[Blindmath] braille code changes and nemeth

Sat Mar 21 09:47:35 UTC 2015

You make some great points. As a reader, I find the impact minimal for the added capabilities, some of which you have mentioned. As BANA points out on their FAQ page, the printed word and language is evolving , and braille must be able to represent constructs that were never dreamed of in Louis Braille's day.
http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb/ueb-faq.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lewicki, Maureen via Blindmath
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 10:41 PM
To: Jorge Paez; Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] braille code changes and nemeth

UEB makes a great deal of sense with today's print symbols.

FedEx for example is confusing in braille. A password which has a number in the middle is impossible to enter correctly in braille.

The Braille Authority is not trying to put themselves forward as a governing body, but rather a body of braille readers, educators, and transcribers who see the need for a better way to present material, and to be unified in all english speaking countries.

So far as I have studied, the changes are logical, and not convoluted. In fact when I mention the changes as I learn them, to my students they all agree it all makes sense. UEB will not render the present braille system illegible, it will only dismantle the barrier created by the changes in print.

Maureen Murphy Lewicki
Teacher of the Visually Impaired
Bethlehem Central Schools
700 Delaware Avenue
Delmar, NY 12054
http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/

On Mar 20, 2015, at 2:36 PM, Jorge Paez via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:

The last point, regarding the lack of authority for the Braille Authority is interesting--I didn't know that.
I for one would be happy to disregard the new rules and just stick to the original ones, which is what I will continue to do.
I wonder though how many publishers will really pay attention to the Braille Authority?
I mean any change will take years and if it makes life more complicated for the transcribers, I can guarantee that most publishers will be happy enough to stick to the original system, no matter how much some individuals or organizations might insist that the UEB is better--which I don't think it is.

On 3/20/15, Sean Tikkun via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
I think your friend brings up good point, but I have more concern with representations of operation. Numbers as a raised or lowered dot is not that complex to adjust to. The different symbols in terms of operations however are a much larger change.

Sean

On Mar 20, 2015, at 9:31 AM, HPS via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>>
wrote:

Hi, I like to pick anyones brain on the proposed changes to the braille code. I do not read braille but my daughter does, so in her behalf I'm trying to get involved in finding out the pros and cons on this issue. I have an acquaintance that has some good points and I'm sharing her take on it below.
Thanks
Heidi

Regarding the braille code changes
and  math, I think that several things
are going on that are causing people
not to react much. For one thing, the
Braille Authority of North America seems to be good and reassuring people that the Nemeth Code will be retained, and so they have nothing to worry about. What they are not saying in the same breath, though, is that the plan is for the Nemeth codeto be mixed in with Unified English Braille.
Right now, when students encounter a math book, they will find that the entire book is transcribed using the Nemeth code, meaning that numbers, operation signs  such as the plus sign, and such look the same throughout the book, whether they appear in mathematical expressions or in the text surrounding those expressions. What is being proposed now is that the

Nemeth code only be used for mathematical terms/expressions in those books, while Unified English Braille will be used for the rest of the material in the book. Since Nemeth and UEB have very different representations for mathematical symbols,  and even numbers are not the same in the two codes, it seems like this will create a much more complicated system for students to wait through or for transcribers to create. Furthermore, there will have to be an extra braille character or two every time there is a switch between UEB and

Nemeth. Imagine, for example,

Let x be the number of nuts in the bowl.
After Jerry eats 1/4 of the
nuts, there are 15 nuts left. How many nuts did Jerry eat?

In this kind of work problem, the terms x, 1/4, and 15 BE considered mathematical and would appear in mathematical expressions that are used to solve the problem. According to the guidance asked

http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb/nemeth-provisional/guidance.pdf, the

fraction 1/4 in this problem will need to be written in Nemeth code,,

preceded and followed by the appropriate indicators, while the number 15

will be written in UEB.

Another issue is that people seem to think that braille code changes are inevitable, not knowing that the Braille Authority does not actually have legal authority. They simply represent the consensus of representatives from a number of consumer, transcriber, and braille production

organizations or companies. So, they have power only as long as the masses

agree to follow them.

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--
Thank you.

Jorge A. Paez

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgeapaez

Elance page: http://jorgeapaez1994.elance.com

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