Thursday, November 3, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, November 4, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 5, 2016 9:00 a.m. – noon
Hosted by American Foundation for the Blind
Meeting in Atlanta, GA
1. Call to Order: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer Dunnam called the meeting to order and thanked AFB for hosting the meeting.2. Welcome from the American Foundation for the Blind
Because of scheduling issues, AFB’s president addressed the board later in the meeting.
3. Seating of BANA members
The new representative for NLS (introduced during the BANA meeting by teleconference, August 2016) is unable to attend because she is getting a new guide dog. Judy Dixon (past representative for NLS) substituted for her.
4. Self-Introductions: Representatives and Observers
Attending:
- Jennifer Dunnam, National Federation of the Blind (NFB), Chair
- Sandra (Sandy) Ruconich, American Council of the Blind (ACB), Vice Chair
- Ruth Rozen, Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Secretary
- Jackie Sheridan, National Braille Press (NBP), Treasurer
- Frances Mary (FM) D'Andrea, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Immediate Past Chair
- Dawn Gross, Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC)
- Cathy Senft-Graves, American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
- Mary Nelle McLennan, Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER)
- Tracy Gaines, California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI)
- Saul Garza, Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Darleen Bogart, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind)
- Maryann Bartkowski, Horizons for the Blind
- Diane Spence, National Braille Association (NBA)
- Judith (Judy) Dixon, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS)
- Kim Charlson, Perkins
- Jen Goulden, for associate member Crawford Technologies
- Johanna Anand attended at the request of Collette Bauman, who is the representative of associate member COSB.
- Susan (Sue) Reilly participated in her role as administrative assistant.
Not attending:
- Jessica (Jessi) Rivera, Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ASB)
Observers:
- Annie Maxwell, AMAC
- Guy Toles, AMAC
- Chester Thrash
- Randy Davis, AMAC
5. Meeting Arrangements: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM D’Andrea explained the arrangements for the BANA meeting and that a tour of the AFB space is an option for BANA participants. She also related a short history of AFB’s location in Atlanta. FM thanked Shirley Landrum, AFB’s local director, for the setup and meals. Friday’s lunch is being provided by AMAC (Accessibility Solutions and Research Center).
6. Board's Liability Statement: Ruth Rozen
Ruth Rozen, BANA Secretary, read the following Indemnification Statement: "BANA indemnifies its Officers and Board of Directors and holds them harmless from all claims of every kind, including court expenses, attorneys' fees, and the claimed amount arising from the performance of their duties as Officers and Directors except for their own acts of dishonesty and gross negligence." (Adopted March 30, 1987)
7. Agenda Approval: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer Dunnam asked to amend the agenda by inserting a discussion by the Membership Committee before item 28, Bylaws Committee.
MSC Maryann Bartkowski moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that the amended agenda be approved. The motion passed unanimously.
8. Chair's Comments: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer Dunnam proceeded to explain some of the typical procedures that take place during a BANA meeting. These include the fact that the administrative assistant is present to help with note-taking, and that the BANA secretary takes minutes. FM D’Andrea records "to do" items for all members, and sends that list to the board immediately following the meeting.
Summarizing the agenda, Jennifer stated that the board will deal with many documents, and in addition, sessions on strategic planning will take place each afternoon.
At the Spring 2016 meeting, it was noted that BANA will be receiving a bequest. This bequest has not yet been received, but the amount is about $35,900. The bequester is Bianca Culbertson, who was a transcriber.
9. Braille Formats Technical Committee: Cindi Laurent, Chair
Saul Garza, liaison to the Braille Formats Technical Committee summarized the report, which is on file.
A discussion ensued about a request by the committee to make changes to Section 3.1 of Braille Formats 2016, which has already been approved by the board. After determining that these small revisions would not delay the publication process if approved, the board agreed that members of the original Formats board review panel should meet to provide a recommendation to the board. Following their analysis, the review panel recommended approval of the requested clarifying changes to this section. Later in the meeting, board members voted as follows:"
MSC Saul Garza moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that the following revision of section 1.3 of Braille Formats 2016 be approved. The motion passed unanimously.
- 1.3 Partially Technical Works
- 1.3.1 Books with occasional mathematical or scientific terminology and notation are transcribed using UEB as the primary code. Symbols from other codes are listed on the Special Symbols page or in a transcriber's note before the text. Consistency within a transcription is required.
- 1.3.2 Text containing technical notation throughout the transcription requires notice of this usage on the Transcriber's Notes page. Samples:
- Mathematical formulas are transcribed according to The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 1972 Revision, 2007-2014 Updates including the Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Context.
- Tactile Graphics are produced according to the Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2010.
- a. Use of these codes requires knowledge and understanding of the code. It is the transcriber’s responsibility to seek assistance from a code specialist to ensure an accurate transcription of the technical content.
- b. See Section 2, Transcriber-Generated Pages and Front Matter, §2.6, Transcriber’s Notes Page for detailed information about the Transcriber’s Notes page.
