Falll 2023

Braille Authority of North America: Fall 2023

Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 26, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Friday, October 27, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Hosted by

Perkins School for the Blind

Grousbeck Center for Students and Technology 

175 N. Beacon St

Watertown, MA 02472

1. Call to Order: Jen Goulden

Jen called the meeting to order at 8:53 A.M. Eastern Time.

2. Welcome: Jen Goulden

Jen welcomed all attendees to the meeting and thanked our host organization, the Perkins school for the Blind.

 

3. Welcome from our hosting organization: Dave Power, President and CEO of Perkins School for the Blind (Wednesday) and Ed Bosso, President of Educational Programs (Thursday)

Dave expressed Perkins' commitment to braille literacy. He expressed the belief that braille is still viable and that technology changes the options for accessing braille. Perkins still manufactures the Perkins Brailler. He explained that the Howe Innovation Center was launched to help bring technology companies and users together and to spread the word about the disability technology sector. Innovation in braille literacy is also a part of the goal of this center.   

4. Self-Introductions: Representatives and Observers

The following board members were in attendance:

  • Jen Goulden, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind), Chair

  • Mary Nelle McLennan, Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), Vice Chair 

  • Amber Pearcy, National Braille Press (NBP), Secretary 

  • Danette Johnson, Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Treasurer

  • Tamara Rorie, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress (NLS), Immediate Past Chair 

  • Marie Zaldivar, Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC)

  • Judy Dixon, American Council of the Blind (ACB)

  • Frances Mary (FM) D'Andrea, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

  • Kyle DeJute, American Printing House for the Blind (APH)

  • Tracy Gaines, California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI)

  • Hollie Knight, Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) 

  • Tina Seger, Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

  • Diane Spence, National Braille Association (NBA) 

  • Jennifer Dunnam, National Federation of the Blind (NFB) 

  • Wendy Buckley, Perkins School for the Blind

  • Susan (Sue) Reilly, Administrative Assistant

  • Aquinas Pather, associate member Allyant

  • Holly Bullock, associate member Crawford Technologies

The following observers were present:

  • Elizabeth Mayeux
  • Cary Supalo
  • Venkatesh Chari
  • Anna Jackson
  • Aurura La Veglia
  • Betty Marshall

5. Board's Liability Statement: Amber Pearcy

In her role as BANA board secretary, amber read the following statement:

BANA indemnifies its Officers and Board of Directors and holds them harmless from all claims of every kind, including court expenses, attorneys' fees, and the claimed amount arising from the performance of their duties as Officers and Directors except for their own acts of dishonesty and gross negligence. (Adopted March 30, 1987)

6. Agenda Approval: Jen Goulden

No changes to the agenda were requested by the board.

MSC: MN moved to approve the agenda. FM seconded. Motion carried.

7. Chair's Comments: Jen Goulden

Jen reminded everyone of observer etiquette. She also discussed various revisions to the timeline of a few agenda items. 

8. Approval of Minutes: Amber Pearcy

No additional changes to the September 18, 2023 minutes were requested.

MSC: Amber moved that the September 18 minutes be approved. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.

9. Braille Formats Technical Committee: Cendi Laurent

Jen delivered this report as circulated. 

Jen will follow up with Guy about the errata document.

Guy is stepping down as the representative for CIDI at the end of December. This means that the Formats Committee will need a new board liaison. Guy has recommended Hollie Knight, who will be joining the board on behalf of CIDI. He is willing to mentor her in the liaison role.

MSC: Tina moved to appoint Hollie Knight as Committee Liaison to the Braille Formats Technical Committee. Danette seconded. Motion carried. 

One committee reappointment was requested for Randy Davis.

MSC: FM moved to reappoint Randy Davis for a term ending in 2025. Wendy seconded. Motion carried.

The Appointments Committee has submitted Diana Brent for consideration as a new committee member. She is a braille reader from Canada, and the committee currently lacks a Canadian representative.

MSC: Diane moved to appoint Diana Brent as a new member of the Braille Formats Technical Committee for a term ending in 2024. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.

We decided to appoint Diana for one year so as to stagger when committee terms end.

 

10. Nemeth Code Technical Committee: Dorothy Worthington

Jennifer delivered the report as circulated. 

Discussion followed regarding the disposition of Charge 422. MN reminded us that Crawford Technologies is making the accessible PDF, and this is underway. The BRF of the document is ready. 

MSC: Jennifer moved that pending the completion of the accessible PDF version of the Nemeth Code update, the existing BRF and PDF shall be posted to the BANA website. FM seconded. Motion carried with one abstention.

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 422 to done. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 422 5/8/23 Work with the Publications Committee as needed to complete the finalized publication of the Nemeth Code 2022 document.

An errata to the Nemeth Code 2022 is in progress.

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 423 to ongoing. FM seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 423 5/8/23 Prepare an errata to the Nemeth Code 2022 to be submitted upon the completion of the final document.]

Committee reappointments were requested for Mary Denault, Allison O'Day, and Susan Osterhaus.

MSC: Jennifer moved to reappoint Mary Denault, Allison O'Day and Susan Osterhaus to the Nemeth Code Technical Committee for terms to end in 2025. FM seconded. Motion carried.

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Nemeth Committee to respond to inquiries regarding the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 2022. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.  

11. Tactile Graphics Technical Committee: Aquinas Pather

Diane delivered the report as circulated.

Aloha Braille has agreed to produce the braille version of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines and Standards 2022. They will be completed by the end of 2023. Minnesota State Services for the Blind is almost finished with the transcription of the Tactile Graphics Supplement.

MSC: Jennifer moved to discard Charge 424. Diane seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 424 5/8/23 Prepare the braille files of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines 2022 to submit to Publications based on the finalized print files.]

The committee requested the reappointment of Aquinas Pather for another term as committee chair, as well as the reappointment of Allison O'Day for another term as committee member.

MSC: Diane moved that Aquinas Pather be reappointed to another term as chair of the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee ending in 2025. FM seconded. Motion carried.

MSC: Diane moved to reappoint Allison O'Day to the committee for a term ending in 2025. FM seconded. Motion carried.  

Diane reported that NBA has asked to receive an advanced copy of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines and Standards 2022 to prepare for a three-day strand of workshops at the fall 2024 NBA conference. We have allowed NBA early access to documents in the past; however, we expect to have final files posted on the website within a few weeks. NBA understands that if the files are not posted by the time of the workshop, they are not allowed to create any handouts or materials for participants to take out of the workshop.

MSC: Kyle moved to allow NBA access to the Tactile Graphics Guidelines files to prepare for a three-day training in October 2024 by January 15 if these files have not yet been posted to the BANA website. If materials are not posted by October 2024, participants cannot take materials away from the conference. Jennifer seconded. Motion carried. 

MN reported that Publications has addressed all feedback and has completed the base Microsoft Word file with the exception of page numbers and footers. Publications has gone through the feedback document received from the Tactile Graphics Committee and has the edited document ready for the committee. This handoff should be made before the PDF is finalized. Once the committee approves the final Word document, the consolidated printable PDF will be created and made available to post on the website as soon as the BRF is ready. 

12. Graphing Calculator Guidelines: Jen Goulden 

Jen reported that Braille Literacy Canada has completed the Graphing Calculator Guidelines update based on the UEB Technical Guidelines. The document is being transcribed. It will be shared with BANA and ICEB once completed. 

13. Music Braille Technical Committee: Karen Gearreald

Tamara delivered the report as circulated. 

Karen is continuing to update the curriculum for music braille transcribers. Part One is currently on the NFB website, and Part Two is in progress. There continues to be a great need for new transcribers of music braille.

FM would like to see BANA participating more in the international activities surrounding Music Braille. 

The ICEB would like to add to the BANA Music Braille manual so that it is more reflective of certain types of international music. The DAISY Consortium is also entering a second phase of their Music Braille project. 

We would like to connect Timothy Jones, head of the music section at NLS, with Sarah Morley Wilkins of the DAISY Consortium. 

Bill McCann has been recommended by Karen Gearreald to join the Music Braille Technical Committee. Tamara will ask Karen to submit his name to the Appointments Committee.

 

Karen is happy to remain on the committee but does not want to remain as chair.

MSC: Tamara moved to reappoint Karen Gearreald to the Music Braille Technical Committee until 2025. Tracy seconded. Motion carried. 

14. International Council on English Braille: Frances Mary D'Andrea

FM reported that the next ICEB General Assembly will be held May 25-30 in Auckland, New Zealand. There is a call for papers to be presented at the conference. The General Assembly will be recorded and livestreamed. 

Nominations for officers will be held.

The Code Maintenance Committee plans to have the updated UEB rulebook ready by the time of the General Assembly. 

The update of the UEB Technical Guidelines is also underway. 

15. General Committee on Electronic Braille Translation: Jen Goulden

Jen delivered the report as circulated.

The fall Status Log will be posted on the BANA website. Jen has also written a blurb explaining the log. We need to determine a mechanism for receiving feedback from the public once the Log is online. 

With the removal of Vivian Seki and Guy Toles from the committee, Jen would like to add two more members if possible. She would like to step down as chair of this committee, but she is happy to remain on the committee. 

MSC: MN moved to appoint Jennifer Dunnam as the chair of the General Committee on Electronic Braille Translation. FM seconded. Motion carried. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to appoint Jen Goulden to the General Committee on Electronic Braille Translation. Kyle seconded. Motion carried. 

16. Report of the General Committee on Unified English Braille: Wendy Buckley

Wendy delivered the report as circulated. 

After reviewing a request from a transcriber, The Committee has declined to bring a recommendation to the board regarding the creation of typeform indicators for double underline, highlighting, and colored text. The Committee determined that transcriber-defined symbols are sufficient to show these attributes.

There are now updated links on the BANA website for the documents Provisional Guidance for Transcribing Mathematics in UEB and the BANA position statement on UEB Math/Science and UEB with Nemeth. In addition, updates have been made to both "Basics of Braille" and the "Braille Basics PDF". The Committee will continue to work with Sue to suggest additional updates to the website relating to UEB. They have also made a suggestion to make it easier for the public to direct questions to all BANA committees.

The committee is seeking a member who has expertise in UEB Math/Science. 

17. Publications Committee: Mary Nelle McLennan

Mary Nelle delivered the report as circulated.

In 2018, the Publications Committee recommended creating a page within the "BANA Documents and Archives" section of the website for legacy braille codes. Now that the website migration is complete, this task should possibly be transferred to the General Committee on Digital Assets.

The same status is true of Charge 336, which called for Publications to create a page within the "About BANA" section describing the Darleen Bogart Award for Braille Excellence. Now that work on this can resume, this task should possibly be moved to the General Committee on Digital Assets.  

MN reminded us of the status of the base Microsoft Word version of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines. Publications is in the process of transferring this file to Aloha Braille for transcription. Kyle asked whether the printable PDF will be the same as the accessible one. Mary Nelle feels certain that this document will not change. Therefore, Kyle would like to bring the PDF to her colleagues at APH so that production specifications can be written in anticipation of future sales by APH. She and Mary Nelle will converse further about this.   

Publications is preparing to review a newly revised and expanded Notice of Corrections document. This document will be ready to share with the board soon. The hope is that this document will be approved in time for the writing of the Nemeth Code 2022 errata. 

MN suggested that several charges are necessary for the Committee regarding the production of the Nemeth Code 2022 document, and in the near future, charges will need to be created for Committee's work on the Chemistry Code document and the Knit and Crochet document. 

MSC: Mary Nelle moved to charge the Publications Committee to prepare the final files for the Nemeth Code 2022 document for publication and posting on the BANA website. FM seconded. Motion carried. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Publications Committee to manage the preparation of the final BRF files of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines and Standards for publication and posting to the BANA website. Diane seconded. Motion carried.

Board discussion was initiated about adding a co-chair to the Committee. This initially came up because Jen has agreed to manage the preparation of the braille files for the revised Tactile Graphics guidelines. This could also be an opportunity to begin training Mary Nelle's eventual replacement. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to appoint Jen Goulden as Co-Chair of the Publications Committee. FM seconded. Motion carried.

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider the provisions around co-chairs for committees. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.

18. Digital Assets Committee: Sue Reilly

Sue delivered the report as circulated.

The creation of documentation is in process to describe how new items are added to the website. A document on the steps for posting press releases has also been updated. 

The process for creating new lists on Groups.io has gotten slightly more complicated, now requiring approval, which will slightly delay list creation. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Digital Assets Committee to consider consolidating all email lists onto one platform. MN seconded. Motion carried. 

Directory updates will be made after the fall meeting and completed by January.

Dropbox folders are created as requested by committees. A new password scheme will soon be implemented, and all board members will receive new passwords to access the board Dropbox folders. We discussed current difficulties for some board members with Dropbox access. It was suggested that the Digital Assets Committee could have a meeting to discuss this further. The recommendation was made that after additional discussion; the committee could give a presentation to the board explaining the way the Dropbox system should work.

Publications and the Digital Assets Committee continue to work on documentation information about the process of making updates to the website. 

As suggested by the Publications Committee, discussion followed about transferring the task of putting information about the BANA Braille Excellence Award on the website to the Digital Assets Committee. There were no objections to making this transfer.

MSC: Jennifer moved to discard Charge 336. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 336 4/9/18 Work with the Awards Committee to put information about the BANA Braille Excellence Awards on the BANA website.

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Digital Assets Committee to adopt the exact language for Charge 336. FM seconded. Motion carried.

It was also agreed to transfer the task of creating a section on the website for legacy braille codes to the Digital Assets Committee.  

MSC: Kyle moved to discard Charge 330. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 330 4/9/18 Work with Darleen Bogart and Jennifer Dunnam to design an archive code section of the website.]

MSC: Kyle moved to charge the Digital Assets Committee to adopt the exact language of Charge 330. Tamara seconded. Motion carried. 

There is not any language in our bylaws about these task transfers between committees.

MSC: FM moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider a new category and procedure for the status of charges that need to transfer from one committee to another. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.

Tina expressed willingness to serve on this committee.

MSC: Kyle moved to appoint Tina Seger to the Digital Assets Committee. Jennifer seconded. Motion carried. 

19. General Committee on Languages Other Than English: Jen Goulden

Jen delivered the report as circulated.

No questions have been received regarding the recently published guidelines for transcribing languages other than English.

MSC: FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 415 to Ongoing. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 415 11/14/22 Answer questions regarding the guidelines for non-English transcription.]

