Braille Authority of North America: Spring 2023
Monday, May 8, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Hosted by National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Washington, D.C.
1. Call to Order: Jen Goulden
Jen called the meeting to order at 9:00 A.M. Eastern Time.
2. Welcome: Jen Goulden
Jen welcomed everyone and thanked Tamara for all her work as host this meeting.
3. Welcome from our hosting organization: Tamara Rorie, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS)
Tamara welcomed the group to DC. and introduced Jason Broughton, director of NLS.
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)
Melissa Klepper, Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI)
Tina Seger, Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Cindi Laurent, National Braille Association (NBA) (Diane attended portions of the meeting via Zoom.)
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
Observers:
- Liz Botner, NLS
- Timothy Jones, NLS
- Patrick Janson, National Braille Association
- Samuel Foulkes, Clovernook Center for the Blind
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
Tamara noted that there will not be a tour of NLS on Tuesday afternoon.
MSC: Tina moved that the agenda be approved. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.
7. Chair's Comments: Jen Goulden
Jen noted that the order of the agenda will be followed as closely as possible.
8. Approval of Minutes: Amber Pearcy
MSC: Amber moved that the minutes from March be approved. FM seconded. Motion carried.
9. Braille Formats Technical Committee: Cindi Laurent
Cindi delivered the report as submitted.
The task force in charge of errata items has given the committee a document divided into three categories: errata, changes/updates to the guidelines, and clarifications to the guidelines.
Publications has provided the committee with instructions on what should be included as part of an errata. Jennifer will send the approved instructions for creating an errata to the Formats Committee so that they can begin creating the errata.
The Committee has suggested that several of the items in the clarifications and changes/updates categories be handled as rulings by committee. Rulings by committee still go through Publications, but the document will be smaller and will not require much remediation. They can also be released in batches, put on the website, and announced in a press release. These will be ready by the fall meeting.
Per the board’s request, the committee will clearly define whether items are considered a change or a clarification for the board's approval.
MSC: Cindi moved that Bre Brown be appointed to the Formats Committee until 2025. Jennifer seconded. Motion carried.
10. Nemeth Technical Committee: Dorothy Worthington
Jennifer delivered the report as submitted.
MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 298 to done. FM seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 298 (5/16/16) Conduct a major revision of the Nemeth Code that incorporates all relevant updates and includes the "Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Context."]
MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Nemeth Committee to work with the Publications Committee as needed to complete the finalized publication of the Nemeth Code 2022 document. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.
MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 418 to done. FM seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 418 (12/12/2022) Work with the Nemeth Review Panel to resolve the presentation issues discussed at the meeting of December 12, 2022.]
MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Nemeth Committee to prepare an errata to the Nemeth Code 2022 to be submitted upon the completion of the final document. Cindi seconded. Motion carried.
The Nemeth Code 2022 document will be remediated after the remediation of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines is completed.
11. Tactile Graphics Technical Committee: Aquinas Pather
Aquinas delivered the report as submitted.
MSC: Diane moved to change the disposition of Charge 387 to done. FM seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 387 (11/8/2020) Work with the Publications Committee and the General Committee for Review Process to determine the process for review of the supplement to the Tactile Graphics guidelines and bring a recommendation to the Board by spring of 2021.]
MSC: Diane moved to change the disposition of Charge 402 to done. Melissa seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 402 (5/20/22) Begin the work of revising the Tactile Graphics Supplement so that 1) the guidance and examples for nontechnical material are aligned with Unified English Braille; and 2) the guidance and examples for mathematical and technical material are provided both in Nemeth Code and in UEB versions.]
MSC: Diane moved to change the disposition of Charge 407 to done. MN seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 407 )5/20/22) Work with Publications to prepare the final files of TG Guidelines for publication.]
MSC: Diane moved to charge the Tactile Graphics Committee with preparing the braille files of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines 2022 to submit to Publications based on the finalized print files. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.
12. Graphing Calculator guidelines: Jen Goulden
Jen is awaiting the completed transcription of the new graphing calculator guidelines to share with the General Committee on UEB.
13. Music Braille Technical Committee: Karen Gearreald
Tamara delivered the report as submitted.
This committee has not received any questions to answer. There are no new assignment requests.
14. Ad Hoc Committee on Chemistry: Cary Supalo
FM delivered the report as submitted.
The physical copy of the updated Section 10 was recently received. The Committee will now be able to review this section.
MSC: FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 301 to done. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 301 (5/19/16) Work with the Nemeth Code Technical Committee and the Tactile Graphics Committee regarding any necessary specific rules for Nemeth Code and UEB within Tactile Graphics.]