Connie Risjord, who served as consultant to the committee, will be thanked for her service, as her task was the update of Braille Formats 2011.
MSC Cathy Senft-Graves moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 237 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 237 to the Braille Formats Technical Committee, 4/12/15: Consider and document changes that will need to be made in order for the Formats guidelines to be brought into alignment with UEB.]
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that BANA thank the current members of the Braille Formats Technical Committee for their successful work on the revision of Braille Formats, and, with the approval of that revision, terminate their appointments at the end of 2016. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the following individuals be appointed to the Braille Formats Technical Committee, and that their respective terms be staggered as follows:
- Cindi Laurent, chair (2018)
- Tina Hertzberg (2018)
- Norma McDonald (2018)
- Marilyn Breedlove (2017)
- Randi Davis (2017)
The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the Braille Formats Technical Committee be charged with responding to inquiries regarding Braille Formats 2016. The motion passed unanimously.
Mary Nelle McLennan reviewed the Publications Committee’s status of Braille Formats 2016. This information can be found in the list titled "Status of Documents in Progress" in the agenda packet.
10. Tactile Graphics Technical Committee: Aquinas Pather, Chair
Diane Spence, liaison to the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee, summarized the report, which is on file.
No new inquiries have been made to the committee; the charge to answer inquiries remains ongoing.
Regarding the revision of the Tactile Graphics Guidelines, the committee has made progress with the samples in the supplement section. A face-to-face meeting will take place in Houston during the week of November 13 to address changes to the main document. Updating the current braille symbols list with those for number lines in the Tactile Graphics Guidelines will be completed after the face-to-face meeting.
MSC Diane Spence moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 296 be changed to "ongoing." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 296 to the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee, 5/19/16: Work with the Mathematics and Chemistry committees regarding any necessary specific rules for Nemeth Code and UEB within tactile graphics.]
MSC Diane Spence moved and Cathy Senft-Graves seconded the motion that Susan Osterhaus and Betty Marshall be reappointed to the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee for a term to end in 2018. The motion passed unanimously.
Diane Spence read an email from chair Aquinas Pather regarding the preservation of original Word files from which the Guidelines are being created. Publications Committee chair Mary Nelle McLennan said her committee would keep those files to make sure nothing is mis-represented in the conversion to other media.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Sandy Ruconich seconded the motion to thank Sarah Morley-Wilkins for her service to the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
Sarah Morley-Wilkins served as the international consultant to this committee. There was discussion about replacing her.
MSC Diane Spence moved and Judy Dixon seconded the motion that Aquinas Pather be reappointed as chair of the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee for a term to end in 2017. The motion passed unanimously.
11. Mathematics Braille Technical Committee: Dorothy Worthington, Chair
Dawn Gross, liaison to the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee, summarized the report, which is on file.
The Graphing Calculator Guidelines are now complete, and the guidelines will now go to Tech review. See motion below.
Regarding the cooperative work with the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee and the Chemistry Committee, queries have been asked and responses made.
Early work on the revision of the Nemeth Code has begun.
A discussion ensued about whether "rulings by committee" get posted to the general constituency. At this time, there is no mechanism for those rulings to be made publicly available. Other avenues for inquiries and responses exist, such as NBA’s "Ask an Expert." Sometimes BANA committee chairs or others give answers that have not yet been covered in BANA documents. It is recommended that when this happens, the response include the fact that it is a suggested answer, and that it will be forwarded to BANA for consideration.
Further discussion centered on a method by which the board would receive such suggestions and vet them.
It was also explained that the "Rulings by Committee," which appear in the semi-annual reports, are interpretations or clarifications of existing rules. Requests for approval of changes or new rules that do not appear in any BANA document are handled separately and do not fall within the definition of a "ruling by committee."
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that items 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 of the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee Rulings by Committee, as amended below, be accepted. Voting Yes: ACB (Sandy Ruconich), AFB (FM D'Andrea), AER (Mary Nelle McLennan), ATPC (Dawn Gross), APH (Cathy Senft-Graves), CTEBVI (Tracy Gaines), Clovernook (Saul Garza), Hadley (Ruth Rozen), Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski), NBA (Diane Spence), NBP (Jackie Sheridan), NFB (Jennifer Dunnam), NLS (Judy Dixon), Perkins (Kim Charlson); Not voting: ASB (Jessi Rivera); Abstaining: CNIB (Darleen Bogart). The motion carried.
1) Wording has been added to Basic Guidance section 3a to clarify which numbers and/or letters may be transcribed in UEB: Freestanding, unmodified numbers and/or letters can be transcribed in UEB. If a freestanding number or letter is combined with anything other than an ordinal or an internal comma (e.g., a minus sign, a decimal point, etc.) it is transcribed according to Nemeth Code.