 

Although this committee has been formed, the board must still appoint a chair, board liaison, and committee members. Jen is willing to serve as a committee member. She will work with the Appointments Committee to seek additional members.

20. BANA Appointments Committee: Tracy Gaines

Tracy reported that the committee continues to review submissions for consideration for committee appointments as they are received. When asked, she clarified that before a person is formally recommended to the Appointments Committee, they should be notified and only submitted for consideration if they have said they are interested. 

21. General Committee for Review Process: Jennifer Dunnam

Jennifer delivered the report as circulated. 

This committee has recently managed the technical review of the updated Chemical Notation Using the Nemeth Braille Code, as well as the board review of the updated Knit and Crochet Guidelines. Board reviews of these documents are almost complete. 

Jennifer reported that the board reviews of both the Nemeth Code 2022 and Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics 2022 are complete, which means that the Review Committee has no additional duties to fulfill related to these documents.

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 397 to done. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 397 5/6/21 Document any deviations from the workflow regarding Tactile Graphics, Nemeth and Chemistry, and provide that information to the board.]

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 431 to done. Motion carried.

[Charge 431 6/27/23 Manage a board review of the updated knit and crochet guidelines with the goal of completing the review by the September meeting.] 

Jennifer would like to step down as chair of this committee. 

Kyle has agreed to take on the task of chairing the committee. Jennifer will remain on the committee.

MSC: Tamara moved to appoint Kyle as chair of the General Committee for Review Process beginning in January 2024. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.  

MSC: FM moved to appoint Jennifer as a member of the General Committee for Review Process. Wendy seconded. Motion carried.

Discussion of the board review of the updated Guidelines for Transcribing Knit and Crochet Patterns followed. Many constructive comments were received during the review. Some requests were made for the inclusion of additional documentation and examples relating to various patterns. Due to the extensive additions requested, it was deemed appropriate to form a panel to go through all of the feedback and make the necessary corrections and additions.

MSC: Jennifer moved to appoint a panel to review the suggested corrections. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

MSC: Tracy moved to appoint Jennifer Dunnam, Kyle DeJute, Cendi Laurent, and Jen Goulden to the review panel for the Knit and Crochet Guidelines; the panel will bring recommendations to the board by November 30, 2023. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.  

 

No files will be sent to the Publications Committee until corrections have been made.  

22. Bylaws Committee: Jennifer Dunnam

Jennifer delivered the report as circulated. 

The Bylaws Committee has held nine meetings since the spring BANA meeting in Washington. The purpose of these meetings has been to consider numerous changes to the BANA Bylaws and Policies documents. A draft of these documents was provided to the board as an attachment to this report. The report and document were submitted 30 days before this meeting.

A preliminary proposal regarding changes in the BANA membership was presented and discussed at the September 18 teleconference. The Bylaws   

Committee is proposing an addition to Bylaws Section 3.1.2 that says no primary category of membership should exceed 50 percent of any category within the composition of BANA. We would currently have room to accept new members in every category. No objection was made to this change.

MSC: Tamara moved to change the disposition of Charge 325 to done. Motion carried.

[Charge 325 11/2/17 Consider membership as it relates to size and composition of the Board.]

Charge 333 relates to creating clear definitions of associate members. A change would affect Bylaws 3.2 and Policies 1.3.2.4. The committee proposes adding a clause to Bylaws Section 3.2 which states that "associate members shall have the rights of full board members but will not vote, attend in camera sessions, or serve on committees designated as Board Committees.”

No objections or other additions were suggested regarding the rights of associate members. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 333 to done. Tina seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 333 4/18/18 Create a clear definition of the rights and privileges of an associate member.]

Changes in the number of associate members were made, affecting Bylaws 3.2 and requiring a new Policies section: 1.3.2.2 

The number of associate members shall not exceed 25 percent of member organizations. There were no objections to this change. 

MSC: Tamara moved to change the disposition of Charge 359 to done. FM seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 359 5/2/19

Consider the membership as it relates to the size and composition of Associate Members.]

Appendices D E and F have been completely revised. Appendix D now contains all forms related to committee appointments and considerations; Appendix E contains the committee reporting documents; and Appendix F contains the guidance documents for technical, panel, or board reviews. A suggestion was made that a folder should be created in Dropbox with Microsoft Word versions of these letters and forms.

MSC: FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 391 to done. Diane seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 391 11/8/20 Propose a complete revision of appendices D, E, and F to reflect current practices.]

Charge 400 refers to revisions which would optimize the timing of committee appointments. 

The revision clarifies that appointments can be made during the year if there is a vacancy.

This revision affects Bylaws sections 6.2.4, 6.3.1, and 6.4.1. 

One additional change suggested by the Committee is to change the deadline for committee chairs to submit status forms so that they are received closer to the fall meeting. The recommended time is currently August 1, but the Bylaws Committee suggests that it be changed to 60 days before the fall meeting. No objections were made.    

