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<b>Press Release<br>
October 31, 2013<br>
For Immediate Release<br>
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CONTACT: Frances Mary D’Andrea, Chair<br>
Braille Authority of North America<br>
Phone: 412-521-5797<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:literacy2@mindspring.com">literacy2@mindspring.com</a><br>
<div align="center"><b>BANA’S UEB Transition Forum Brings Braille Leaders
Together to Plan<br>
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Planning for the implementation of Unified English Braille (UEB) took a
huge step forward on Wednesday, October 16, when the Braille Authority of
North America convened 48 delegates representing 31 organizations from
the braille community in a UEB Transition Forum in Louisville, KY. The
Forum was a full day of collaborative planning designed to help delegates
and their representative organizations determine the steps and timetable
through which the United States will make an effective transition to
Unified English Braille. <br>
The Forum, organized and facilitated by BANA, provided the rare
opportunity for delegates from various braille-related communities to
meet face-to-face. The ambitious agenda focused on identifying specific
actions and strategies required to develop plans for a smooth and
effective implementation of UEB. <br>
Forum planners recognize that the transition plan must take into
consideration all aspects of using, learning, teaching, and producing
braille. With that as a guiding principle, the Forum was organized into
facilitated workgroups through which Forum delegates identified and
prioritized actions needed in the following areas: <br>
· quality UEB training
for transcribers, proofreaders, and educators;<br>
· the building of UEB
transcription capacity;<br>
· system adjustments for
the procurement and delivery of braille materials in UEB;<br>
· a smooth transition to
UEB for children’s braille reading and writing instruction and
educational assessments;<br>
· a smooth transition of
adults’ braille instruction to UEB and increased knowledge of UEB among
adults who already use braille.<br>
The delegates to the Forum acknowledged that the transition to UEB will
take time and necessitate extensive preparation and collaboration among
all the systems and infrastructures involved. Their work on October 16
laid a foundation that will help leaders build a carefully crafted
timeline and coordinated plan. Detailed timelines are under development
by individual organizations, and transition efforts are now being
initiated. The consensus of the delegates was that January 2016 is a
reasonable target date for the implementation of UEB. The work
accomplished at the Forum will assist the braille community as it builds
and adapts the infrastructure necessary to meet the proposed
implementation date. <br>
BANA’s UEB Task Force as well as the BANA Board will meet in early
November in Louisville. At this meeting, they will discuss the transition
to UEB with the goal of setting a definite implementation date, which
will then be formally announced. <br>
NOTE: This press release is available in HTML on the BANA website at
<a href="http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2013-10-31.html">
http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2013-10-31.html</a>.
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For additional resource information, visit
<a href="http://www.brailleauthority.org">www.brailleauthority.org</a><br>
<i>The Board of BANA consists of appointed representatives from seventeen
member organizations of braille producers, transcribers, teachers, and
consumers.<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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<b> </b>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<b> </b>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.<br>
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