Press Release
February 2026
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jen Goulden, BANA Chair
Braille Authority of North America
613-552-4191
chair@brailleauthority.org
BANA Celebrates 50 Years!
The Braille Authority of North America, familiarly known as BANA, celebrates a golden milestone in 2026! For half a century, BANA has worked to promote and facilitate the uses, teaching, and production of braille across the United States and Canada.
Although BANA officially came into existence in 1976, its origins lie in the early work of dedicated individuals and organizations who joined together to develop codes and standards for braille materials in the United States and Canada. BANA was established in its current form from these foundational efforts. As we celebrate BANA's 50th anniversary, we honor not only 50 years of formal existence, but a much longer legacy of commitment to literacy for tactile readers and standardization of braille and/or tactile graphics.
Throughout this year, we will honor the people, progress, and partnerships that have defined our journey. We invite those who use and love braille to join us in celebrating this milestone anniversary by sharing your stories about braille and why it's important to you. We'll be using the hashtag #BANA50th.
You can follow the work of BANA through Facebook and X and BANA’s website at https://www.brailleauthority.org/