Press Release
April 27, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jennifer Dunnam, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
612-767-5658
chair@brailleauthority.org
The Braille Authority of North America (BANA), which meets face-to-face semiannually, will hold its 2015 spring meeting May 7–9 in Boston, MA. This meeting will be hosted by National Braille Press (NBP), a BANA member organization. Meetings will take place in the Boston Symphony Orchestra building at 301 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115.
Items on the Board's agenda include updates of BANA's numerous ongoing projects and the implementation of Unified English Braille (UEB). The Board will review formal reports from all of BANA's technical committees such as music, math, and tactile graphics, and its general committees and task forces, such as the UEB Transition Task Force and the BANA Publications Committee. BANA will take action on recommendations when appropriate.
BANA officers for 2015 are Chair Jennifer Dunnam, representing the National Federation of the Blind; Vice Chair Mary Nelle McLennan, from the American Printing House for the Blind; Secretary Ruth Rozen, representing the Hadley School for the Blind; and Treasurer Jackie Sheridan, from National Braille Press.
The Perkins School for the Blind joined BANA as a full member in January 2015. Kim Charlson will serve as the Perkins representative to the BANA Board.
As always, interested parties are invited to observe the 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 chair@brailleauthority.org.
The Board of BANA consists of appointed representatives from eighteen member organizations of braille producers, transcribers, teachers, and consumers.
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 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 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.