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<h1><b>Press Release</b></h1>July 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>
<div align="center"><b>BANA Adopts Guidelines at Spring Meeting and <br>
Hosts International Council on English Braille<br><br>
</b></div>
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. <br><br>
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.<br><br>
One of the highlights of BANA’s three-day meeting was the Board’s
approval of the eagerly anticipated 2016 revision of <i>Braille Formats:
Principles of Print-to Braille Transcription.</i> 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.<br><br>
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
<a href="http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.brailleauthority.org?p=eyJzIjoiOWE1WDRITVdVbFkzZTJXUVI1b2VpN2pVZ0tnIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyYWlsbGVhdXRob3JpdHkub3JnXFxcL21hdGhzY2llbmNlXFxcL21hdGgtc2NpZW5jZS5odG1sXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiNTI0OGVjZDI5MTE5NGIyM2FiNzE0OTQwOWYyNTRmN2NcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCJlMDVjNGFlZWIxOWFlNTJhZGE0OGMzNTQ4MThkZjk2MTY4YzBkMWI0XCJdfSJ9">
http://www.brailleauthority.org/mathscience/math-science.html</a>.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<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=eyJzIjoiNHZWOHM1bXI4RlIwNUt3Zm1ER0ZRYnFONEk4IiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyYWlsbGVhdXRob3JpdHkub3JnXFxcL3ByZXNzcmVsZWFzZXNcXFwvcHItMjAxNi03Lmh0bWxcIixcImlkXCI6XCI1MjQ4ZWNkMjkxMTk0YjIzYWI3MTQ5NDA5ZjI1NGY3Y1wiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcIjgwNGZlNGJhYzg0NzAyNWRmNDgxZTI0NDQ5ZjRmOTJiZDNlMmVlYThcIl19In0">
http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2016-7.html</a> <br>
<div align="center"><br>
</div>
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. 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>
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