Aloha Braille & Company

01/22/2025

Nemeth course study group? Is there anyone who is currently in the Nemeth course or who has completed it, who would like to partner up with others? Some people learn better verbally and in group settings versus on their own. Perhaps you don't need help but could be of help to another? Feel free to message me if you'd rather not post publicly.

01/21/2025

Thoughts? BANA Formats revision, a few of my first part of section 2 suggestions:

• 2.3.3 Do we want to be more precise with blank line usage? Aloha puts emphasis on the last segment, the volume info section as that is what the reader will/may reference thus we insert blank lines from the bottom up.
• 2.3.6e Should we clarify/define what an "authorized entity" is? I am not sure the NLS course is accurate but 19.21(1)[f] says, "An authorized entity is any nonprofit organization or governmental agency having a primary mission to provide specialized services to persons with visual impairments."
• 2.3.7a Change Unified English Braille to UEB so this all fits on one line.
• 2.3.8 Combine the concept of

In 10 Volumes and 4 Supplements
Volume 1
to
Volume 1 of 10 Volumes and 4 Supplements

• 2.6.1 Should there be an order for the notes on the TN page? Order of affect/appearance?
• 2.6.1c Clarification on which codes do or do not go on the TN page.
• What is going to be on the "required" and "may" symbols list in App G?

01/12/2025

What would you want addressed in section 2 of the Formats guidelines?? We (BANA Formats committee) are moving into section 2 and would love to hear your thoughts on those pesky preliminary pages

01/12/2025

Does a transcriber edit text? Yes, per the NLS course section 20.8 ... BUT NOT ANY MORE!! I am proud to share that as of Dec 18th 2024, that section has been updated to say: "There are occasions in print (just as in braille) when errors do occur. Here also, the transcriber should braille what appears in print; see §1.1.4 in Braille Formats 2016."

01/06/2025

01/05/2025

2 HUNDO!! Mahalo to Louis Braille for ... uh .. Braille!! 200 years ago this dude creates braille. So amazing!!

On January 4, 1809, Louis Braille is born in Coupvray, France. He would go on to develop the writing system for visually impaired readers that bears his name: braille. Braille lost his sight in an accident at age three. As a student at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris, Braille disc...

01/05/2025

Check it out. This is a wonderful organization!

Join the AER Access and Technology Division for our reboot gathering on Monday, January 13th, at 7 p.m. EST.

This one-hour meeting will celebrate our division’s new name, provide an opportunity to connect with fellow professionals, and provide a presentation from the Blind Center for Assistive Technology Training (CATT).

Register now through AER’s eLearning page: aerelearning.org
We look forward to your participation!

01/04/2025

Do you want to show just one page when opening an excel document? Go to View and change the settings from Page Layout to Page Break Preview as show in this pic:

01/03/2025

Braille job in Oregon per NPBN!

It’s a big day for braille jobs! We actually have another great position available, this one is for a Braille Program Specialist at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon.

Will forward info upon request!

Aloooha

01/03/2025

NPBN job announcement!

We have a wonderful job opening through the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. They are searching for a Director of the Miami Accessible Media Project at the Miami Correctional Facility so let’s help them get this position filled!

If interested, we'll forward their flyer.

Happy Friday!

Send a message to learn more

01/02/2025

Braille Formats revision. We, the BANA Braille Formats committee, are undertaking the task of revising/updating Braille Formats. What are your thoughts on incorporating the Nemeth rule of all paragraphs being in 3-1? No more blocked paragraphs ...

12/26/2024

Multiple page view using the Page docker in Corel Draw

12/23/2024

Bookmarked version of the brand-new Rules of UEB? Message us your email if you'd like us to share with you :)

Pic is an image of the cover of the Rules of UEB 2024

12/20/2024

Dockers in Corel Draw. The two dockers we deem most important are the Properties docker and the Objects docker. If you're unfamiliar with dockers in Corel Draw, go to the top and click on Windows (next to Help) and then click on Dockers. The first two should be Properties and Objects. Check them both and they'll appear on the right side of your screen. We'd love to hear your thoughts/comments/questions on these two dockers. Alooooha Friday!

12/19/2024

Corel Draw page navigation is so slow using the bar on the bottom.
Using the page docker is so much quicker and easier. Go to Window > Dockers > Page. While there, note how many other "dockers" there are ... This docker will appear on the right side of the page when activated.

12/16/2024

Fresh off the presses! The third edition of the Rules of UEB is here!

This edition introduces several new features including:

a comprehensive index of all rules;
use of Unicode braille patterns for all examples; and
the addition of many more cross references.
All changes to the UEB code since 2013 have been incorporated into this new edition. In particular:

the rules and terminology for quotation marks and apostrophes have been rewritten to facilitate more accurate automated translation;
medial capitals are now permitted around shortforms, e.g. DeafBlind, QuickTime, and LetterWriter;
new symbols have been added for the checkmark (tick) and German sharp s (eszett);
a clarification that the contraction for ‘th’ should be used in the name Beethoven has been added;
a word followed by the line indicator may now be brailled in contracted form;
the line indicator may now be used to indicate a column break in a table; and
a small number of words have been added to the Shortforms List.

Quick links: Unified English Braille, IPA Braille, Developing Braille Codes for Languages other than English: Best Practices, Committees, Contact Us, Site Map

12/14/2024

K-3 Inkprint pages, teacher's reference materials ... Do ALL tn's need to be listed? Volume breaks on TOC? end of volume statement? picture captions? What about keys? We've used the term "informative" tn's that note a change in print format but we do not include any of the other, non-informative tn's mentioned previously. Should we?

We've never used the title, "Teacher's Reference Materials" assuming it was not necessary but are rethinking that. Do you use a heading before the individual tn's "Individual Transcribers Notes".

11/29/2024

mahalo in Hawaiian: with heartfelt thanks, the spirit of being thankful.

Big big mahalo!

Pic shows mahalo in braille with its pronunciation and two definitions, with heartfelt thanks, the spirit of being thankful.