Committee member Kristin Parker has been invited to speak at a couple of braille conferences and would like to have the board's permission to bring the new physical copy of Section 10 to show attendees with the understanding that this update has yet to be approved by BANA.
MSC: FM moved that Kristin Parker be allowed to show participants at the Aloha Braille Retreat and the Mountain View meeting Section 10 of the updated chemistry code. Cindi seconded. Motion carried.
15. International Council on English Braille: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM delivered the report as submitted.
The next ICEB General Assembly will be held in New Zealand in 2024. ICEB is also hoping to release an update to the UEB rule book in 2024.
FM posed the question of adding names and contact information of the Canadian ICEB members to the BANA directory. Jen and FM will give this information to Sue so that it can be included.
FM reminded everyone to subscribe to the ICEB Announce list to stay up-to-date with the ICEB newsletter and other ICEB happenings.
Judy reminded the board that four delegates will be needed for the 2024 General Assembly. At least half of these delegates should be tactile braille readers. This choice should be made by the fall.
16. Report of General Committee on Unified English Braille: Wendy Buckley
Wendy delivered the report as submitted.
There is a lengthy list of documents on the website that the Committee recommends moving to a more prominent location. Furthermore, they have compiled a list of documents which should be archived and some which should be removed completely.
The "Basics of Braille" and "Braille Basics PDF" have been updated for UEB and will be posted on the website as soon as BANA logos are added.
The "committee contact" links will be compiled into a single list to facilitate more convenient access for visitors to ask questions of committees.
17. Committee on Electronic Braille Translation: Jen Goulden
Jen delivered the report as submitted.
The spring update to the Status Log is in progress.
The revision of the test file is still ongoing.
Jennifer noted an update that Apple has made which allows readers to see typeform indicators when reading braille books on certain apps. This is particularly important for students.
The board would like to publicize more widely the difficulty posed by poor quality electronic braille translation. Reaching out to software companies could be helpful. Educators also need to be aware of the impact this has on students.
To this end, the board has decided to make the Status Log a public document with the proviso that it is a "living document".
MSC: Jennifer moved that the committee be charged with creating a brief announcement regarding the Electronic Braille Status Log and providing a link to the log on the website. FM seconded. Motion carried.
This log is typically updated in the spring and fall.
MSC: Kyle moved to charge the committee to ensure that the version of the log on the BANA website is updated when changes are made. Jennifer seconded. Motion carried.
Announcements can be sent to BANA Announce to alert people to changes in the log on a case-by-case basis. There will also be a place on the website for public feedback.
Jen will follow up with the committee members to see who wishes to remain on the committee.
18. Foreign Language Task Force: Jen Goulden
Jen reported that a chair has not yet been found for this task force. She will follow up with Jennifer to discuss next steps.
19. Publications Committee: Mary Nelle McLennan
Mary Nelle delivered the report as submitted.
All copy edits of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines 2022 have been either accepted, rejected, or modified by the Tactile Graphics Committee. Remediation of the PDF is underway, and Publications has regular meetings with the contractor working on this project.
MSC: Mary Nelle moved to change the disposition of Charge 403 to ongoing. FM seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 403 (5/20/22) Work with Tactile Graphics Committee to prepare the final files of TG Guidelines for publication.]
The target for handing final remediated files to the Tactile Graphics Committee is within a few weeks of this meeting; this will enable them to create the final braille files.
NOTE: While the Tactile Graphics Guidelines were copy edited, the Nemeth and Chemistry documents will not be copy edited by Publications.
20. General Committee on Digital Assets: Sue Reilly
Sue delivered the report as submitted.
MSC: Tina moved to change the disposition of Charge 411 to ongoing. Jennifer seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 411 (11/14/22) Create documentation on how to update content and perform other maintenance on the BANA website.]
Any committee who has not requested their own Dropbox folder should make the request to Sue.
There are over 500 subscribers to the BANA Announce listserv. This means that we are now paying for MailChimp at a rate of $29.95 per month.
All of the Treasurer's files are now in Dropbox.
MSC: Cindi moved to change the disposition of Charge 412 to ongoing. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 412 (11/14/22) Oversee and maintain the infrastructure for BANA listservs, website platform and file storage.]
Discussions with Publications regarding a process for updating the website have begun, and various updates have been made.
MSC: Kyle moved to change the disposition of Charge 413 to ongoing. FM seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 413 (11/14/22) Work with the Publications Committee to develop the process for web updates.]
21. BANA Appointments Committee: Tracy Gaines
Tracy delivered the report as submitted.
