[nobe-l] [BANA-Announce] BANA Adopts Guidelines and Hosts ICEB

[Mary Nelle McLennan via BANA-Announce]

BANA logo



Press Release

July 2016
For Immediate Release

Contact: Jennifer Dunnam, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
612-767-5658
chair at brailleauthority.org

BANA Adopts Guidelines at Spring Meeting and
Hosts International Council on English Braille

The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) 
held its 2016 spring meeting May 19–21 in 
Baltimore, Maryland. The Council of Schools and 
Services for the Blind (COSB), a BANA member 
organization, hosted the meeting, which was held 
at the Maryland School for the Blind.

BANA welcomed new Board member Jessica Rivera who 
replaces Barbara Finkelstein as the Associated 
Services for the Blind (ASB) representative. BANA 
was honored to have several guests from the 
braille authorities of Australia and New Zealand 
as well as a number of local professionals and 
transcribers who observed the meeting.

One of the highlights of BANA’s three-day meeting 
was the Board’s approval of the eagerly 
anticipated 2016 revision of Braille Formats: 
Principles of Print-to Braille Transcription. 
This work is now being prepared for publication 
and will be available on the BANA website later 
this year. Hardcopy versions will be available for purchase at a later date.

The BANA Board also approved an expanded version 
of the previously distributed “Provisional 
Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code 
within UEB Contexts.” The newly adopted document 
incorporates additional examples as well as 
modifications based on input from users of the 
provisional version. This new “Guidance for 
Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB 
Contexts” is now available on the BANA website at 
<http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.brailleauthority.org?p=eyJzIjoiOWE1WDRITVdVbFkzZTJXUVI1b2VpN2pVZ0tnIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyYWlsbGVhdXRob3JpdHkub3JnXFxcL21hdGhzY2llbmNlXFxcL21hdGgtc2NpZW5jZS5odG1sXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiNTI0OGVjZDI5MTE5NGIyM2FiNzE0OTQwOWYyNTRmN2NcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCJlMDVjNGFlZWIxOWFlNTJhZGE0OGMzNTQ4MThkZjk2MTY4YzBkMWI0XCJdfSJ9>http://www.brailleauthority.org/mathscience/math-science.html.

In addition, the Board approved another guidance 
document­“Provisional Guidance for Transcription 
Using the Chemistry Code within UEB Contexts.” 
This document will be available on the BANA website this summer.

Following the BANA meeting, the International 
Council on English Braille (ICEB) held its Sixth 
General Assembly. This meeting, which is held 
every four years, was jointly hosted by BANA and 
the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) at NFB 
headquarters in Baltimore. In addition to 
conducting Council business, this five-day 
meeting included papers and poster/demonstration 
presentations from members of organizations 
representing braille authorities in all eight ICEB member countries.

NOTE: This press release is available in HTML on 
the BANA website at 
<http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.brailleauthority.org?p=eyJzIjoiNHZWOHM1bXI4RlIwNUt3Zm1ER0ZRYnFONEk4IiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyYWlsbGVhdXRob3JpdHkub3JnXFxcL3ByZXNzcmVsZWFzZXNcXFwvcHItMjAxNi03Lmh0bWxcIixcImlkXCI6XCI1MjQ4ZWNkMjkxMTk0YjIzYWI3MTQ5NDA5ZjI1NGY3Y1wiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcIjgwNGZlNGJhYzg0NzAyNWRmNDgxZTI0NDQ5ZjRmOTJiZDNlMmVlYThcIl19In0>http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2016-7.html 


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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