Press Release
May 2025
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jen Goulden, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
613-552-4191; chair@brailleauthority.org
The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) held its 2025 spring meeting on May 6 through 8 in Austin, TX. The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), a BANA member organization, hosted the meeting on the campus of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI).
BANA Chair Jen Goulden presided throughout the meeting. After greeting observers, she introduced Lee Sonnenberg, Executive Director of AER and Emily Coleman, Superintendent of TSBVI, both of whom welcomed the Board and observers.
Georgie Sydnor, the recently appointed representative for National Braille Press, was welcomed as a new Board member. Amber Pearcy, who replaced Tamara Rorie as representative of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, will continue to serve as BANA secretary.
During its three-day meeting, the BANA Board reviewed semiannual reports from its general, technical, and Board committees, each of which works on specific charges from the Board. The Board acted on recommendations from these committees and issued new charges when appropriate.
The Board approved a new position paper, Accessible Tests are Required for Braille Readers, which will be released in the near future.
National Braille Press will host BANA’s fall 2025 meeting on October 22-24 in Boston, MA. Additional information will be announced nearer the meeting date.
Interested parties are invited to attend and observe the BANA Board’s face-to-face meetings. If you are interested in being an in-person observer, please contact BANA Chair Jen Goulden at 613-552-4191 or by email at chair@brailleauthority.org.
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.
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