Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Sherlock is here...
Sherlock Holmes visits ABL in his exciting adventure: "A Scandal in Bohemia" Download today from the ABL Resources page at: ABL Resources
More ABL Library News
The ABL Library has a new title on the ABL web site menu: Resources
The Resources page has been accumulating more NUBS coded literature in the way of fiction and non-fiction as well as general information and activity about NUBS and ABL so the changes.
Visit it today!! ABL web site
The Resources page has been accumulating more NUBS coded literature in the way of fiction and non-fiction as well as general information and activity about NUBS and ABL so the changes.
Visit it today!! ABL web site
Friday, June 17, 2016
New Look and items for the ABL Library!!
Check out the "Library" item on the ABL Website. The addition of new library items has prompted a new type of listing of the catalog by subject matter as well as a total alphabetic listing. Some old items found under "NUBS Samples" is now under the Misc. NUBS Documents header while others are contained in the catalog listings.
Monday, April 4, 2016
President's Message
by Christopher Gray
The Alliance for Braille Literacy had a very productive year in 2015. Our greatest achievement was the release of a comprehensive training manual for the Nemeth Uniform Braille System (NUBS). Copies for this manual are available, FREE OF CHARGE, by request. Just write me, chris@moblind.org, for a copy. Several people worked on this comprehensive manual, but the lions' share of the credit has to go to Joyce Hull. Without her dedication and tireless persistence, the release of this manual never would have happened. Thanks are also due to Judie Murphy and Velda Miller. Also in 2015, we held our annual conference in October. Attendance was good and we consider it a great success. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2016 Annual Meeting.
In 2016, we have equally ambitious goals, many of which are already coming to fruition. In particular, we have struggled to make a newsletter readily available and to distribute other critical materials related to NUBS, Nemeth Code, and information to students wishing to excel in STEM fields. We think we have come up with an idea that can meet these needs well. Thanks to Brian Murphy and with advice and thoughts particularly from Bob Stepp, there is now an ABL blog. You can go there from the link http://www.owlnewsletter.blogspot.com for articles such as this one, training materials, and up-to-the-minute news. I encourage you to visit this blog often. You can have notices of new information sent to you as an RSS feed as well.
Now, to one final point in this article. Many of my friends and associates in the field of braille have asked me: "Why do you persist in the work of the Alliance for Braille Literacy?" It's a fair question and one to which I would like to respond publicly here. Many believe that the adoption of UEB by BANA is a done deal and the end of the story of change in braille in the United States. While the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has been allowed to perpetrate this mistake on the general, braille-reading public, the whole topic of braille usage for people working in the STEM fields is a completely open issue. You can read elsewhere on the ABL blog the votes taken by the BANA Board in its Fall meeting. First, BANA had a tied vote on making Nemeth Code the standard for books brailled for STEM materials. A tied vote means that the motion failed. That vote shows the bold-faced lie of BANA when it said before the adoption of UEB that Nemeth Code would be retained. BANA watchers such as myself knew from the beginning the dishonesty behind this statement and for some time have wondered when the truth would be revealed. Others appear to be surprised that now, BANA has backed away from this commitment. Equally interesting though is BANA'S vote not to accept UEB math, a unanimous vote. This vote was not only politically expedient but politically necessary. Even BANA, despite its dishonesty regarding retaining the Nemeth Code, is unable to take the final unimaginable step in bowing down to the external forces demanding that the U.S. adopt UEB in its totality. But, where does that leave us? My answer is that it leaves those wishing to pursue STEM fields more in need of NUBS than ever before. Not a single BANA member has shown an understanding of just how critical a concise and comprehensive math notation (such as Nemeth, or better still, NUBS) is to the STEM-field scholar, a notation not just for reading math but also for solving theoretical problems by writing and manipulating complex formulas. Because they are not math scholars themselves, they completely miss half of the need--a notation for blind scholars to write math for themselves and for publication. The ignorance that undermines BANA regarding STEM, Nemeth Code and NUBS is precisely what has led to their current paralysis on this issue. We in ABL hold in our hands the answer to BANA'S indecision, i.e. BANA'S inability to make a decision they can support or even understand as an organization. Like the later senates of the Roman Empire, they rule us now with little knowledge of the real issues at stake, and with no plan of intellectual merit with which to shape a vision of the future. It is sad that the braille readers who wish to pursue the STEM fields are the victims of BANA'S inability to take any appropriate actions regarding technical braille. Put bluntly, students of today are hostages of BANA's ignorance and inability to grapple meaningfully with these issues.
By being a voice that can provide a reason-based path towards addressing these issues, ABL serves more than just an intellectual purpose. We know the superiority and simplicity of NUBS, particularly for the Nemeth transcriber and the braille reader. We know what has worked in the past, we understand the problems of the present, and we have a clear VISION of what can constitute a bright future for blind people. I hope many readers will join with me and with the Alliance for Braille Literacy in promoting this reality and doing what is necessary to support students and readers of anything more technical than novels and generalized magazines. There's nothing wrong with such material, but if we as blind people are to have any hope of excelling with those fields that drive employment, economic success, and intellectual fulfillment in the world of today, more is required. It is that "more" for which I strive as a member of ABL.
by Christopher Gray
The Alliance for Braille Literacy had a very productive year in 2015. Our greatest achievement was the release of a comprehensive training manual for the Nemeth Uniform Braille System (NUBS). Copies for this manual are available, FREE OF CHARGE, by request. Just write me, chris@moblind.org, for a copy. Several people worked on this comprehensive manual, but the lions' share of the credit has to go to Joyce Hull. Without her dedication and tireless persistence, the release of this manual never would have happened. Thanks are also due to Judie Murphy and Velda Miller. Also in 2015, we held our annual conference in October. Attendance was good and we consider it a great success. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2016 Annual Meeting.
