Press Release
July 2025
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jen Goulden, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
613-552-4191; chair@brailleauthority.org
At its face-to-face meeting in May, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) approved a new position statement, Accessible Tests are Required for Braille Readers. This document is now available on the BANA website at https://www.brailleauthority.org/bana-position-statements-and-fact-sheets.
Prompted by persistent misperceptions about current braille codes, the position statement addresses general inaccuracies that lead to inaccessible tests for students at the national, state and local levels. In the document BANA reaffirms that English Braille American Edition (EBAE) is no longer supported. The official braille codes for use in the United States are Unified English Braille (UEB), The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation 2022, Music Braille Code, and International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Students may use UEB or Nemeth Code for technical subjects like math and science, as determined by their IEP or 504 Plan. Testing materials must match the braille code and accommodations students use during instruction. States, educators, and test developers must ensure that all assessments and instructional materials comply with these guidelines to support equitable access for students who are blind or low vision.
The mission of the Braille Authority of North America is to assure literacy for tactile readers through the standardization of braille and/or tactile graphics.
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