BANA Braille Bits

In this 11th episode of BANA Braille Bits, hosted by BANA Chair, Jen Goulden, we highlight BANA's newest member organization, the Foundation for Blind Children located in Phoenix, Arizona. Our guest, Brian Voeller, Director of Accessible Learning Services, talks about the goals of FBC, highlights some of its braille on demand programs, and shares details of the braille resources FBC provides for t...

In this tenth episode of BANA Braille Bits, hosted by BANA Chair, Jen Goulden, we highlight Perkins School for the Blind, which is based in Watertown, Massachusetts. Wendy Buckley is the Perkins representative on the BANA Board and the current BANA Vice-Chair.  Wendy talks about the history of Perkins, its goals supporting students, and projects focusing on community engagement.  

In this ninth episode of BANA Braille Bits, hosted by BANA Chair, Jen Goulden, we highlight the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI), which is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Hollie Knight represents CIDI on the BANA Board and is a Braille Media Specialist. Hollie shares information about CIDI's mission towards braille, the resources it provides, as well as some upcoming goals and activiti...

In this eighth episode of BANA Braille Bits , hosted by BANA Chair, Jen Goulden, we hear from Dave Williams, Chair of The Braillists Foundation  in the United Kingdom. Dave provides an update on various events celebrating the 200th anniversary of the invention of braille. Dave is also an Inclusive Design Ambassador for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). For more information on Br...

In this seventh episode of BANA Braille Bits , we hear from Dr. Judy Dixon who serves as President of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) and who also represents the American Council of the Blind (ACB) on the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). Host Tamara Rorie, BANA Representative from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) and Past BANA Chair,...

Hosted by Tamara Rorie, representative of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, this episode of BANA Braille Bits highlights one of BANA's Member Organizations, Hadley. Danette Johnson, the team leader of the Braille and Rehab teams at Hadley, shares how the mission of Hadley is to create personalized learning opportunities that empower adults with vision loss or blindness...

Hosted by Tamara Rorie, representative of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, this episode features an interview with Jen Goulden, current Chair of BANA, who represents the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Jen talks about BANA's role, its member organizations, and gives a glimpse into what's in store for 2023-2024.

This episode features an interview with Darleen Bogart, CNIB National Braille Convenor and long-time representative on the BANA Board. She looks back at the establishment of and early days of the Braille Authority of North America in 1976. Darleen reflects on the composition of BANA, projects and means of communication over the years. She brings the history of BANA forward and updates us on her cu...

This episode features an interview with Dr. Robert Englebretson by Dr. Sandra Ruconich, chair of BANA's Outreach Committee. Dr. Englebretson is the recipient of the 2019 Darleen Bogart Braille Excellence Award . Dr. Englebretson is Chair of the Linguistics Department at Rice University in Houston, Texas.  From 2005 to 2010, he served as the International Council on English Braille's U.S. Represent...

An interview with the chair of BANA, Jennifer Dunnam. Discussion about the organization and some of the exciting work that is happening, as well as thoughts about braille and its future.

This podcast is an overview of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). Sandy Ruconich, Vice-chair of BANA, is interviewed so you can learn a little about our organization: who we are, what we do, and how long we've been around. BANA is the standard-setting body with regard to braille codes and formatting guidelines for both literary and technical material. It makes the rules for how braille...