[rehab] Important information about Braille Certification

[Edward Bell]

The National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) would like
to announce a new certification being offered beginning January 2015: the
National Certification in Unified English Braille (NCUEB). Although this
certification is intended primarily for professionals in the blindness
field, anyone is welcome to take the test, and there are no prerequisites
other than knowledge of the UEB code.

 

Since the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), the governing authority
of the braille code in the United States, has set January 4, 2016 as the
official conversion date to Unified English Braille (UEB), the National
Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB) will no longer be offered as of
January 1, 2015.  Obviously, there will still be a great deal of material in
circulation for many years to come that has been transcribed in Literary
Braille, and we recognize that many professionals may be interested in
becoming certified in both UEB and Literary Braille, so we have scheduled a
number of testing opportunities for the NCLB certification in 2014. All
registration information is located at: www.nbpcb.org/nclb

 

 

2014 Test Dates for National Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB)

 

May 17         Southern Arizona Association for the Visually Impaired,
Tucson, AZ

 

May 31         Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision
Impaired, Richmond, VA

 

June 11         Iowa Department for the Blind, Des Moines, IA

 

Sept. 13        San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind, San Francisco, CA

 

Sept. 27        BLIND Inc., Minneapolis, MN

 

Oct. 10          Embassy Suites LAX South, Los Angeles, CA

 

Anyone holding NCLB certification at the end of 2014 will continue to
maintain their status until the expiration date on their most recent
certificate. If your agency or organization would be interested in
scheduling an exam in your area, please contact us.

 

The NBPCB, along with many other organizations whose work involves all
aspects of the learning, teaching, and production of braille, are committed
to ensuring that the transition from Literary Braille to UEB will be a
smooth one. To this end, many workshops will be held throughout the country
to offer an opportunity for both professionals and consumers to become
familiar with UEB. Please consult our website often for information
regarding scheduled workshops sponsored by the NBPCB.  

 

For questions regarding any aspects of NCUEB or becoming dually certified in
both the Unified English Braille and Literary Braille, please contact us at
braille at nbpcb.org.

 

 

Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC

 

REGISTER TO TAKE THE NATIONAL CERTIFICATION IN LITERARY BRAILLE (NCLB) Exam
<http://www.nbpcb.org/pages/announcements.php>
http://www.nbpcb.org/pages/announcements.php

 

Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
Louisiana Tech University

210 Woodard Hall

PO Box 3158

Ruston LA  71272

Office: 318.257.4554

Fax: 318.257.2259 (Fax)

Skype: edwardbell2010

 <mailto:ebell at latech.edu> ebell at latech.edu

 <http://www.latech.edu/instituteonblindness>
www.latech.edu/instituteonblindness

********************

"I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's
brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and
died in cotton fields and sweatshops."

-- Stephen Jay Gould