The National Braille Association, Inc. (NBA) is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization headquartered in Rochester, New York, to assist and educate those who prepare braille, and to providing braille materials to persons who are visually impaired. It is a member of the Braille Authority of North America. The organization provides training, education, and certification to braille transcribers, teachers of the visually impaired, and others who prepare print material for the blind and visually impaired.
The organization was founded in 1945 in New York City as the National Braille Club. At the time, there weren't many standards or direct guidelines for someone to follow while preparing braille. In an effort to standardize the process, the National Braille Club sought to provide training so that transcribers across the country were all providing similarly formatted materials.
In 1946 the organization began publishing the Bulletin, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal of skills articles intended to provide technical instruction to those transcribing braille.
In 1957 the National Braille Club began holding conferences where braille transcribers from around North America would collect in person and receive training. Since then the conferences have been adjusted slightly in format and frequency. In 2020 it was hosted using a virtual platform for the first time ever.
In 1964 the National Braille Club was renamed to the National Braille Association. Soon after, they would form the Braille Book Bank located in New Jersey. The book bank provided transcribed reading materials for readers all over the United States.
Later in the early 2000s, the book bank and transcription service were discontinued, as there were many transcribing groups and braille publishing houses around the country, but few training organizations. Rather than attempt to manage both efforts, NBA chose to focus exclusively on training.[citation needed]
Services
Professional development
Workshop session during the 2013 NBA Fall Professional Development Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Since 1957 the organization has been hosting in person conferences where braille transcribers attend trainings taught by experts from around North America. The frequency and format of the conferences has been adjusted over the years, but it has traditionally focused on providing classroom style training for transcribers on various topics. In recent decades, the conferences have primarily been either a three-day or two and a half day schedule, with workshop sessions in the mornings and afternoons.
Historically, conference attendance was only open to members, as some of the meal functions also serve as membership meetings. That rule was later adjusted and non-members are now invited to attend, though meal functions often still include membership votes like the installation of new officers to the board of directors.
In addition to providing trainings during Professional Development Conferences, trainers can be hired to travel directly to a site and provide customized education on an array of topics.[citation needed]
Training publications
Some workshops from previous conferences have been redeveloped into standalone training manuals and are available in print, and ebook.
Membership services
The organization is member-supported, with dues paying members primarily existing in the United States. There are some Canadian members and a few from other countries. Members gain access to educational tools like a peer-reviewed journal of skills articles, a technical support forum, an archive of training videos, and more.
Braille formats and textbook certification
NBA is the only organization that certifies transcribers in the Principles of Print to Braille Transcription formats guidelines published by the Braille Authority of North America. The exam process consists of a transcriber taking a mini-textbook and transcribing it using the most recent Textbook/Formats guidelines.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Since 2011 the National Braille Association has selected a single recipient each year to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations for the award can be submitted by anyone who wishes to nominate a person they feel has made a significant contribution to braille through their work.
Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who suffer from low vision, blindness, or deafblindness. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone devices. Braille can be written using a slate and stylus, a braille writer, an electronic braille notetaker or with the use of a computer connected to a braille embosser.
Braille music is a braille code that allows music to be notated using braille cells so music can be read by visually impaired musicians. The system was incepted by Louis Braille.
The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics is a Braille code for encoding mathematical and scientific notation linearly using standard six-dot Braille cells for tactile reading by the visually impaired. The code was developed by Abraham Nemeth. The Nemeth Code was first written up in 1952. It was revised in 1956, 1965, and 1972. It is an example of a compact human-readable markup language.
Service and supports for people with disabilities are those government or other institutional services and supports specifically provided to enable people who have disabilities to participate in society and community life. Some such services and supports are mandated or required by law, some are assisted by technologies that have made it easier to provide the service or support while others are commercially available not only to persons with disabilities, but to everyone who might make use of them.
The CNIB Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization and volunteer agency dedicated to assisting Canadians who are blind or living with vision loss, and to provide information about vision health for all Canadians. Founded in 1918 as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to assist soldiers who had been blinded in the First World War, CNIB originally offered sheltered care and specialized employment to people with vision loss. It has since expanded to include other programs and services, including research, public education, rehabilitation counselling and training, advocacy and an alternative-format library for people living with a print disability. It is a member of the Braille Authority of North America.
Digital accessible information system (DAISY) is a technical standard for digital audiobooks, periodicals, and computerized text. DAISY is designed to be a complete audio substitute for print material and is specifically designed for use by people with "print disabilities", including blindness, impaired vision, and dyslexia. Based on the MP3 and XML formats, the DAISY format has advanced features in addition to those of a traditional audio book. Users can search, place bookmarks, precisely navigate line by line, and regulate the speaking speed without distortion. DAISY also provides aurally accessible tables, references, and additional information. As a result, DAISY allows visually impaired listeners to navigate something as complex as an encyclopedia or textbook, otherwise impossible using conventional audio recordings.
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is a free library program of braille and audio materials such as books and magazines circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States and American citizens living abroad by postage-free mail and online download. The program is sponsored by the Library of Congress. People may be eligible if they are blind, have a visual disability that prevents them from reading normal print, or a physical disability that keeps them from holding a book. Library materials are distributed to regional and subregional libraries and then circulated to eligible patrons. In total there are 55 regional libraries, 32 subregional libraries, and 14 advisory and outreach centers serving the United States and its territories: the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
The Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired (ASB) is a private non-profit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It assists those living with vision loss to achieve independence through education, support services to advance necessary skills, and community connections. ASB collaborates with local, regional and national partners to provide additional resources and opportunities to clients.
A sighted child who is reading at a basic level should be able to understand common words and answer simple questions about the information presented. They should also have enough fluency to get through the material in a timely manner. Over the course of a child's education, these foundations are built on to teach higher levels of math, science, and comprehension skills. Children who are blind not only have the education disadvantage of not being able to see: they also miss out on the very fundamental parts of early and advanced education if not provided with the necessary tools.
The Braille Institute of America (BIA) is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Los Angeles providing programs, seminars and one-on-one instruction for the visually impaired community in Southern California. Funded almost entirely by private donations, all of the institute's services are provided completely free of charge. The organization has seven regional centers: Anaheim, Coachella Valley, Laguna Hills, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Santa Barbara, as well as outreach programs at more than 200 locations throughout Southern California. It is a member of the Braille Authority of North America.
Kent Association for the Blind is a registered charity providing rehabilitation services for children and adults with visual impairment to support them and help them live independent lives. Services are provided by six, specialist rehabilitation teams based in offices in Kent, Medway and Bromley. Additional specialist support is provided in Bexley.
The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, non-profit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area to live independently. The Lighthouse serves approximately 9,000 people each year and is a member agency of the United Way of Greater Houston.
Mitra Jyothi established in 1990, is a charitable trust registered under Indian Trust Act based in Bangalore. Its aims to support the visually impaired through various programs it offers. These programs include Talking Book Library, Computer Training Center, Independent Living Skills, Braille Transcription Center and Job Placement. It received State Award in 2010 from the Directorate of Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens, Government of Karnataka for its exemplary service for persons with disabilities. Mitra Jyothi is also a member of the DAISY Forum of India (DFI). DFI is a forum of Not for profit organizations from India who are involved in production of books and reading materials in accessible formats for persons who cannot read normal print.
The Ukrainian Association of the Blind, known by the acronym UTOS (УТОС), is a Ukrainian public organization for the visually impaired. The UTOS was founded on 4 June 1933, by the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee, and the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR, to establish a Ukrainian society for the blind. Now various companies produce a UASB range of household goods and garden equipment from polymers, as well as low-voltage electrical products and equipment for production and engineering facilities.
Chakshumathi is a nongovernmental, not for profit organization based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, working for developing resources for the use of visually impaired people. It is an "Empowerment and Assistive Technology Centre for Blind". The organization, which was inaugurated in June 2011, is a member of DAISY Forum of India. The organization is currently headed by V.K. Damodaran, a former President of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad.
Jawahar Lal Kaul is an Indian social worker and the founder of the All India Conference of the Blind, an NGO working towards the rehabilitation of the blind. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2014, which bestowed on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his services to the field of arts.
The National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM) set up the Braille Press on 1 April 1998 under the Chairmanship of the late Datin Roquaiya Hanim Tun Hussein. It was officially declared open by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak, the then Minister of Education, Malaysia, on 24 November 1998.
The South African Library for the Blind (SALB) is a statutory body with the objective to provide a national library and information service to serve blind and print-disabled readers in South Africa.
The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) is a public-private partnership which was launched in 2014 by the World Intellectual Property Organization. The ABC was created with the intent of being "one possible initiative, amongst others, to implement the aims of the Marrakesh VIP Treaty at a practical level." ABC's goal is "to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats - such as braille, audio, e-text, and large print and to make them available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled."
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