3) Slash meaning per, over, or divided by is mathematical and is part of a fraction. Fractions are transcribed in Nemeth Code. [Basic Guidance]
4) In a unified system of equations with accompanying remarks to the right and no right grouping sign the remarks are placed on the line following the required blank line in the displayed position for that text. [Formatting]
5) The dot 6, 3, previously a transcriber’s note symbol, is now the single-word switch indicator, and therefore should be listed on the Special Symbols page, even though it is a Nemeth Code symbol. [Basic Guidance, #4.]
6) Opening Nemeth Code indicator and Terminator should be listed on the Special Symbols page. [Introductory paragraph]
9) UEB typeform indicators can be used on words that are preceded by the single word switch indicator. [Basic Guidance, #4]
MSC Dawn Gross moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 297 be changed to "ongoing." Voting Yes: ACB (Sandy Ruconich), AFB (FM D'Andrea), AER (Mary Nelle McLennan), ATPC (Dawn Gross), APH (Cathy Senft-Graves), CTEBVI (Tracy Gaines), Clovernook (Saul Garza), Hadley (Ruth Rozen), Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski), NBA (Diane Spence), NBP (Jackie Sheridan), NFB (Jennifer Dunnam), NLS (Judy Dixon), Perkins (Kim Charlson); Not voting: ASB (Jessi Rivera); Abstaining: CNIB (Darleen Bogart). The motion passed.
[Charge 297 to the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee, 5/19/16: Work with the Tactile Graphics Committee and the Chemistry Committee regarding any necessary specific rules for Nemeth Code and UEB within tactile graphics.]
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Tracy Gaines seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 298 be changed to "ongoing." Voting Yes: ACB (Sandy Ruconich), AFB (FM D'Andrea), AER (Mary Nelle McLennan), ATPC (Dawn Gross), APH (Cathy Senft-Graves), CTEBVI (Tracy Gaines), Clovernook (Saul Garza), Hadley (Ruth Rozen), Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski), NBA (Diane Spence), NBP (Jackie Sheridan), NFB (Jennifer Dunnam), NLS (Judy Dixon), Perkins (Kim Charlson); Not voting: ASB (Jessi Rivera); Abstaining: CNIB (Darleen Bogart). The motion passed.
[Charge 298 to the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee, 5/19/16: Conduct a major revision of the Nemeth Code that incorporates all relevant updates and includes the "Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Context."]
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Maryann Bartkowski seconded the motion to reappoint Jacquie Walker to the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee for a term to end in 2018. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that Dorothy Worthington be reappointed as chair of the Mathematics Braille Committee for a term ending in 2018. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Cathy Senft-Graves seconded the motion that Cindi Laurent and Caryn Navy continue as consultants to the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee for the year 2017. The motion passed unanimously.
The Graphing Calculator Guidelines have now been brought into alignment with UEB and "Nemeth Code within UEB Context." On Oct. 7, the Graphing Calculator Guidelines were sent to board. A board review is scheduled, as follows (see also the relevant motion under General Committee for Review Process, item #24):
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Tracy Gaines seconded the motion that the Graphing Calculator Guidelines be reviewed by the BANA board with a due date of Dec. 5, 2016, and that the responses be sent to Jennifer Dunnam. The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion continued about the remaining changes and clarifications included in the report.
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that items 7 and 10 of the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee Rulings by Committee, as amended below, be accepted. Voting Yes: ACB (Sandy Ruconich), AFB (FM D'Andrea), AER (Mary Nelle McLennan), ATPC (Dawn Gross), APH (Cathy Senft-Graves), CTEBVI (Tracy Gaines), Clovernook (Saul Garza), Hadley (Ruth Rozen), Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski), NBA (Diane Spence), NBP (Jackie Sheridan), NFB (Jennifer Dunnam), NLS (Judy Dixon), Perkins (Kim Charlson); Not voting: ASB (Jessi Rivera); Abstaining: CNIB (Darleen Bogart). The motion passed.
7) When following the Guidance for Use of Nemeth in UEB Contexts, icons that are created using the UEB transcriber-defined shape indicator (UEB 11.7.2) may be used in either UEB context or Nemeth context without the insertion of switch indicators. [Basic Guidance, #4]
10) Names of geometric shapes or figures followed by their identifying letters or numbers (example: Triangle ABC) are considered mathematical and are transcribed within the opening Nemeth Indicator and Terminator. [Additional Guidelines #4]
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Sandy Ruconich seconded the motion that the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee be tasked to work with the Publications Committee on making the list of changes available to the community. The motion passed unanimously.
Strategic Planning: Mary Nelle McLennan and Jackie Sheridan (agenda item #20)
Mary Nelle McLennan and Jackie Sheridan led the board members through a number of activities designed to analyze and focus BANA's decision-making processes. These activities took place during Thursday and Friday afternoons.
12. (agenda item #15) Foreign Language Task Force: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer Dunnam read aloud the report, since it was distributed after the preparation of the agenda packet. The report is on file.