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 400 to done. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 400 11/18/21 Revise Section 2.6.4 of the bylaws in order to optimize the timing of committee appointments.]

Charge 428 addresses who is responsible for the activity of the Ad Hoc Committee on Significant Occasions. A new Policies section 3.4.5 has been proposed, which assigns this duty to the BANA board secretary. There were no objections.    It was suggested that this addition be documented in Bylaws Section 6.8.

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 428 to done. FM seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 428 5/8/23 Address who is responsible for the activities of the Ad Hoc Committee for Significant Occasions.]

Charge 429 considers the terms of Board and General committee members and affects Bylaws sections 6.2.4, 6.3.1, 6.4.1, 6.5, and 6.6. Currently, they are one-year terms.

No amendments have been made because the Committee believes that there was sufficient information in the Bylaws. Most of this was cleared up with the modification to the timing of appointments. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 429 to done. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 429 5/8/23 Consider the terms of board committees and to report back to the board.]

Charge 389 relates to a variety of items, including: 

  • notification of board members;
  • meetings;
  • financial policies;
  • hosting meetings; and
  • officer duties. 

The changes made to the duties of the Administrative Assistant were approved in the spring.  

A new Bylaws Section 7.1.5 has been added to address times when a face-to-face meeting is not possible. We would like to change the wording in this section from teleconference to virtually.

Policies section 3.2.6 has been modified to address the timing of notice given to Board Members regarding virtual meetings, as well as the distribution of materials for face-to-face meetings. 

The Bylaws Committee has suggested reducing the time frame for responding to email votes from one week to five business days. After discussion and some disagreement about whether this change was needed, this proposal is being withdrawn for reconsideration by the committee. 

The policy requiring a representative from all full member organizations to attend the fall and spring meetings in-person remains unchanged. 

Additional discussion followed about the necessity to consider what would happen when, in the event that the designated representative is unable to attend, an organization does not send an alternate member. Furthermore, consideration should be given to the scenario of a member who does not show up on behalf of an organization. 

In the event that a designated representative could not attend in-person, discussion followed about whether the Chair could make allowances for virtual attendance under extenuating circumstances.   

The secretary now manages the distribution of certificates of appreciation. 

Press releases shall be sent to chief executives of BANA member organizations. 

The term of the Immediate Past Chairperson will increase to two years. It was suggested that there should be an addition to the responsibilities of the Immediate Past Chair: serving on the Nominating Committee.

Various minor changes to the financial policies and meeting hosting policies were discussed. Small changes for the Committee to implement were suggested and noted. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 389 to done. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 389 11/8/20 Propose amendments to the bylaws and policies that address the following: 

  • Dealing with situations when a face-to-face meeting is cancelled, such as in the case of a pandemic;
  • Ensuring optimal format and timing of notifications to board members in general;
  • Clarifying policies around board member attendance of meetings;
  • Adding policies delineating the duties of the administrative assistant;
  • Optimizing the responsibilities designated to specific officers;
  • Optimizing financial policies; and
  • Optimizing policies on hosting a BANA meeting.]

MSC: Jennifer moved that the amendments presented to the bylaws and policies be approved with the changes suggested today. FM seconded. Motion carried. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider the timing of distribution of press releases related to meetings; and observer attendance notification to the chair. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

After additional discussion, it was decided that the amendment related to email votes will remain in the Policies document.

MSC: Tamara moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to bring back a proposal regarding how organizations whose purpose or focus changes from braille should be handled. FM seconded. Motion carried.

It was noted that Horizons for the Blind is now an associate member.

23. Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests: Kyle DeJute

Kyle delivered the report as circulated.

Everyone has confirmed that they are willing to serve on the committee. The committee has a Dropbox folder and a listserv. Kyle reported that she hopes to hold at least two initial meetings before the spring 2024 meeting. 

MSC: Kyle moved to appoint Diane Spence as a consultant to the Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests. MN seconded. Motion carried.

24. Outreach Committee: Marie Zaldivar

Marie delivered the report as circulated.

 

The Committee expects to meet its goal of producing two podcasts for this year. The next podcast will hopefully be recorded by the end of the year featuring a member organization. 

It was suggested that member organizations could promote podcasts on their social media.

The Outreach Committee recommended the purchase of a new BANA banner in case it is needed at an exhibit. The Committee has developed a checklist of items, such as the banner, that can be used if BANA decides to exhibit at events. Some of the materials will need to be updated before they can be used. To facilitate this, Sue will put all electronic files pertaining to exhibits in the Outreach Dropbox.

MSC: Marie moved that the disposition of Charge 427 be changed to done. Tina seconded. Motion carried. 

[Charge 427 5/8/23 Develop a checklist for use in BANA exhibits.]

The suggestion was made that in addition to the materials checklist, a separate list of considerations for exhibiting needs to be created. 

MSC: Tamara moved to charge the Outreach Committee to create a document that specifies steps involved in the process of organizing and implementing BANA exhibits. FM seconded. Motion carried.  

