[Nfbk] BANA Recent Actions Release

Fri Feb 15 23:27:06 UTC 2013

FYI
[cid:100343722 at 15022013-35B4]
Press Release
February 2013

For Immediate Release
________________________________
CONTACT: Frances Mary D'Andrea, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
Phone: 412-521-5797
Email: literacy2 at mindspring.com<mailto:literacy2 at mindspring.com>

Recent Actions: BANA Adopts UEB for United States; Elects Officers,
Approves Modifications of Nemeth Code and Computer Braille Code

The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) held its 2012 fall
meeting on November 2 - 4 in Los Angeles, CA. The Braille Institute of
America (BIA), a BANA member organization, hosted the meeting. A
well-attended Open Forum provided an opportunity for participants to
learn more about the workings of BANA and to provide feedback. Members
of the BANA Board reviewed the history and rationale behind Unified
English Braille (UEB) and responded to participants' questions and
concerns about its adoption.
During its three-day meeting, the BANA Board reviewed and acted on
semiannual reports from its eighteen committees and deliberated issues
and challenges facing braille users and producers. Based on
recommendations from BANA technical committees, the following rulings
were approved:
Modification to Section 191 of the Nemeth Code: A minor wording change
to Section 191 of the Nemeth Code was recommended by the BANA
Mathematics Technical Committee and approved by the BANA Board. By
removing the word "outlines" from this section of the Nemeth Code,
transcribers can use the nested list format detailed in Braille
Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2011 when
transcribing outlines and tables of contents in Nemeth. This change is
effective immediately, and it is posted on the BANA website.
Minor change in wording of the Computer Braille Code Update: The Board
approved a clarification to the Computer Braille Code Special Symbols
Update 2010. This update makes clear the fact that CBC symbols are to
be listed on the Special Symbols page in a specific order. This
clarification is reflected in the files on the BANA website.
Document approved - Application of the Formats Guidelines 2011 to
Nemeth Transcriptions:  BANA's Mathematics Braille Technical Committee
created a document that provides a quick guide to the updated Braille
Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2011 for
transcribers and proofreaders who produce Nemeth code materials. The
Board approved this document, and it will soon be posted on the BANA
website.

BANA welcomed a new member organization, the Alternate Text Production
Center of the California Community Colleges (ATPC), and their
representative to the Board, Sandy Greenberg. BANA also welcomed two
new Board Representatives - Nancy Niebrugge from the Braille Institute
of America and Jackie Sheridan from National Braille Press.

The Board elected officers for the 2013 calendar year, and they are:

Chair: Frances Mary D'Andrea, representing the American Foundation for
the Blind (AFB);
Vice Chair: Mary Nelle McLennan, representing the American Printing
House for the Blind (APH);
Secretary: Jennifer Dunnam, representing the National Federation of
the Blind (NFB);
Treasurer: Sue Reilly, representing the California Transcribers and
Educators of the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI); and
Immediate Past Chair: Judy Dixon, representing the National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).

As reported in a press release distributed in early November 2012, the
most notable action by the Board was the adoption of the Unified
Braille Code (UEB) in the United States. The transition to UEB will
take time and will require extensive preparation and coordination. The
transition will follow a carefully crafted implementation timeline and
plan that will take into consideration the various aspects of using,
teaching, and producing braille. At its November meeting, the BANA
Board appointed a UEB Implementation Task Force, which is constructing
an implementation plan that will reflect input from the diverse
communities involved in using, teaching, learning, and producing
braille. Opportunities for input into the implementation plan will
continue through the summer and fall as well as throughout the
transition period. After the implementation plan is put into action
and the transition time is determined, the official braille codes for
the United States will be Unified English Braille; Nemeth Code for
Mathematics and Science Notation, 1972 Revision and published updates;
Music Braille Code, 1997; and The IPA Braille Code, 2008.

BANA's next meeting will be sponsored by the National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). Meetings will be held
at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The dates of this spring
meeting will be April 11 through 13, 2013, with the Open Forum
scheduled for Saturday, April 13 at the Arlington, VA, Public Library.
Observers are welcome; however, interested guests must register in
advance with the BANA Chair in order to conform with special security
requirements and procedures for entry to federal buildings. Additional
details about the spring meeting and the Open Forum will be announced
soon.

For additional resource information, visit
www.brailleauthority.org<http://www.brailleauthority.org/>
The Board of BANA consists of appointed representatives from fifteen
member organizations of braille producers, transcribers, teachers, and
consumers.
The mission and purpose of the Braille Authority of North America are
to assure literacy for tactile readers through the standardization of
braille and/or tactile graphics. BANA promotes and facilitates the
use, teaching, and production of braille. It publishes rules,
interprets, and renders opinions pertaining to braille in all existing
codes. It deals with codes now in existence or to be developed in the
future, in collaboration with other countries using English braille.
In exercising its function and authority, BANA considers the effects
of its decisions on other existing braille codes and formats; the ease
of production by various methods; and acceptability to readers.

Joey Couch
phone 606-216-8033.
email ki4vjd at gmail.com
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