The Guidance for Transcription of Foreign Language Material, currently being revised, is intended to clarify and enhance or expand the section about foreign language in Formats 2016. It will also provide more examples. It will not duplicate or conflict with guidance that is already available. The current draft puts forth three approaches for transcribing foreign language elements.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Sandy Ruconich seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 282 be changed to "ongoing." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 282 to the Foreign Language Task Force, 11/5/15: Update the "Provisional Guidance for Transcribing Foreign Language in UEB."]
MSC Sandy Ruconich moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that Rebecca Sherwood be appointed to the Foreign Language Task Force. The motion passed unanimously.
By general consensus it was agreed that the recommendation from the NBA Foreign Language Chair and member of this committee, which is included in the committee’s report, be accepted.
13. (agenda item #12) Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests: Diane Spence
Diane Spence summarized the report, which is on file.
The Guidelines for Production of Standardized Tests in Braille, 2016 is with the Publications Committee. Some discussion ensued about whether this document should go through a tech review or a board review. It was decided to conduct a tech review because other committees, such as ELMP and Chemistry, should have the opportunity to look for discrepancies. (See also the motion under General Committee for Review Process, item #24.)
MSC Diane Spence moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion to distribute the Guidelines for the Production of Standardized Tests in Braille (2016) for technical review. The motion passed unanimously.
Darleen Bogart noted that the document is really for U.S. only, not Canada. The "flavor" is American, not Canadian. This was viewed as reasonable because the regulations for testing are different in Canada from those in the U.S. It was also noted that there is no Canadian on the committee. The Canadian representatives will investigate whether a similar document for Canada is necessary.
The review should go out by Friday, 11/11.
Diane Spence will contact everyone on the committee and ask if they want to continue serving.
MSC Saul Garza moved and Tracy Gaines seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 264 be changed to "waiting." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 264 to the Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests, 11/7/14: Work with publications and the research committee to complete the technical and board review process for the testing guidelines document.]
14. (agenda item #13) Music Braille Technical Committee: Dan Geminder, chair
Ruth Rozen, liaison to the Music Braille Technical Committee, summarized the report, which is on file.
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion to change the disposition of charge 281 [incorrectly numbered and dated in the agenda] to "ongoing." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 281 to the Music Braille Technical Committee, 11/6/15: Respond to inquiries regarding the Music Braille Code.]
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Darleen Bogart seconded the motion to reappoint Gilbert Busch and Karen Gearreald to a term to end in 2018. The motion passed unanimously.
Cathy Senft-Graves provided information about the hardcopy production of MBC-2015. In 2017, APH will determine the specs and logistics for producing hard copy. Production depends on schedule.
15. (agenda item #16) Ad Hoc Committee on Early Literacy Materials Production: Bonnie Read, chair
Cathy Senft-Graves, liaison to the ELMP committee, summarized the report, which is on file.
MSC Cathy Senft-Graves moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 299 be changed to "ongoing." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 299 to the Ad Hoc Committee on Early Literacy Materials Production, 5/19/16: Work with the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee to update the mathematical examples in the document BANA Guidelines for the Transcription of Early Educational Materials from Print to Braille.]
Ann Kelt will be thanked for her work on this Ad Hoc committee.
The Appointments Committee is accepting nominations or suggestions for a new member of this committee.
16. (agenda item #18) Report of UEB Task Force: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM D’Andrea presented the report, which is on file.
The committee was formed four years ago to plan for and facilitate the transition to UEB in the United States. At this time, tasks have either been completed or are being handled by other committees. Therefore, the task force recommends that it be disbanded.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 242 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 242 to the UEB Task Force, 11/9/13: Lead the development, delivery, and communication of an implementation plan for the United States, in collaboration with other key organizations and agencies.]
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the UEB task force be disbanded. The motion passed unanimously.
17. Ad Hoc Committee on Chemistry: Cary Supalo, chair
FM D’Andrea, liaison to the Committee on Chemistry, summarized the report, which is on file.
The [Provisional] Guidance for Transcription Using the Chemistry Code Within UEB was revised post board comments, and it was re-sent to the board in August.
It is agreed that the document will remain "provisional," because it may be modified as it becomes more widely used.
The committee worked with the Mathematics and Tactile Graphics committees in writing this guidance.
The board considered this newly revised document, and subsequently the following motions took place:
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that BANA approve the Provisional Guidance for Transcription Using the Chemistry Code within UEB Context, with this modified title. Voting Yes: ACB (Sandy Ruconich), AFB (FM D'Andrea), AER (Mary Nelle McLennan), ATPC (Dawn Gross), APH (Cathy Senft-Graves), CTEBVI (Tracy Gaines), Clovernook (Saul Garza), Hadley (Ruth Rozen), Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski), NBA (Diane Spence), NBP (Jackie Sheridan), NFB (Jennifer Dunnam), NLS (Judy Dixon), Perkins (Kim Charlson); Not voting: ASB (Jessi Rivera); Abstaining: CNIB (Darleen Bogart). The motion carried.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Ruth Rozen seconded the motion that the Ad Hoc Committee on Chemistry be charged with responding to inquiries regarding the Provisional Guidance for Transcription Using the Chemistry Code within UEB Context and to consider feedback to be incorporated into any future updates. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Kim Charlson seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 283 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 283 to the Ad Hoc Committee on Chemistry, 11/5/15: Prepare a provisional document for using the Chemistry Code within UEB.]
