Braille Research
I. Research Related to the Unified English Braille (UEB)
A. US and International Research
- BANA's Ad Hoc Committee on UEB Research, 2001-2004
This link describes four studies that were conducted.
http://www.brailleauthority.org/ad-hoc-committee-ueb-research - Unified English Braille (UEB) Implementation: State of the Nations
http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/research/reports/reading/pages/unified_braille.aspx - UEB in New Zealand 2008-2012
http://iceb2012.net/docs/iceb%20papers/UEB%20in%20New%20Zealand.brf
http://iceb2012.net/docs/iceb%20papers/UEB%20in%20New%20Zealand.docx - User Research into UEB in the United Kingdom http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/research/reports/reading/pages/ueb_uk.aspx
- Implementation of UEB in Australia and New Zealand
http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/Research/reports/reading/Pages/australia_newzealand.aspx - Braille User Views of UEB in the United Kingdom
http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/research/reports/reading/pages/ueb_evaluation.aspx - 2010 Conference: Transition to UEB in the ICEVI Pacific Region
http://printdisability.wordpress.com/conference/2010-conference/7b-transition-to-unified-english-braille-ueb-in-the-icevi-pacific-region-by-josie-howse-frances-gentle-karen-stobbs-janet-reynolds/ - Impressions of the UEB Code: Focus group research in Canada; Final report presented at International Council on English Braille (ICEB) General Assembly, 2004, from the web site of the Canadian Braille Authority
http://www.canadianbrailleauthority.ca/en/publications.php
B. Article Citations From Peer-reviewed Journals
- Bogart, D. & Koenig, A. J. (2005). Selected findings from the first international evaluation of the proposed Unified English Braille code. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 99, 233-238.
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D'Andrea, F. M., Wormsley, D. P., & Savaiano, M. S. (2014). Unified English Braille in the United States: A research agenda for transition and instruction. In D. Hatton (Ed.) International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities, Vol. 46: Current Issues in the Education of Students with Visual Impairments (pp. 145-176). Waltham, MA: Academic Press, Elsevier
- Gentle, F., Steer, M., & Howse, J. (2012). New dots Downunder: The implementation of Unified English Braille in Australian schools. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 30, 197-200.
- Gerber, E. & Smith, B. C. (2006). Literacy and controversy: Focus-group data from Canada on proposed changes to the braille code. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 100, 459-470.
- Holbrook, M. C. & MacCuspie, P. A. (2010). The Unified English Braille Code: Examination by science, mathematics, and computer science technical expert braille readers. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 104, 533-541.
- Knowlton, M. & Wetzel, R. (2006). Analysis of the length of braille texts in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth Code, and Computer Braille Code versus the Unified English Braille Code. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 100, 267-274.
- Steinman, B. A., Kimbrough, B. T., Johnson, F., & LeJeune, B. J. (2004). Transferring standard English braille skills to the Unified English Braille Code: A pilot study. RE:view, 36, 103-111.
- Wetzel, R. & Knowlton, M. (2006). Studies of braille reading rates and implications for the Unified English Braille Code. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 100, 275-284.
- Wetzel, R. & Knowlton, M. (2006). Focus group research on the implications of adopting the Unified English Braille Code. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 100, 203-211
C. Historical Background Regarding UEB
- The original memo from 1991 that proposed that BANA consider working on a unified code:
http://www.iceb.org/cranem.html - History of the UEB project can be found on the web site of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB)
http://www.iceb.org/ubc.html - Why does UEB use upper numbers? The international committee discussed this question at length in 1992-1993. The following link goes to an archived threaded discussion:
http://www.iceb.org/ueb_num_debate2.html
D. Published Commentary and Perspective Articles Regarding UEB
- Bogart, D. (2009). Louis Braille celebration: Unifying the English braille codes. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 103, 581-583.
- Jolley, W. (2005). Unified English Braille: Australians blazing the trail. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 99, 517-519.
- Spungin, S. J. (2003). Speaker's corner: Cannibalism is alive and well in the blindness field. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 97, 69-71.
- Perspectives, published in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, February 2004
This link leads to six short articles by different authors, offering their perspectives on the question: "Should a unified braille code be adopted for use across English-speaking countries?"
http://www.afb.org/section.aspx?FolderID=4&SectionID=54&DocumentID=2211
II. Additional Research Conducted by BANA
UEB Background Info
The original memo from 1991 that proposed that BANA consider working on a unified code: http://www.iceb.org/cranem.html
Considerations and Impact of Adopting UEB in the US — File types: HTML and BRF
Article: Evolution of Braille: Can the Past Help Plan the Future?
Planning the Transition
UEB Example Documents
- Document: The Gettysburg Address — File types: BRF and simbraille PDF
- Document: Pumpkin Pie Recipe — File types: BRF and simbraille PDF
- Document: I Have A Dream — File types: BRF and simbraille PDF
- Document: The Wizard of Oz, Chapter 1 — File types: BRF and simbraille PDF
- Document: Papa John's Online Menu — File types: BRF and simbraille PDF
- Document: 20 Google Search Shortcuts — File types: BRF, and simbraille PDF, and print DOC
- Document: How to Carve Chicken and Turkey — File types: BRF, simbraille PDF, and print HTML
- Document: Portion Distortion Quiz — File types: BRF, simbraille PDF, and print PDF
- Document: Dallas, November 22, 1963 — Available from BARD for eligible patrons https://nlsbard.loc.gov
Please keep in mind that The UEB Reader is aimed at the interest and reading level of adults. It was not designed as a resource for young children. This page of the BANA website has an example document of the first chapter of The Wizard of Oz that has been transcribed using UEB. This example is likely more appropriate for younger students. PDF of simbraille, BRF
State Plans for the Implementation of UEB
States are encouraged to share their plans for the implementation of UEB through the BANA website. The following states have supplied BANA with their respective state plans for the implementation of UEB: