[Blindtlk] BANA to Hold 2014 Spring Meeting in Philadelphia, April 3, 4, and 5

[Mary Nelle McLennan]

Press Release

March 2014

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Frances Mary D’Andrea, Chair

Braille Authority of North America

Phone: 412-521-5797

Email: <mailto:literacy2 at mindspring.com>literacy2 at mindspring.com

BANA to Hold 2014 Spring Meeting in Philadelphia, April 3–5

The Braille Authority of North America (BANA), 
which meets face-to-face semiannually, will hold 
its 2014 spring meeting April 3–5 in 
Philadelphia, PA. This meeting will be hosted by 
Associated Services for the Blind (ASB), a BANA 
member organization. Meetings­including an Open 
Forum on Saturday, April 5­will take place at 
ASB, which is located at 919 Walnut Street, 
Philadelphia, PA, 19107. Items on the Board’s 
agenda include updates of BANA’s numerous ongoing 
projects. The Board will review formal reports 
from all of BANA's technical committees such as 
music, math, foreign language, and tactile 
graphics and will take action on recommendations when appropriate.

BANA continues to plan the transition to Unified 
English Braille (UEB) in the United States. 
In-depth reports will be presented by BANA’s UEB 
Task Force, which is made up of Kim Charlson 
(ACB), Frances Mary D’Andrea (AFB), Judy Dixon 
(NLS), Jennifer Dunnam (NFB), Cindi Laurent 
(NBA), Mary Nelle McLennan (APH), and Sue Reilly (CTEBVI).

As always, interested parties are invited to 
observe the BANA Board meetings. If you are 
interested in observing the BANA meeting, please 
contact BANA Chair Frances Mary D’Andrea at 
412-521-5797 or by email at 
<mailto:literacy2 at mindspring.com>literacy2 at mindspring.com.

On Saturday, April 5, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM, 
BANA will host an Open Forum at ASB. This forum 
provides a venue for participants to discuss 
braille with the Board and to learn more about 
the workings of BANA. Open Forum participants are 
encouraged to express their views and suggestions 
surrounding braille and its future. Braille 
readers, teachers, and students as well as 
producers and distributors of braille are 
encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity 
to participate in a round-table discussion with 
the members of the BANA Board. To reserve your 
space at the Open Forum and to help ensure 
accurate counts for handouts, contact Frances Mary D’Andrea as indicated above.

NOTE: This press release is available in HTML on 
the BANA website at 
<http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2014-3.html>http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2014-3.html



For additional resource information, visit 
<http://www.brailleauthority.org>www.brailleauthority.org

The Board of BANA consists of appointed 
representatives from seventeen member 
organizations of braille producers, transcribers, teachers, and consumers.

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.



The purpose of BANA is to promote and to 
facilitate the uses, teaching, and production of 
braille. Pursuant to this purpose, BANA will 
promulgate rules, make interpretations, and 
render opinions pertaining to braille codes and 
guidelines for the provisions of literary and 
technical materials and related forms and formats 
of embossed materials now in existence or to be 
developed in the future for the use of blind 
persons in North America. When appropriate, BANA 
shall accomplish these activities in 
international collaboration with countries using 
English braille. In exercising its function and 
authority, BANA shall consider the effects of its 
decisions on other existing braille codes and 
guidelines, forms and formats; ease of production 
by various methods; and acceptability to readers.














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