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Cathy Senft-Graves seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 284 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 284 to the Ad Hoc Committee on Chemistry, 11/5/15: Work with the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee on the "Provisional Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Context."]
Work continues on updating the Braille Code for Chemical Notation.
The board noted that Cary Supalo will submit a paper, co-authored by the other members of the Committee on Chemistry, to the 2018 American Chemical Society meeting. The topic will be transcribing into braille using the Chemistry Code.
18. (agenda item #19) Report of General Committee on Unified English Braille: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM D’Andrea summarized the report, which is on file.
Regarding responding to UEB code questions, FM reported that since the "Send a message to BANA" link on the BANA website is now easier to locate, the committee has received more questions.
The General Committee on UEB continues to serve as liaison between BANA board and the ICEB Code Maintenance Committee (CMC).
The Committee on Chemistry had requested that the issue of using contractions in certain chemical terms be raised during the ICEB CMC meeting in May. FM reported that there was some interest in this issue, including some recognition that not using a contraction in certain technical words, especially chemistry and medical terms, could be helpful to some readers. This will be included on a list of code-related issues to be compiled by BANA for consideration by ICEB
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 300 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 300 to the General Committee on UEB, 5/19/16: Explore the possible need for contraction rules regarding the handling of chemical notation in UEB.]
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Mary Nelle McLennan seconded the motion that the General Committee on UEB be charged with compiling code-related issues for consideration by the BANA board to recommend to the ICEB CMC for their action. The motion passed unanimously.
19. (agenda item #21) Nominations Committee: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM D’Andrea presented the slate of officers for 2017, which is on file. It was noted that each officer can serve for up to five years.
MSC Kim Charlson moved and Mary Nelle McLennan seconded the motion to elect the following slate of officers for 2017:
- Chair: Jennifer Dunnam
- Vice Chair: Sandy Ruconich
- Secretary Dawn Gross
- Treasurer: Jackie Sheridan
The motion passed unanimously.
Agenda Item #2: Welcome from American Foundation for the Blind
At this point in the meeting, Kirk Adams, CEO of host organization AFB, joined the meeting by phone. He began his tenure in April of this year.
Mr. Adams thanked BANA on behalf of all current and future braille readers for its work. He reconfirmed his commitment to braille as a braille reader, listing all the ways he uses braille throughout his everyday life. He reasserted that AFB is supportive of all the work BANA does, and he plans to keep up with BANA’s activities. He also hopes to attend a future meeting.
Jennifer Dunnam thanked Kirk Adams for hosting this meeting and for AFB’s ongoing support.
20. Publications Committee: Mary Nelle McLennan
Mary Nelle McLennan summarized the report, which is on file. She referred to the document "Status of BANA Documents in Process," which is included in the agenda packet.
The website continues to grow and evolve, especially the UEB page, which has grown enormously. The committee is also working to assure online security, as part of the task of maintaining the website.
Mary Nelle then reviewed the list of projects in process.
Mary Nelle reviewed for board members the agreement between BANA and APH, in which APH produces hard copies of publications without charging BANA, and then charges individuals for the purchase of those hard copies.
The committee requested funds to cover the potential cost for copy editing and indexing Braille Formats 2016 and for a face-to-face training session for the Publications Committee.
MSC Mary Nelle McLennan moved and Maryann Bartkowski seconded the motion that the BANA board approve a budget allotment of $8,000 for publications activities to include a face-to-face training session for the publications committee. The motion passed unanimously.
A discussion ensued about how to get the rulings by committee to the board, and then to the publications committee, in order to disseminate information to the community. Mary Nelle suggested that the Publications Committee define a role, which would be in charge of collecting questions and answers from committees, leading to the following motion:
MSC Mary Nelle McLennan moved and Darleen Bogart seconded the motion that the Publications Committee be charged with collecting questions posed to, and their formal responses from, BANA committees; and vetting those for posting on the BANA website. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Dawn Gross seconded the motion that Susan Christensen, Brenda Loughrey, Jackie Sheridan, Sandy Smith, and Mary Nelle McLennan be reappointed to the Publications Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Maryann Bartkowski moved and Sandy Ruconich seconded the motion to appoint Ruth Rozen and Jen Goulden to the Publications Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
21. Braille Research Committee: Frances Mary D'Andrea
FM D’Andrea summarized the report, which is on file.In response to the committee’s request for clarification about whether to continue an interview project as part of its charge 239, the following motion was made:
MSC Kim Charlson moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 239 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 239 to the Braille Research Committee, 4/12/13: Collect and analyze data during the UEB implementation process. This data may include, for example, demographic data on implementation and/or personnel preparation materials and implementation strategies.]
