and producing braille. Opportunities for input into the implementation plan will continue through the summer and fall as well as throughout the transition period. After the implementation plan is put into action and the transition time is determined, the official braille codes for the United States will be Unified English Braille; Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 1972 Revision and published updates; Music Braille Code, 1997; and The IPA Braille Code, 2008.
BANA's next meeting will be sponsored by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). Meetings will be held at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The dates of this spring meeting will be April 11 through 13, 2013, with the Open Forum scheduled for Saturday, April 13 at the Arlington, VA, Public Library. Observers are welcome; however, interested guests must register in advance with the BANA Chair in order to conform with special security requirements and procedures for entry to federal buildings. Additional details about the spring meeting and the Open Forum will be announced soon.
For additional resource information, visit www.brailleauthority.org.
The mission and purpose of the Braille Authority of North America are to assure literacy for tactile readers through the standardization of braille and/or tactile graphics. BANA promotes and facilitates the use, teaching, and production of braille. It publishes rules, interprets, and renders opinions pertaining to braille in all existing codes. It deals with codes now in existence or to be developed in the future, in collaboration with other countries using English braille. In exercising its function and authority, BANA considers the effects of its decisions on other existing braille codes and formats; the ease of production by various methods; and acceptability to readers.