Tracy reminded the board that we need to clarify our policy about the term lengths of committee members because we are currently inconsistent regarding the timing of committee appointments. At times, due to the nature of committee needs, members are appointed halfway through the year instead of only in the fall.
22. General Committee for Review Process: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer delivered the report as submitted.
MSC: Jennifer moved that the disposition of Charge 419 be changed to done. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 419 (12/12/22) Work with the Nemeth Code Technical Committee to resolve the presentation issues discussed at the meeting of December 12, 2022.]
23. Ad Hoc Committee on Braille Signage and Labeling: Kim Charlson
Jen delivered the report as submitted.
The committee continues to receive most questions from the General Committee on UEB and continues to provide answers to these questions.
Some of the board feedback provided regarding the signage brochure may not be in line with the ICC guidelines, which has delayed the submission of this document for review by the board. Jen will follow up with Kim to see if this project can be moved forward.
MSC: FM moved to change the disposition of Charge 379 to ongoing. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 379 (5/4/20) Update the current signage position paper and clarify its use.]
Wendy Buckley has been recommended for appointment to the committee. She has assisted Kim in providing feedback and responses to signage questions.
MSC: Tamara moved to appoint Wendy Buckley to the Ad Hoc Committee on Braille Signage and Labeling. Mary Nelle seconded. Motion carried.
24. Outreach Committee: Marie Zaldivar
Marie delivered the report as submitted.
Regarding BANA's decision to exhibit at events, the Outreach Committee should develop a checklist which can be used to facilitate the decision to exhibit.
MSC: Kyle moved to charge the Outreach Committee with developing a checklist for use in BANA exhibits. Cindi seconded. Motion carried.
MSC: Jennifer moved to discard Charge 373. Kyle seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 373 (11/7/19) Develop procedures for whether and how exhibits should be handled, to be completed by the Winter 2020 Board teleconference.]
The Outreach Committee has begun exploring several topics for upcoming podcasts including: an interview with Jen about BANA highlighting its current projects and the role of the organization in promoting braille; an ongoing series of episodes highlighting member organizations; and an ongoing series highlighting the work of BANA committees.
Suggestions were made to include the Chemistry Committee and the Electronic Braille Committee in future podcasts.
The committee will continue to use various social media platforms to promote BANA and to spread the word when new podcasts are released.
25. Bylaws Committee: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer delivered the report as submitted.
Jennifer guided the board through the revised job description of the Administrative Assistant, and various revisions were suggested.
Jennifer also guided the board through the numerous clarifications and additions made to the policies relating to project status reports. Additions include a form for quarterly project reports.
MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 390 to done. Tina seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 390 (11/8/20) Propose policy amendments addressing the revised schedule of reporting the status of projects, pending the final approval of the new protocols proposed by the strategic planning committee.]
The board reviewed the new material in the Policies Document related to significant occasions.
MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 392 to done. FM seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 392 (11/8/20) Incorporate the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Significant Occasions into the BANA policies.]
MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to address who is responsible for the activities of the Ad Hoc Committee for Significant Occasions. Cindi seconded. Motion carried.
The board reviewed the new policy language regarding Dropbox protocols.
MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 410 to done. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 410 (11/14/22) Incorporate the Dropbox protocols into the BANA policies.]
The board reviewed the addition to the Policies Document of duties and responsibilities of the General Committee on Digital Assets.
MSC: Jennifer moved to change the disposition of Charge 414 to done. Cindi seconded. Motion carried.
[Charge 414 (11/14/22) Amend the policies to reflect the responsibilities of the Digital Assets Committee.]
Jennifer will work to incorporate the changes suggested at this meeting into the Policies Document.
MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider the terms of board committees and to report back to the board. FM seconded. Motion carried.
26. Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests: Diane Spence
Jen delivered this report as submitted in Diane's absence.
Diane would like to step down from the committee, which means that the committee will need a new chair. Kyle volunteered to chair this committee. Diane would like to remain as committee liaison until the fall.
MSC: Jennifer moved to appoint Kyle DeJute as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests. Mary Nelle seconded. Motion carried.
Kyle will confer with the committee about whether another member is needed.
27. Ad Hoc Committee on eBRF: Tamara Rorie
It is felt that this committee may no longer be needed given BANA's work with the DAISY Consortium and the ongoing work of the General Committee on Electronic Braille.
MSC: Judy moved that we add to our future agendas a report from our representative on the international eBRF working group. Tamara seconded. Motion carried.
28. International Initiatives: Jen Goulden, Judy Dixon
The third annual Braille Literacy Canada symposium will take place virtually on June 2, 2023.
Kim Charlson has been appointed chair of World Braille Council. The Council would like to have membership from all six World Blind Union regions, but so far, only two regions have responded.