This document may exist. Judy and FM will search.

25. Presentation of Gift to Sandy Smith: Mary Nelle McLennan

Sandy served as a Publications Committee member for almost two decades. She was Integral to the creation of the first electronic versions of Braille Formats and Tactile Graphics Guidelines. 

 

26. Ad Hoc Committee on Chemistry: Cary Supalo

FM delivered the report as circulated. 

The board review of the revised Guidelines for Chemical Notation revealed many errors that could be easily corrected in Sections 1-9. There may also be some corrections needed for the new Section 10. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to suspend the Bylaws to allow us to vote on the Chemistry Code at a virtual board meeting. FM seconded. Motion carried.

It was decided that the most efficient way to proceed was to create a board review panel to manage the feedback. We will send the feedback to the review panel, who will create a concise list of instructions for the Chemistry Committee. The Chemistry Committee will return the corrected document to the review panel, who will make a recommendation to the board.  

MSC: FM moved that a review panel of board members be created to go through the board review comments and create a streamlined list of corrections and questions that will be sent to the Chemistry Committee for action. The review panel will make a recommendation to the board regarding the revised files by the December board meeting. Jennifer seconded. Motion carried.    

MSC: FM moved to appoint Frances Mary D'Andrea, Kyle DeJute, and Jennifer Dunnam to serve as the review panel for the chemistry guidelines. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

Cary Supalo, the committee chair, spoke about the significance of the new guidelines. The Chemistry Committee is hoping that the American Chemical Society will adopt the standard symbols that the Chemistry Committee has created as part of this revised code. He hopes that BANA can be a part of the unveiling of this standardized symbology in the future.

MN acknowledged the work of the Committee and thanked them for thinking big.

This committee may need to be reconstituted in some way after the adoption of the new guidelines.

27. Ad Hoc Committee on eBRF: Tamara Rorie

The committee is in favor of remaining intact.

MSC: Judy moved to change the disposition of Charge 398 to ongoing. Tamara seconded. Motion carried. 

[Charge 398 11/18/21 all international efforts to develop an electronic braille standard; Identify which portions are within the purview of BANA; Work with other national and international organizations (such as ICEB, DAISY, etc.) to determine which organization shall have responsibility for publication and maintenance of the eBRF standard; and If appropriate, draft a BANA EBRF standard.

 It was agreed that Charge 417 is still relevant. There is a draft document.  

MSC: Tamara moved to change the disposition of Charge 417 to ongoing. Judy seconded. Motion carried.    

[Charge 417 11/14/22 Develop a short document to address confusion that developers and manufacturers have about the term computer braille by the Spring 2023 meeting.

 

Jen reported on the activities of the DAISY Consortium. The working group is focused on  creating standards for the eBRF format. This is complex because it involves file formatting, as well as considerations for braille displays. There are various subgroups working to address certain issues. The next meeting is on October 31, and after this, Jen is hoping to give more information about timelines. 

BANA will need to determine how the standard will fit into our existing codes; to inform discussions based on current guidance; and to maintain our role as the standard-setting body in North America. As eBRF becomes a reality, we will also need to determine how our documentation will be changed.

It was suggested that we have a list of standard talking points to give to our organizations so that we are sharing this information in a uniform and concise way.

General Consensus: We will invite Willow Freeman to give a presentation at our spring meeting in Louisville. 

MSC: Tamara moved to charge the Ad Hoc Committee on eBRF with developing a list of talking points (a blurb) about the activities of the DAISY Consortium and a resource list by the January meeting. Judy seconded. Motion carried.

Mary Nelle would like a brief statement about eBRF to put in the press release about this meeting.

It was suggested that we may need to consider a strategic planning conversation related to the issue of eBRF. We can do this at the spring meeting. 

28. International Initiatives

Clovernook is developing a braille literacy initiative in Africa. They are working with Northern Kentucky University to create tactile three-dimensional models to pair with print/braille children's books.

Numerous conferences of note were mentioned. Australia's Roundtable conference will occur May 19-21, and there is a call for papers. ICEVI is working with some organizations in Asia to convene a conference in China this December. There will be a conference on tactile reading in the Netherlands in June of 2025.

Kim Charlson gave the board an update on the reconstituted World Braille Council. She is waiting on the announcement of one additional representative from South America before the final roster of members can be released. 

The Council's first task will be to prepare a release for Global Braille Day in January 2024. There will be a series of action steps for promoting braille within organizations.

Other objectives include: 

  • Collaborate with the WBU to pursue a variety of braille promotional activities to promote World Braille Day;
  • Oversee the Louis Braille History Museum and Birthplace Monument;
  • Promote labeling and signage for products (medications, dangerous items), using the EU standards as a starting point;
  • Explore how to ensure that there are international braille and tactile signage guidelines;
  • Work with the DAISY Consortium on the eBRF file format initiative;
  • Form links and collaborative efforts with various braille authorities to learn about code updates and changes;
  • Work with the DAISY Consortium on the update of the International Music Braille Code;
  • Develop an app for braille instruction; and
  • Work with WBU on the celebration of the anniversary of the creation of the braille code.