In 2016, we have equally ambitious goals, many of which are already coming to fruition. In particular, we have struggled to make a newsletter readily available and to distribute other critical materials related to NUBS, Nemeth Code, and information to students wishing to excel in STEM fields. We think we have come up with an idea that can meet these needs well. Thanks to Brian Murphy and with advice and thoughts particularly from Bob Stepp, there is now an ABL blog. You can go there from the link http://www.owlnewsletter.blogspot.com for articles such as this one, training materials, and up-to-the-minute news. I encourage you to visit this blog often. You can have notices of new information sent to you as an RSS feed as well.
Now, to one final point in this article. Many of my friends and associates in the field of braille have asked me: "Why do you persist in the work of the Alliance for Braille Literacy?" It's a fair question and one to which I would like to respond publicly here. Many believe that the adoption of UEB by BANA is a done deal and the end of the story of change in braille in the United States. While the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has been allowed to perpetrate this mistake on the general, braille-reading public, the whole topic of braille usage for people working in the STEM fields is a completely open issue. You can read elsewhere on the ABL blog the votes taken by the BANA Board in its Fall meeting. First, BANA had a tied vote on making Nemeth Code the standard for books brailled for STEM materials. A tied vote means that the motion failed. That vote shows the bold-faced lie of BANA when it said before the adoption of UEB that Nemeth Code would be retained. BANA watchers such as myself knew from the beginning the dishonesty behind this statement and for some time have wondered when the truth would be revealed. Others appear to be surprised that now, BANA has backed away from this commitment. Equally interesting though is BANA'S vote not to accept UEB math, a unanimous vote. This vote was not only politically expedient but politically necessary. Even BANA, despite its dishonesty regarding retaining the Nemeth Code, is unable to take the final unimaginable step in bowing down to the external forces demanding that the U.S. adopt UEB in its totality. But, where does that leave us? My answer is that it leaves those wishing to pursue STEM fields more in need of NUBS than ever before. Not a single BANA member has shown an understanding of just how critical a concise and comprehensive math notation (such as Nemeth, or better still, NUBS) is to the STEM-field scholar, a notation not just for reading math but also for solving theoretical problems by writing and manipulating complex formulas. Because they are not math scholars themselves, they completely miss half of the need--a notation for blind scholars to write math for themselves and for publication. The ignorance that undermines BANA regarding STEM, Nemeth Code and NUBS is precisely what has led to their current paralysis on this issue. We in ABL hold in our hands the answer to BANA'S indecision, i.e. BANA'S inability to make a decision they can support or even understand as an organization. Like the later senates of the Roman Empire, they rule us now with little knowledge of the real issues at stake, and with no plan of intellectual merit with which to shape a vision of the future. It is sad that the braille readers who wish to pursue the STEM fields are the victims of BANA'S inability to take any appropriate actions regarding technical braille. Put bluntly, students of today are hostages of BANA's ignorance and inability to grapple meaningfully with these issues.
By being a voice that can provide a reason-based path towards addressing these issues, ABL serves more than just an intellectual purpose. We know the superiority and simplicity of NUBS, particularly for the Nemeth transcriber and the braille reader. We know what has worked in the past, we understand the problems of the present, and we have a clear VISION of what can constitute a bright future for blind people. I hope many readers will join with me and with the Alliance for Braille Literacy in promoting this reality and doing what is necessary to support students and readers of anything more technical than novels and generalized magazines. There's nothing wrong with such material, but if we as blind people are to have any hope of excelling with those fields that drive employment, economic success, and intellectual fulfillment in the world of today, more is required. It is that "more" for which I strive as a member of ABL.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Fourth Annual Meeting of the Alliance for Braille Literacy, October 29-30, 2016, St. Louis, MissouriAnnaul Meeting
The Alliance for Braille Literacy is pleased to announce that it will hold its Fourth Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 29-Sunday, October
30, 2016, in St. Louis, Missouri. The meeting will begin on Saturday at 2:00 PM and conclude on Sunday at 5 PM. Exact meeting venues and other details will become available in the near future. Watch the ABL listserve and ABL website at www.all4braille.org for future announcements and registration instructions.
30, 2016, in St. Louis, Missouri. The meeting will begin on Saturday at 2:00 PM and conclude on Sunday at 5 PM. Exact meeting venues and other details will become available in the near future. Watch the ABL listserve and ABL website at www.all4braille.org for future announcements and registration instructions.
Friday, January 15, 2016
About this Newsletter.
The newsletter is intended as an adjunct to the Alliance for Braille Literacy (ABL) website. The goal is to provide current news, a Q&A facility, and references for other Braille associated websites. Your comments, suggestions, and corrections are appreciated and may be inserted via the "Ask the Owl" menu tab. We ask that your comments and questions be appropriate and in good taste so that all may enjoy this newsletter. Failure to follow this guideline will result in the deletion of offending material. Thank you for your cooperation. Any comments are the responsibility of the author of such and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newsletter.
Last updated: 8 Mar 2016 at 3:00 pm EST
The newsletter is intended as an adjunct to the Alliance for Braille Literacy (ABL) website. The goal is to provide current news, a Q&A facility, and references for other Braille associated websites. Your comments, suggestions, and corrections are appreciated and may be inserted via the "Ask the Owl" menu tab. We ask that your comments and questions be appropriate and in good taste so that all may enjoy this newsletter. Failure to follow this guideline will result in the deletion of offending material. Thank you for your cooperation. Any comments are the responsibility of the author of such and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newsletter.
Last updated: 8 Mar 2016 at 3:00 pm EST
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