There was mention of an APH study about the use of UEB for technical materials. At this time, no more information about that is available.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Cathy Senft-Graves seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 303 be changed to "ongoing." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 303 to the Braille Research Committee, 5/19/16: Keep the BANA board informed of various research projects on braille, their outcomes and their implications for the BANA board.]
22. Transition Forum Steering Committee: Sandy Ruconich
Sandy Ruconich summarized the report, which is on file.
Having successfully held the fourth and final UEB Transition Forum, and the transition of UEB being well underway, the following motions were made:
MSC Sandy Ruconich moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 288 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 288 to the Transition Forum Steering Committee, 11/5/15: Explore whether an event be planned about the implementation of UEB and to help execute whatever is decided upon.]
MSC Sandy Ruconich moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that the Transition Forum Steering Committee forthwith be disbanded, since the work is complete. The motion passed unanimously.
23. Outreach Committee: Sandy Ruconich
Sandy Ruconich summarized the report of the Outreach Committee, which is on file.
Regarding the exhibit trunk, discussion ensued about where it could be stored, what items should be included in the trunk, and whether the entire trunk is always needed at a conference or event, depending on the audience. The outreach committee will also review the contents for updating as needed, e.g., the list of members of BANA.
MSC Sandy Ruconich moved and Saul Garza seconded the motion that the dispositions of charges 285 and 287 be changed to "ongoing." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 285 to the Outreach Committee, 11/5/15: Collaborate with the General Committee on UEB to create content about UEB for the BANA website.]
[Charge 287 to the Outreach Committee, 11/5/15: Partner with the Publications Committee to update the "About BANA" section of the BANA Website.]
Regarding the exploration of new ways to communicate with BANA constituents, Sandy described a conference call that is planned on the topic of the new music braille code. The expert on the call will be Dan Geminder, and it is set for Jan. 17, 8:00 p.m. Eastern. At this time, a call provider has not yet been identified.
Maryann Bartkowski will join the outreach committee to replace Stuart Wittenstein.
The Outreach Committee thanks the members of the Steering Committee on planning and running the UEB Transition Forum.
24. General Committee for Review Process: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer Dunnam reported on the General Committee for Review Process. (See explanations for the following motions in Items 11 and 13 of these minutes, respectively.)
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Tracy Gaines seconded the motion that the General Committee for Review Process be charged with handling the process of the technical review of the Graphing Calculator Guidelines. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that the General Committee for Review Process be charged with handling the process of the technical review of the Guidelines for Production of Standardized Tests in Braille, 2016. The motion passed unanimously.
25. (agenda item #14) Crafts and Hobbies Technical Committee: Camille Caffarelli, chair
Maryann Bartkowski summarized the report of the Crafts and Hobbies Technical Committee, which is on file.
There was strong opposition by a few members of the committee to the draft of the UEB-compliant chess code that was presented to BANA at the Fall 2015 meeting. Some discussion ensued about other chess braille codes, including the code maintained by UKAFF. It was also mentioned that chess players would use a chess code in more than one medium: email and transcriptions of printed chess articles, which might mean more than one code is used. One of the challenges is how to transcribe printed chess glyphs (chess symbols).
At this point, it was mentioned that transcribers who joined this committee are familiar with knitting and crocheting, not with chess, so those transcribers have not participated in committee work that has to do with chess.
The board would like to explore various ways that an acceptable chess code could be developed; one that serves the greatest number. The committee is asking for direction, given all the issues and challenges.
Since chess is played internationally, it was decided to bring up the problem to the ICEB.
The discussion then turned to the status of the "Guidelines for Transcribing Knit and Crochet Patterns," resulting in the following motion:
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Ruth Rozen seconded the motion to charge the Crafts and Hobbies Technical Committee with updating the brf and print examples of the Guidelines for Transcribing Knit and Crochet Patterns to be aligned with UEB. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that Marcy Ponzio, Melissa Hirshson, and Jill Pariso be thanked for their work on the Crafts and Hobbies Technical Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion to reappoint Camille Caffarelli as chair of the Crafts and Hobbies Technical Committee for a term to end in 2018. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC FM D’Andrea moved and Maryann Bartkowski seconded the motion to appoint the following individuals for their respective terms to the Crafts and Hobbies Technical Committee:
- Anna Dresner (2017)
- Judy Dixon (2018)
The motion passed unanimously.
26. Bylaws Committee: Darleen Bogart
Darleen Bogart summarized the report of the Bylaws Committee, which is on file.
