Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida, Inc.

July 2023. Just like we examine our backpack before hiking (or our picnic basket before going to the all-day picnic for the 4th of July), we should check our reference materials before embarking on a new school year. Otherwise, we might be missing something vital!

To help answer the question, “Are my code books fully up-to-date?” below is a checklist of what is new in braille reference materials for the USA.

Rules of UEB!

Our primary code book that affects everything else.

since July 12, 2022:

• new Section 2.6 (The first thing in the new Section 2.6 is a paragraph before 2.6.1, which begins, “ ‘Standing alone’ is the condition of being unaccompanied ...”)
• new Section 10.9 (The new Section 10.9 has a “Note” before 10.9.2. That note begins, “Note: Longer words as described in Sections 10.9.2 to 10.9.5 may be ordinary words, …”)
• new Appendix 1 (In the new Appendix 1, under the heading “The list,” the first thing is, “The Shortforms List consists of:”
• new Section 4.6 (about a new UEB symbol for the German letter sharp s (aka “eszett”)
• from October 2019, the rule about quotation marks and apostrophes is updated (Section 7.6)

Delightfully, ICEB has given us a complete list of updates to the Rules of UEB! Its title is “Rules of Unified English Braille Updates as of July 2022.” It is available from ICEB.org/ueb.html#Rulebook, and it includes all the things above as well earlier updates throughout the code.

GTM (Guidelines for Technical Material)!

since October 2018:

• new Section 3 (The first thing in the new Section 3 is a table with columns titled “Braille,” “Print,” “Unicode,” and “Unicode name, alternate names [description].”) The new Section 3 includes the triple vertical bar, which was introduced in 2017.

See ICEB’s page on Unified English Braille for more information.

UEB with Nemeth!

since August 19, 2018:

• Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts (Approved April 2018) and the 1972 Nemeth Code (with its updates through 2015) is our guide until publication of The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 2022.
• Graphing Calculator Guidelines and
• Provisional Guidance for Chemistry Notation Using Nemeth in UEB Contexts are both available and still relevant.

See BANA’s page on Nemeth Code for more information.

UEB with Nemeth LESSONS!

Not a code book! Not a primary source. Only for instructional purposes.

since June 23, 2023:

• Updates to these lessons are ongoing; the most recent “Revision Log” lets you know the when and what of updates. The course manual for NLS certification in Nemeth Code has been updated to align with use of UEB with Nemeth, including the as-yet-unpublished The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 2022.

Visit the webpage for the Mathematics Braille Transcribing course for all the lessons. Again, this is not a code book; it is explanatory material and not the code itself.

Languages Other Than English!

since May 2022:

• BANA’s Guidelines for Braille Transcription of Languages Other Than English includes information on punctuation, typeforms, contractions, and more.

See BANA’s page on Languages Other Than English for more information.

Early Learning Materials!

since January 2021:

• Guidelines for Kindergarten through 3rd grade transcription are in BANA’s Guidelines for the Transcription of Early Educational Materials from Print to Braille. That document includes information on math, whether or not to contract, line spacing, and more.

See BANA’s page on Early Learning Materials for more information.

Braille Formats 2016!

since January 23, 2020:

• an addendum changes sections 2.3.1 and 2.3.6 (about copyright and Marrakesh Treaty)

See BANA’s page on Braille Formats, 2016 for more information.

Music Braille!

since 2016:

• Music Braille Code, 2015 is our guide for the foreseeable future.

See BANA’s page on Music Braille for more information.

Tactile Graphics!

since 2010:

• Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2010 is our guide until publication of Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2022.

See BANA’s page on Tactile Graphics for more information.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)!

since 2005:

• The two-component IPA Braille is our guide for the foreseeable future.

See BANA’s page on IPA Braille for more information.

Things to Look Forward to!

• BANA has approved Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2022, and the document (including its graphics-heavy Supplement) will come out as soon as it is formatted for consistency and accessibility.
• GTM is still getting worked on. Like we got a new Section 3 in 2018, we will get another new section as soon as it is ready.
• BANA has approved The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 2022, and the document will come out as soon as it is formatted for consistency and accessibility.
• Chemical Notation Using Nemeth Braille Code, 2022 has been written. The BANA Board will review it.
• BANA’s “Guidelines for Transcribing Knit and Crochet Patterns” are being updated to align with UEB.

Use the links above to check for updates in the future. And … braille on!