It's time for another post in our annual look back at the year in assistive technology, the Blind Bargains Top 10 Stories of 2013. This year's panel included J.J. Meddaugh, Jamie Pauls, Alena Roberts, and Joe Steinkamp. We'll be counting down the top stories of the year over the coming days and anounce the number one on Wednesday at 4 PM Eastern on Serotalk. In case you missed them, here are our earlier stories on the countdown. Alena is back with number 5 and a new braille code.
Some may think that the braille that we read today is exactly what Louis Braille invented, but in fact, the english braille code has seen a number of changes since it was adapted from the French. There was even a fierce battle in the early 20th century resulting in books being made using different versions of the code depending on where the book was brailled. Well, it’s now time for readers of braille in the U.S. to make a change again.
In 2012, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) decided to adopt the Unified English Braille (UEB) code. This is the code that every other English speaking country uses. We knew in 2012 that UEB was coming, but it wasn’t announced until late last year that UEB will be fully implemented into texts by 2016. This decision is designed to give teachers and current braille readers enough time to make the transition. For a list of all of the changes, visit BANA’s website.
It's the biggest change in braille in over half a century, and that's good enough for number 5 on our list.
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