WBU is preparing to release a statement on the difficulties of conflict on individuals who are blind and partially sighted.

There is an updated page at perkins.org/worldbrailleusage. There is now a form for communicating about World Braille Usage regarding questions or comments. There is also a form to request print copies of World Braille Usage. The PDF and BRF files are available for download. This update should be included in the meeting press release.

There are other codes which need to be added or referenced in World Braille Usage. They could be posted as their own sections on the website.

29. Issues Related to Electronic Braille: board discussion

We heard a brief update from Orbit Research. There were also numerous products available for demonstration. 

30. Business Cards Task Force: Tina Seger

Tina delivered the report as circulated. 

Guidelines have been revised to align with UEB and to provide examples. 

General Consensus: Feedback should be provided to Tina in writing by Friday November 6. The document can then be revised and sent back to the board for approval. 

MSC: Tina moved to change the disposition of Charge 420 to ongoing. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 420 2/13/23 Update the fact sheet on business cards by the spring meeting.

31. Secretary's Report: Amber Pearcy

There were no email votes to report since the September 18 teleconference.

32. Certificates of Appreciation: Mary Nelle McLennan

Mary Nelle reported that in her experiments thus far, using an adhesive sticker for the braille on the certificates obscures the print. Kyle and Mary Nelle are considering producing a print version and a braille one. However, the suggestion was made that the problem could be the label stock that was tried. Embossing the braille directly onto the certificate stock is also a possibility. Mary Nelle and Kyle will continue to work on the logistics.   

The current list of certificate recipients is as follows: 

  • Guy Toles
  • Karen Gearreald
  • Jennifer Dunnam 

There was uncertainty about whether outgoing chairs who remain on committees should receive certificates. 

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider whether or not to award certificates of appreciation for outgoing committee chairs who remain on committees. Mary Nelle seconded. Motion carried.  

General Consensus: Outgoing chairs who remain on their committees will receive a certificate.

33. Directory Update: Sue Reilly

Sue will make changes to the directory after this meeting. She will need contact information for Diana Brent. Any changes to board contact info or changes in organizational administration should be sent to Sue by November 10. Committee member information should also be reviewed.  

34. BANA's Listservs: Sue Reilly

Sue reminded us that we need to accept the invitation from Groups.IO to be added to a list. She will create a list of each person and the lists to which they are subscribed.  

35. Treasurer's Report: Danette Johnson

Danette delivered the report as circulated.

It was agreed that the Administrative Fees line item will be comprised of the following expenses:

  • Dropbox
  • Libson
  • Web domain registration
  • Zoom
  • Pantheon
  • Tax filing fees
  • Mailchimp

Because of these additions, the Administrative Fees budget will be increased to $2,000.

When looking at the costs for both Mailchimp and Groups.IO, it was suggested that we could put all of our email communications under either Groups.IO or Mailchimp so that Sue will not have to work with two list clients.

MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Digital Assets Committee to consider consolidating the email lists under one platform. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.  

It was agreed that Administrative Assistant travel expenses should be increased to $2,700. 

Significant Occasions will need more money because we will need to purchase more decorative bowls for appreciation gifts. Their budget should be increased to $800.

The Tactile Graphics Technical Committee will need $750 for the transcription of the Tactile Graphics Supplement.

The Outreach Committee will need $300 for the purchase of a new banner.

We will leave a line item for Strategic Planning to use for more training of committees. It will remain at $2,000.

MN reminded the board that there will be a few more expenses from Publications before the end of this year.

In 2024, Publications will need $10,000 for remediation and transcription costs. 

There will be an expense for the Awards Committee this year. However, there will not be a need for any money in 2024.

The Digital Assets line item will be removed.

We will budget $16,000 for the cost of the ICEB General Assembly. This cost will cover flights, hotels, and meals for three people. There was discussion about whether BANA can pay if an organization such as NLS cannot pay. It should be acknowledged that some organizations have more money than others. It was agreed that BANA has the money to pay if NLS is unable to do so.  

Final budget expenses for 2024 will be $36,800 with a loss of $19,788. 

MSC: Danette moved to accept the proposed 2024 budget. Diane seconded. Motion carried.

36. BANA's Archives: Frances Mary D'Andrea

FM reported that some of the archive activity is on hold because of the renovation at APH. She still needs to reach out to APH about sending them electronic files. 

There are some missing meeting minutes from 1997-1999. Darleen Bogart may have some information. They may be in Tamara's office.  

37. Darleen Bogart BANA Braille Excellence Award: Frances Mary D'Andrea

FM delivered the report as circulated.

FM has begun drafting a document about the Darleen Bogart Award for the website and will soon share it with the Awards Committee. 

