by Christopher Gray
On October 4-5, the World Blind Union (WBU), North America-Caribbean Region, met in Seattle, Wash. ACB was represented by Paul Edwards and Brian Charlson, and President Chris Gray attended as well in order to be informed on relevant issues and become better acquainted with the key players in the WBU regional leadership.
During the first morning of deliberations, the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC) was raised as an item of extreme importance within our region. In the course of the deliberations, Chris Gray, speaking on behalf of the “Braille As You Like It” (ZYLX) group, an informal organization that has created an alternative to the UEBC, made WBU regional delegates aware of the manner in which the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) leadership has been handling the ZYLX group’s request to present their proposed code to BANA for consideration and information. He described in detail how the efforts of the ZYLX group to present their ideas and alternative code to BANA had been met with with what appears to be political maneuvering and disingenuous requirements on the part of the current BANA chair in an attempt to quell the free exchange of discussion between the ZYLX group and the BANA board. When considered in the context of ACB’s resolution 2001-27, which asks BANA to consider the proposals made by the ZYLX group to strengthen braille in North America, these actions seem most regrettable.
After hearing this information and engaging in additional discussion, the WBU regional organization drafted and approved the following letter to be sent to the Braille Authority of North America and the International Council on English Braille (ICEB). It firmly states that the North America-Caribbean Region stands in opposition to the adoption of the UEBC by WBU member countries in 2002 and calls on the ICEB to investigate all facets and discuss with all stakeholders the implications of the currently proposed UEBC code.
The text of the letter from the WBU region to BANA and ICEB follows.
November 2, 2001
Dr. Frederic Schroeder, President, ICEB
Mrs. Eileen Curran, Chair
Braille Authority of North America
Dear Mrs. Curran and Dr. Schroeder:
At a meeting of the North America-Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union held in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 2001, a discussion was held concerning the Unified Braille Code (UEBC). I was directed by the members of our group to prepare a letter that summarizes our position.
It is the belief of the group that the decision on whether to adopt the UEBC should be postponed. We believe that this postponement will afford greater opportunity for consultation with stakeholders including consumers, transcribers and educators. We also believe that some effort must be made to conduct research that will attempt to objectively evaluate the perceived and real impact of UEBC by all stakeholders.
The organizations that are a part of this group all pledge to work with the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) to design and implement research approaches and to help identify and allocate resources to this effort.
It is our hope that you will take up these issues at your earliest convenience and will convey to me your decision. That way I can communicate your decision to the member organization in this region.
Sincerely yours,
James W. Sanders, President, WBU North America-Caribbean Region