Darleen pointed out a discrepancy between the intent and the wording of the bylaws regarding attendance by representatives of member organizations at face-to-face meetings. Therefore, she made the following motion:
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that bylaws 524 and 525 be replaced with the new bylaw 524, as follows. The motion passed unanimously.
Bylaw 5.0 Structure
5.2.4: Attendance at Board meetings is required. If the designated representative of a full member organization is unable to attend a face-to-face meeting of the BANA Board, the member organization will appoint an alternative representative to attend the meeting and fulfill the responsibilities of the designated representative. A consistent pattern of non-attendance by a representative or alternate may result in the organization being considered delinquent and may therefore be dropped from the membership on the Board. The affected organization shall be notified of such action by registered mail.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion to adopt the changes in bylaw 3.1, as follows. The motion passed unanimously.
- Full members: Remove Council of Schools and Services for the Blind.
- Associate members: Add Council of Schools and Services for the Blind.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion that the disposition of charge 304 be changed to "done." The motion passed unanimously.
[Charge 304 to the Bylaws Committee, 5/19/16: Bring the bylaws into conformity by clarifying full member responsibilities.]
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Sandy Ruconich seconded the motion to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider the member attendance at the interim Board meetings held by conference call and reflect it in the bylaws. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and FM D’Andrea seconded the motion to charge the Bylaws Committee to consider the level of observers’ participation at meetings. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Sandy Ruconich seconded the motion to reappoint all members of the Bylaws Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
MSC Darleen Bogart moved and Ruth Rozen seconded the motion that Tamara Rorie be appointed to the Bylaws Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
27. BANA Appointments Committee: Tracy Gaines
Tracy Gaines summarized the report, which is on file.
The chemistry committee feels it does not need an additional transcriber (they had made that request at the Spring 2016 meeting).
Mary Nelle McLennan reviewed the history of appointments committee, noting that its purpose is to facilitate the process of finding people with the appropriate skills to fill positions on committees. She suggests reviewing the process in the future.
Names of possible candidates to work on committees should be sent to Tracy Gaines.
28. (agenda item #29) Ad Hoc Committee on Braille Signage and Labeling: Eugene Lozano, chair
Jackie Sheridan, liaison to the Ad Hoc committee on Braille Signage and Labeling, presented the report.
Jackie mentioned that Eugene Lozano, who had been appointed chair of the committee in Fall, 2015, sent several messages to the committee list, but there has been no response from committee members. Because of this lack of responsiveness, Eugene sent a message to Jackie indicating his desire to resign. Since Jackie’s last correspondence with Lozano in early October, Kim Charlson (a member of the committee) reached out to Lozano suggesting a conference call with the committee at large. Jackie is going to pursue communication with Lozano to reiterate this plan and get the committee moving again.
It was noted that Kim Charlson is a member of the Committee on Braille Signage and Labeling. The omitting of her name from the committee roster is an error.
29. (Agenda item #32) Treasurer's Report: Jackie Sheridan
Jackie Sheridan, BANA treasurer presented the report.
There was some discussion about the type of financial review BANA will conduct for years 2014, 2015, and 2016, and who will do that review. The review of those years will take place after January 1, 2017.
29.1 Financial statement year-to-date
Jackie led the board in a review of the financial statements, which are on file.
MSC Jackie Sheridan moved and Darleen Bogart seconded the motion to accept the YTD Financial Report as amended. The motion passed unanimously.
29.2 Budget for 2017
The board then reviewed the 2016 budget line by line to create the 2017 budget.
MSC Kim Charlson moved and Mary Nelle McLennan seconded the motion that the 2017 budget as presented be accepted. The motion passed unanimously.
30. (agenda item #31) Secretary's Report: Ruth Rozen
Ruth Rozen, BANA secretary, read the email motions and votes that had taken place since the Spring 2016 meeting. They are as follows:
MSC Dawn Gross moved and Kim Charlson seconded the motion that the Board approve the modified Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Context provided by the Mathematics Braille Technical Committee on June 9, 2016.
Voting deadline was June 22, 2016, 5:00 p.m. EDT.
Voting Yes: ATPC (Dawn Gross); ACB (Sandra Ruconich); AFB (Frances Mary D'Andrea); APH (Cathy Senft-Graves); ASB (Jessica Rivera); AER (Mary Nelle McLennan); CTBVI (Tracy Gaines); Clovernook (Saul Garza); CNIB (Darleen Bogart); COSB (Stuart Wittenstein); Hadley (Ruth Rozen); Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski); NBA (Diane Spence); NBP (Jackie Sheridan); NFB (Jennifer Dunnam); NLS (Tamara Rorie); Perkins (Kim Charlson)
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Dawn Gross seconded the motion to approve the minutes from the Spring 2016 meeting.
Voting deadline was July 29, 2016 at 5:00 PM Eastern.