Prior to this year’s call for nominations, the committee met to review the award criteria. It was decided that the existing criteria will remain for this year's award. 

Even though no outside nominations were received, the Committee felt that to both keep the tradition of the award alive and to promote BANA's work, an award should be given. It has been four years since the last award was given. The Committee created a list of potential nominees. After discussion, there was unanimous consent that the award should be given to Dr. Sarah Morley Wilkins for her contributions to the field, especially in the promotion of Music Braille. She's also done work promoting the use of tactile graphics. 

The award will be presented in December at Getting in Touch with Literacy conference in Florida. 

NBP will produce the plaque. 

The award is usually given biennially; there will not be one in 2024.

As this may be the final GITL conference, another venue for this award may need to be located in future. 

MSC: FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 401 to done. Judy seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 401 11/18/21 Review criteria for the Darleen Bogart Braille Excellence Award.

General Consensus: The committee will need to be reconstituted in 2025. This should be revisited at the Fall 2024 meeting.

37. Nominations Committee: Tamara Rorie

Tamara delivered the report of the committee.

It was determined that a template should be created for this committee report.

The submitted slate of officers have all agreed to be nominated. The proposed slate is as follows:

  • Jen Goulden, Chair
  • Mary Nelle McLennan, Vice Chair
  • Amber Pearcy, Secretary
  • Danette Johnson, Treasurer

There were no additional nominations from the floor. 

MSC: Tamara moved to except the slate as put forward by the chair of the Nominations Committee. FM seconded. Motion carried. 

38. Ad Hoc Committee on Braille Signage and Labeling: Kim Charlson

Kim delivered the report as circulated.

Kim requested that a listserv be set up for the committee. 

The committee has incorporated feedback from the board and the committee consultant for the signage guidelines document. Some recommendations could not be followed because of government regulations. For example, signage must be in contracted braille according to government regulations.

Once approved, the revised Canadian guidelines should be put on the BANA website with the U.S. guidelines.

Various minor changes were recommended to Example 1-1, as well as minor modifications to the definition of a braille cell; a small change was suggested in the Other Considerations section.

We would like to approve this document at this meeting. Jen recommended making the three simple changes now and reviewing the file after the break, which would allow everyone to see the modified file. This will allow us to submit a clean file to Publications. The BRF will need some small formatting changes once the document is approved. Jennifer will provide Sue with feedback about the formatting changes of the braille document. Jen will work with Mary Nelle to make sure that the print and braille files are updated for Publications.

MSC: Judy moved that the board adopt the revised BANA Guidelines for the Creation of Braille Signage as amended. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

Once the Signage Guidelines document is complete, the Committee can begin work on updating the Size and Spacing of Braille Characters position paper. The associated charge, 416, should be changed in the template to refer to the update of the size and spacing of braille characters.

MSC: FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 379 to done. Wendy seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 379 5/4/20 Update the current signage position paper and clarify its use.

39. Press Releases: Mary Nelle McLennan

Items to be included in the release after this meeting include: 

  • Information about the recent World Blind Union meeting;
  • Election of BANA board officers; and
  • Ongoing discussion of eBRF

We will do a separate press release about World Braille Day.

40. Unfinished/Continued Business

MSC:FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 415 to Ongoing. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.

[Charge 415 11/14/22 Answer questions regarding the guidelines for non-English transcription.

41. New Business

Tamara suggested that the Bylaws Committee should review Robert's Rules of Order and create a brief summary/review document. She volunteered to provide this document to the board and to give a brief presentation at the January meeting.

The Membership Committee received two applications from organizations who submitted   inaccessible application forms. The Committee will ask them to complete the right form and make it accessible.

42. Upcoming Zoom Meetings: Jen Goulden

The December meeting will be held on Monday December 18, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

43. Upcoming Spring Meeting: Kyle DeJute

The spring 2024 meeting will be held in Louisville, Kentucky and hosted by the American Printing House for the Blind. 

Kyle will provide hotel information. The hotel is the Marriott Downtown. 

We will not meet at APH because of ongoing renovations, but we will have a couple of APH activities, including a visit.

The best meeting dates for the group are March 25-27. 

MSC: Kyle moved that the spring 2024 BANA meeting be scheduled for March 25-27 with the half day on the 27th. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.

44. Fall 2024 Meeting: Diane Spence

BANA will meet after the NBA conference in fall 2024, which will be held in Colorado Springs. The NBA conference is October 23-25 at the Antlers Hotel. The proposed dates would be Oct. 26-28 with the half day on Monday the 28th. 

MSC: Diane moved that the fall 2024 BANA meeting be held in Colorado Springs from Oct. 26-28, 2024. Tina seconded. Motion carried.

45. Around the Table: Organization Updates (time permitting)

We heard updates from member organizations about various initiatives.

46. Adjournment: Jen Goulden

Jen adjourned the meeting on October 27th at 11:42 A.M. Eastern Time.     

Respectfully submitted, 

Amber Pearcy 

December 12, 2023