The Braillists Foundation in the UK has a lot of virtual initiatives, such as braille reading groups, braille classes, and other master classes and special presentations about braille. This is all free.
29. Secretary's Report: Amber Pearcy
There have been no email votes since our last meeting.
30. Treasurer's Report: Danette Johnson
Danette delivered the report as submitted.
The financial review was completed, and the accountant concluded that all accounts and procedures are in good standing as of December 31, 2022.
The Bylaws Committee will add the treasurer transition documents to the policies document.
31. Membership Application: Jen Goulden
It is necessary to reconstitute the board Membership Committee. This should have a chair and two other board members.
MSC: Judy moved that Tamara Rorie be appointed as chair of the Membership Committee. Mary Nelle seconded. Motion carried.
MSC: Cindi moved that Tracy Gaines and Judy Dixon be appointed to the Membership Committee. FM seconded. Motion carried.
The updated Membership Application document will be sent to Sue and Publications.
32. Certificates of Appreciation: Mary Nelle McLennan
After talking to Jen, Mary Nelle and Tina determined that there should be a braille version of the certificate. Jen will write a letter to include with the certificates thanking people for their service. A braille plastic overlay will be put on the print certificates. Kyle has agreed to create the braille overlays. There are currently eight certificates pending.
Mary Nelle also reminded the board that more gift items are needed for future significant occasions.
33. Directory Update: Sue Reilly
The most recent version of the directory is in the Dropbox and on the website. It includes the addition of Allyant, as well as updated information regarding the new leadership of the American Foundation for the Blind. If anyone notices incorrect information in the directory, they should let Sue know.
34. BANA's Listservs: Sue Reilly
Sue is working to incorporate all of the changes to the BANA listservs and to BANA Announce.
35. BANA's Archives: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM needs to send hard copies of print meeting minutes and agendas to APH. Kyle has agreed to print these minutes at APH. FM can send her the files. The BRF versions of meeting agendas and minutes from virtual meetings will be archived.
BANA's work with ICEB has been documented, and we will send these documents to APH for archiving.
36. Press Releases: Mary Nelle McLennan
An after-action press release will be created after this meeting. Items of note will be our collaborative session with the DAISY Consortium, the release of the Status Log, and the release of the 2022 Guidelines for the Transcription of Languages Other than English.
37. Unfinished/continued business
37.1. Awards: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM will work with Publications to get updated awards information, including a list of past recipients of the Darleen Bogart Award, on the website.
According to BANA policy, the Awards Committee should have two board members and three members from BANA committees. It was agreed that a new committee should be formed after each year's award has been given.
We can consider giving an award at the Getting in Touch with Literacy conference in December 2023. Nominees can be individuals or organizations.
FM will approach three potential committee members to see if they will serve.
37.2. Electronic Braille: Board Discussion
We broke electronic braille into two categories: static braille (formatted, transcribed BRF) and dynamic braille (real-time translation, such as a book read on an iPhone).
The translated braille in real-time seems to be where BANA can offer guidance. It is possible that we could influence third party creators of real-time translated braille. Could we use a ratings system or a seal of approval system to encourage greater accuracy and accountability?
One way to consistently and systematically measure the quality of this dynamic braille is to utilize the Electronic Braille Committee’s Test File.
MSC: Jennifer moved to charge the General Committee on Electronic Braille to update the test file and to document the rubric used to create it. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.
The file will be available as a Word document and in Unicode.
The committee will meet before the fall meeting so that a more robust discussion can take place regarding this topic.
38. New Business
38.1. Knit and Crochet:
Cindi and Jennifer will work together to update the Knit and Crochet Guidelines document.
38.2. About BANA:
Tamara and Judy will work on updating the BANA in Brief and the BANA history in the About BANA section of the website.
39. Around the Table: Organization Updates (time permitting)
We heard about various happenings of member organizations.
40. Fall Meeting: Jen Goulden
We would like to ask CIDI to host the fall meeting. Possible dates include October25-27, Oct. 26-28, November 8-10, and Nov 12-14.
41. Future Spring and Fall Meetings: Jen Goulden
Wendy will see if Perkins will be able to host in spring of 2024.
Cindi will investigate the possibility of NBA hosting in fall of 2024.
42. Upcoming Zoom Meetings: Jen Goulden
We will meet on June 27 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time.
43. Adjournment: Jen Goulden
Jen thanked Tamara and everyone else at NLS for their hospitality.
The meeting was adjourned on Tuesday May 9 at 4:47 P.M. Eastern Time.
Respectfully submitted,
Amber Pearcy
May 18, 2023