[nabs-l] BANA still considering abolishing the Nemeth braillecode

Steve Jacobson steve.jacobson at visi.com
Sun Sep 11 18:08:33 UTC 2011


Hi,

Let me respectfully suggest that we turn down the rhetoric on this.  First, one doesn't just complain to the chair of the 
resolutions committee and expect her to write a resolution, and second, resolutions won't be considered until next 
summer so there is time to sort all this out.  I've been trying to follow the BANA deliberations on some of this and things 
just are not as simple as it might seem on the surface.  Whether we like it or not, print has been and is changing very 
quickly, and we all need to figure out how to find a way for braille to keep up.  Something has to happen to let us 
expand the characters that are represented in braille, and how to seemlessly weave in the kinds of technical writing 
that is more a part of everyday print now than was the case not long ago.  Whether a separate code for mathematics 
needs to be maintained and whether it should remain the Nemeth code is still an open question, as far as I know.  
Some of you apparently are not aware of the fact that Dr. Nemeth even sees limitations in the current code and has 
created a braille code called NUBS which would also be a significant change from the current code.  

I do not ask that people support the elimination of Nemeth code as that isn't really the issue by itself, but it is necessary 
for all of us to be as informed as we can be on this subject.  Let's just keep our cool a little.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:31:35 -0400, Chris Nusbaum wrote:

>I think you will.  She's good that way.  If you don't let me 
>know.

> Chris Nusbaum

>"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The 
>real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that 
>exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and 
>opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical 
>nuisance." -- Kenneth Jernigan (President of the National 
>Federation of the Blind, 1968-1986.)

>  Visit the I C.A.N.  Foundation online at: 
>www.icanfoundation.info for
>information on our foundation and how it helps blind and visually
>impaired children in MD say "I can!"


>Sent from my BrailleNote

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu
>To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
><nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:06:57 -0500
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] BANA still considering abolishing the 
>Nemeth braillecode

>Carly, it's shameful.
>I E-mailed the chairman of the resolutions committee.
>Hopefully, I'll hear something.
>Blessings, Joshua

>On 9/10/11, Carly <carlymih at earthlink.net> wrote:


> Hi, Joshua,

> I'm with ya, brother!

> The example of that BANA attempt att braille I saw, struck me as
> being totally watered down and very much removed from the code I 
>know
> and love so very deeply.  In fact, my Not being able to find 
>meaning
> within the sensual, bumps does not make me love braille any 
>less.
> 2011, you wrote:
>I'm all for a unified Braille code.
>That code, is the Nemeth Code!
>Leave it alone!
>Blessings, Joshua

>On 9/10/11, Nicole B.  Torcolini at Home 
><ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
> [Blindmath] BANA still considering abolishing the Nemeth braille 
>code
> Susan Jolly easjolly at ix.netcom.com
> Fri Sep 9 17:10:37 CDT 2011

>   a..  Previous message: [Blindmath] SPSS accessibility
>   b..  Next message: [Blindmath] BANA still considering 
>abolishing
> the Nemeth
> braillecode
>   c..  Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ 
>author ]


> 
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>---------------

> I have just recieved my copy of the Summer 2011 Bulletin of the 
>National
> Braille Association (NBA) which is the professional organization
> providing
> continuing education to both paid and volunteer braille
> transcribers here in
> the United States.  The President's Message states, "At some 
>point in the
> near future, the braille powers-that-be will make a decision
> about a unified
> braille code for the English-speaking worlds--a code that will 
>combine
> literary and technical transcriptions under one set of rules and
> constructions."

> Elsewhere in this issue of the Bulletin, the NBA representive to
> the Braille
> Authority of North America (BANA) writes that the BANA 
>"Education and
> Outreach committee is still reviewing the possibility of a 
>universal
> code."
> Note that the next meeting of BANA will be held November 3-6, 
>2011 and
> will
> be hosted in the Baltimore area by the NFB.

> If you believe as I do that the BAUK-like representation of 
>maths in the
> current proposals for a unified code are significantly inferior 
>to the
> Nemeth code's representation of mathematics, you might want to 
>take
> action
> now.

> Wouldn't it be ironic if the US were to abolish the use of the 
>Nemeth
> code
> just as it is being widely adopted in countries such as India 
>and
> Indonesia
> which have larger populations of braille users?

> Sincerely,
> SusanJ




> 
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>---------------


>   a..  Previous message: [Blindmath] SPSS accessibility
>   b..  Next message: [Blindmath] BANA still considering 
>abolishing
> the Nemeth
> braillecode
>   c..  Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ 
>author ]
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