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<div align="center"><b>Press Release<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>September 2013<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>For Immediate Release<br>
<br>
</b></div>
CONTACT: Frances Mary D’Andrea, Chair<br><br>
Braille Authority of North America<br><br>
Phone: 412-521-5797<br><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:literacy2@mindspring.com">literacy2@mindspring.com</a><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>BANA Welcomes Two New Member Organizations <br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>and Four New Board Members<br>
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<br>
The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) is pleased to announce that
two additional organizationsCOSB (Council of Schools and Services for
the Blind) and the Hadley School for the Blindhave become full members
of BANA. In the months before BANA’s April Board meeting, these two
prestigious organizations submitted their applications for membership in
BANA. After reviewing the extensive applications, the BANA Board approved
full membership for both COSB and Hadley and welcomed them into the
organization. These two new member organizations have named their
representatives Dr. Stuart Wittenstein, Superintendent of the
California School for the Blind, now serves as the BANA representative
from COSB, and Ruth Rozen, who designs and writes many of Hadley’s
courses, represents the Hadley School for the Blind.<br><br>
<br><br>
Two other new Board members were recently named by their respective
organizations. Diane Spence of Houston, Texas, replaces Cindi Laurent as
the representative from the National Braille Association, and Jeff
Baugher assumes the role of representative from ATPC (Alternate Text
Production Center of the California Community Colleges) following the
retirement of Sandy Greenberg, who had served as their representative.
BANA looks forward to working with all four new Board members as they
participate in their first Board meeting this fall. <br><br>
<br><br>
BANA meets face-to-face semiannually and will hold its fall meeting on
November 810, 2013, in Louisville, KY. This meeting will be hosted by
the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), a BANA member
organization. More information about the fall Board meeting will be
distributed in the next few weeks.<br><br>
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</i><br>
<b>NOTE: This press release is available in HTML on the BANA website at
<a href="http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2013-9.html">
http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2013-9.html</a>. <br>
</b><br>
<i>For additional resource information, visit
<a href="http://www.brailleauthority.org">www.brailleauthority.org</a>
.<br>
</i><br>
<i>The Board of BANA consists of appointed representatives from seventeen
member organizations of braille producers, transcribers, teachers, and
consumers.<br>
</i><br>
<i>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>
</i><br>
<i> <br>
</i><br>
<i>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>
</i><br>
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