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<h1><b><a name="_GoBack"></a>Press
Release</b></h1><a name="_GoBack"></a><br>
<br>
May 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 to Hold 2016 Spring Meeting in Baltimore, MD, May
19–21</b></h1><br><br>
The Braille Authority of North America (BANA), which meets face-to-face
semiannually, will hold its 2016 spring meeting May 19-21 in Baltimore,
MD. This meeting will be hosted by the Council of Schools and Services
for the Blind (COSB), which is a member organization of BANA. The BANA
meeting will immediately precede the Sixth General Assembly of the
International Council on English Braille (ICEB) to be held May 21–26 at
the headquarters of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in
Baltimore. BANA Meetings will take place at the Maryland School for the
Blind, located at 3501 Taylor Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21236. <br><br>
Items on the BANA Board’s agenda include updates of BANA’s numerous
ongoing projects. The Board will review formal reports from all of BANA’s
technical committees such as braille formats, music, math, foreign
language, and tactile graphics and will take action on recommendations
when appropriate.<br><br>
As always, interested parties are invited to observe BANA board meetings.
If you are interested in observing the BANA meeting, please contact BANA
Chair Jennifer Dunnam at 612-767-5658 or by email at
<a href="mailto:chair@brailleauthority.org">chair@brailleauthority.org</a>
. <br><br>
On the evening of May 21, the International Council on English Braille
(ICEB), which meets every four years, will begin its Sixth General
Assembly. ICEB, of which BANA is a member, includes eight countries that
use Unified English Braille (UEB) as their primary means of reading and
writing braille. Approximately 50 delegates representing the eight member
countries of ICEBAustralia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, South
Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United Stateswill convene at the NFB
headquarters located at 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place,
Baltimore, MD 21230. Papers on a variety of topics and demonstrations of
new braille technologies will be presented at this meeting, which extends
through May 26.<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=eyJzIjoiSHhsU1MyR2l2THNIczUyMTFIQkluZXI1VUJvIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyYWlsbGVhdXRob3JpdHkub3JnXFxcL3ByZXNzcmVsZWFzZXNcXFwvcHItMjAxNi01Lmh0bWxcIixcImlkXCI6XCI0ZDEwMThlNzllYzI0NDEzOTkzNzFjOWVlZTRmOGFlNlwiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcIjI0NWFmNGUyNjQ2NTI4ZTYyNzRjNTk4Zjc5MjI0M2MxYjdkOWRiZmNcIl19In0">
http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2016-5.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>
<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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