[BlindMath] UEB vs EBAE materials

[Susan Jolly]

In the United States there are currently two official ways to transcribe
technical material to braille.  One is to use the UEB default for
transcribing just the text portions and to use Nemeth math for transcribing
the mathematical portions. The other is to use the UEB default for
transcribing both text and math portions.  (The first approach takes
advantage of the UEB Nemeth math switch indicators.)

Given that in the United States the transition to the new braille systems is
fairly recent and has been somewhat gradual there are several different
possibilities for a braille-using student who is just entering college. The
student may have used EBAE and the complete Nemeth code.  The student may
have used UEB for text and Nemeth math for math. The student may have used
UEB for both text and math. The only way to know is to ask the student.

If the student has used EBAE for text they might feel comfortable using UEB
for text as detailed in the previous response.  On the other hand, it would
certainly be reasonable for a student to be reluctant to take on the burden
of learning a new braille system for literary material right when they are
starting college.

However, the situation is entirely different as far as braille mathematics.
Nemeth math and UEB math are so different from each other that switching
from one to the other would be a major effort and not something to be
undertaken along with other commitments.  Moreover, given that both Nemeth
math and UEB math are official braille math systems in the United States, I
can't think of any reason why a student would either need to or want to
switch from whichever one they are already familiar with.

HTH, Susan J.