Voting Yes: ATPC (Dawn Gross); ACB (Sandra Ruconich); AFB (Frances Mary D'Andrea; APH (Cathy Senft- Graves); ASB (Jessica Rivera); CNIB (Darleen Bogart); CTBVI (Tracy Gaines); Clovernook (Saul Garza); COSB (Stuart Wittenstein); Hadley (Ruth Rozen); Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski); NBP (Jackie Sheridan); Perkins (Kim Charlson)
Not voting: AER (Mary Nelle McLennan); NBA (Diane Spence); NFB (Jennifer Dunnam); NLS (Tamara Rorie)
MSC Saul Garza moved and Dawn Gross seconded the motion that BANA allow the Foreign Language Task Force to have access to a pre-release, pre-copyedited version of Braille Formats 2016, with the understanding that the files will not be distributed or shared beyond the committee members.
Voting deadline was August 30 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
Voting Yes: ATPC (Dawn Gross); ACB (Sandra Ruconich); AFB (Frances Mary D'Andrea); APH (Cathy Senft-Graves); ASB (Jessica Rivera); AER (Mary Nelle McLennan); CTEBVI (Tracy Gaines); Clovernook (Saul Garza); CNIB (Darleen Bogart); Hadley (Ruth Rozen); Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski); NBA (Diane Spence); NBP (Jackie Sheridan); NFB (Jennifer Dunnam); NLS (Tamara Rorie); Perkins (Kim Charlson)
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Tamara Rorie seconded the motion that the revised minutes from the August 2016 teleconference be accepted.
Voting deadline was September 13, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
Voting Yes: ATPC (Dawn Gross); APH (Cathy Senft-Graves); ASB (Jessica Rivera); CTBVI (Tracy Gaines); Clovernook (Saul Garza); CNIB (Darleen Bogart); Hadley (Ruth Rozen); Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski); NBA (Diane Spence); NBP (Jackie Sheridan); NFB (Jennifer Dunnam); NLS (Tamara Rorie); Perkins (Kim Charlson)
Not voting: ACB (Sandra Ruconich); AFB (FM D'Andrea); AER (Mary Nelle McLennan)
MSC FM D'Andrea moved and Dawn Gross seconded the motion that the Board of BANA gives Darleen Bogart permission to use the revised Formats 2016 and list of changes in her workshop in October, 2016. As is our usual practice, we request that no handouts be distributed to the audience, as this workshop is prior to publication of the Guidelines on the BANA website.
Voting deadline was Thursday, September 22 at 5:00 PM EDT.
Voting Yes: ATPC (Dawn Gross); ACB (Sandra Ruconich); AFB (FM) D'Andrea); APH (Cathy Senft-Graves); ASB (Jessica Rivera); AER (Mary Nelle McLennan); CTBVI (Tracy Gaines); Clovernook (Saul Garza); Hadley Ruth Rozen); Horizons (Maryann Bartkowski); NBP (Jackie Sheridan); NFB (Jennifer Dunnam); NLS (Tamara Rorie); Perkins (Kim Charlson)
Not Voting: CNIB (Darleen Bogart); NBA (Diane Spence)
31. (added agenda item) Membership Committee: Kim Charlson, Ruth Rozen
Due to lack of time, a report was not presented. However, Jennifer Dunnam stated that Board members have received a draft of the membership application packet, which Ruth Rozen revised. It was decided that this issue will be handled through email.
32. (agenda item #40) Upcoming Meetings
34.1 Spring 2017: CTEBVI: Tracy Gaines
The BANA Spring 2017 meeting will take place March 12 beginning at 1:00, p.m., and March 13 and 14, full days. The location is the San Francisco Airport Marriot where the CTEBVI conference will take place immediately prior to the BANA meeting. Lunches at the meeting will be provided by CTEBVI.
Tracy Gaines needs to hear from everyone who will be attending by Monday, November 7, to make sure an adequate number of hotel rooms is blocked.
34.2 Fall 2017: Hadley
The BANA Fall 2017 meeting will take place November 2-3-4 (two full days plus one half day), hosted by the Hadley Institute.
34.3 Board Teleconferences
After a short discussion, it was decided that due to the relatively short time between this meeting and the upcoming Spring 2017 meeting, an interim teleconference meeting is not necessary.
33. (agenda item #41) Future BANA meetings:
- Spring 2018: ATPC
- Fall 2018: ACB
- Spring 2019: CNIB
- Fall 2019: Clovernook
- Spring 2020: NFB
- Fall 2020: NBA
- Spring 2021: NLS
- Fall 2021: APH
- Spring 2022: ASB
- Fall 2022: AER
- Spring 2023: Perkins
- Fall 2023: NBP
- Spring 2024: Horizons
- Fall 2024: AFB
34. (agenda item #44) Adjournment: Jennifer Dunnam
Jennifer Dunnam again thanked AFB for their hosting of the meeting.
MSC Ruth Rozen moved and Jackie Sheridan seconded the motion that the meeting be adjourned. The motion passed unanimously.
Jennifer Dunnam adjourned the meeting at 11:50 EDT.