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<h1><b><a name="_GoBack"></a>Press
Release</b></h1><a name="_GoBack"></a><br>
<br>
February 2016<br>
For Immediate Release<br>
<br>
Contact: Jennifer Dunnam, Chair<br>
Braille Authority of North America<br>
612-767-5658<br>
chair@brailleauthority.org<br><br>
<h1><b>BANA Elects Officers, Recognizes Board Changes</b></h1><br><br>
At its November 2015 meeting, the Braille Authority of North America
(BANA) elected the officers who will serve during the 2016 calendar year.
The officers are Chair, Jennifer Dunnam (National Federation of the
Blind); Vice Chair, Sandra Ruconich (American Council of the Blind);
Secretary, Ruth Rozen (The Hadley School for the Blind); Treasurer,
Jackie Sheridan (National Braille Press). <br><br>
The new year has brought additional Board changes. Diane Wormsley, who
has represented AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the
Blind and Visually Impaired) on the BANA Board since 2004, has retired
from her professorship at North Carolina Central University and is
leaving the BANA Board to pursue other interests. Diane has co-chaired
BANA’s research committee, and her amazing memory of BANA actions as well
as her thoughtful insights will be greatly missed. <br><br>
Diane’s position of AER representative will be filled by Mary Nelle
McLennan, who has been the representative from the American Printing
House for the Blind (APH) since 2007 and just completed five years as
BANA’s Vice Chair. Mary Nelle will continue to serve on the Board, now
representing AER. We are grateful to retain Mary Nelle’s depth of
knowledge and experience and anticipate her continued participation and
contributions, especially as Chair of BANA’s Publications
Committee.<br><br>
Cathy Senft-Graves has been appointed as the new representative from APH,
where she is the Braille Literacy and Technology Project Leader. The BANA
Board looks forward to her service.<br><br>
BANA’s spring meeting will be held May 19-21, 2016, at the Maryland
School for the Blind in Baltimore. Observers are welcome. This meeting
will immediately precede the quadrennial meeting on May 22-26 of the
International Council on English Braille (ICEB), which will occur at the
headquarters of the National Federation of the Blind, also in Baltimore.
More details about BANA’s spring meeting will be announced in a
forthcoming press release.<br><br>
NOTE: This press release is available in HTML on the BANA website at
<a href="http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.brailleauthority.org?p=eyJzIjoiaFZWVWRGWU95SFVUc0tsdExsZXFtZ3Jtb0FBIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyYWlsbGVhdXRob3JpdHkub3JnXFxcL3ByZXNzcmVsZWFzZXNcXFwvcHItMjAxNi0yLmh0bWxcIixcImlkXCI6XCJmM2MyYWRjMTVhNDU0YTJlYmExYmI5NjM2ODQ3ZTk1ZFwiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcIjE3MWE5NWM0NWI3M2YxYWE3OWRhYzM5YmJmZjJjNTQyODdjNWVhMjFcIl19In0">
http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2016-2.html</a>.
<br>
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You can follow the work of BANA by signing up for BANA-Announce, a
one-way email list that disseminates news and information. To join this
list, send a blank email message to
<a href="mailto:bana-announce-subscribe@brailleauthority.org">
bana-announce-subscribe@brailleauthority.org</a> and follow the
directions in the confirmation email that will be sent in response. You
can also follow BANA on Facebook and Twitter! <br><br>
The Board of BANA consists of appointed representatives from seventeen
member organizations of braille producers, transcribers, teachers, and
consumers.<br><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><br>
<br><br>
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<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<x-tab> </x-tab>David
Andrews and long white cane Harry.<br>
E-Mail: dandrews@visi.com or david.andrews@nfbnet.org<br>
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