National Braille Association

06/03/2026

📚 Join the National Braille Association this June for three FREE webinars covering Nemeth Code, World Languages Braille, and Unified English Braille Literary rules!

These short, beginner-friendly sessions are designed to help you sharpen your braille skills without taking too much time out of your day. No registration is required — just click the join link a few minutes before each webinar begins and you’re in!

✨ June Topics Include:
• Words in mathematical context in Nemeth Code
• Language code change indicators in UEB
• UEB contractions, shortforms, computer material, and more

Can’t attend live? NBA members can access archived recordings anytime through our webinar archive.

We’d love to know:
👇 Which webinar are you most excited to attend this month?

View the full schedule and join links here:
https://www.nationalbraille.org/june-2026-webinars/

Join us this month for these three free webinars! These webinars are entirely free to anyone and don’t require registration. As long as you have an internet connection, you can click the join link below each description a few minutes before start time, and you’re in! These are intended to run sh...

05/26/2026

We have TWO great beginner-friendly NBA webinars happening this week — including one TODAY at 2:30 PM ET!

📚 Unified English Braille Technical: Fractions
🗓 Tuesday, May 26 at 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: James Williams
Explore Section 6 of the UEB Guidelines for Technical Material, covering simple numeric fractions, mixed numbers, linear fractions, and general fractions.

🎨 Creating Tactile Graphics for VI Students with Canva
🗓 Wednesday, May 27 at 6:00 PM ET
Presenter: Danny Olvera
Learn how Canva Pro can be used to create meaningful tactile graphics and CVI visuals for blind and visually impaired students, including designs optimized for swell paper and ViewPlus embossers. Perfect for educators and TVIs looking for practical, classroom-ready tools — no artistic background required!

Both webinars are beginner-friendly and free to attend.

Join here: https://www.nationalbraille.org/may-2026-webinars/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSCp3FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeGJETdZWYrAtyRwPssTnd4TqlhDqP7O4j7lc0_BqyIb1wIO9rdoczKFM8LA8_aem_TEV55-sUmQkcTDMFfB2Tfw

Join us this month for these four free webinars! These webinars are entirely free to anyone and don’t require registration. As long as you have an internet connection, you can click the join link below each description a few minutes before start time, and you’re in! These are intended to run sho...

05/20/2026

🏈⚾🏀 What if you could feel the game unfold in real time?
The American Council of the Blind and OneCourt are partnering to bring tactile sports broadcasts into the homes of blind and low vision fans through haptic technology that transforms live sports data into physical sensations.

From touchdowns to slam dunks, this innovation opens up exciting new possibilities for accessible entertainment and shared experiences in sports fandom.

We’d love to hear from our community:
👉 Would you try this technology?
👉 What sports or live events would you most want accessible in tactile form?
👉 How do you think innovations like this could shape the future of accessibility?

Read more in the article below! ⬇️ https://www.acb.org/american-council-blind-partners-onecourt-bring-tactile-broadcasts-blind-or-low-vision-sports-fans

Posted on May 19, 2026                  ALEXANDRIA, VA & SEATTLE (May 18, 2026) – American Council of the Blind  and OneCourt are pleased to announce a special member benefit for ACB members to be among the first to experience tactile sports broadcasts at home or on the go. ACB’s b...

05/13/2026

🌍 Braille literacy is expanding in exciting ways across the globe.

Braille Institute has announced the launch of the first-ever Braille Challenge regional competition in Africa, taking place in Kenya! This milestone represents a powerful step forward in increasing access to braille education and celebrating the skills of blind and visually impaired students worldwide.

With approximately 700 students participating across four schools in Kenya, this initiative highlights the life-changing impact of braille literacy, educator support, and international collaboration.

As braille transcribers, educators, and advocates, we know how foundational braille access is to independence, academic success, and opportunity.

💬 We’d love to hear from our community:
What does it mean to you to see the Braille Challenge expand globally? What opportunities or challenges do you see in advancing braille literacy internationally?

Read more here:

With Kenya, Braille Challenge now includes 70 regional competitions worldwide and has engaged more than 24,000 students over the past 25 years.

05/07/2026

Hey NBA community! 💙 We’ve got a great lineup of FREE webinars this May, and we’d love to see you there!

These sessions are short, practical, and designed to fit into your busy day—typically just ~15 minutes of content plus time for Q&A. No registration required—just click the link a few minutes before and join us live!

✨ What’s coming up:
• Tactile Arrows (May 5)
• Guitar Method Books (May 11)
• UEB Technical: Fractions (May 26)
• Creating Tactile Graphics with Canva (May 27)

Can’t make it live? No worries! All webinars are recorded and available in our member archive.

Whether you're looking to sharpen your skills or learn something new, these sessions are a simple, accessible way to stay growing in your practice.

👉

Join us this month for these four free webinars! These webinars are entirely free to anyone and don’t require registration. As long as you have an internet connection, you can click the join link below each description a few minutes before start time, and you’re in! These are intended to run sho...

05/01/2026

As part of BANA’s 50th Anniversary celebration, we’re proud to spotlight the National Braille Association (NBA), a founding partner and long-standing leader in braille education and professional development.

Since helping to establish BANA in 1975—then known as the AAWB-AEVH-NBA Braille Authority—NBA has continued to play an active role in strengthening braille standards and
supporting the professionals who make braille access possible.

NBA remains an innovative and inclusive organization dedicated to advancing braille literacy. Through conferences, webinars, technical articles, and its new Learning Management System, NBA provides professional development and training for braille transcribers, proofreaders, teachers of the visually impaired, prison braille programs, and others involved in braille production and education.

NBA has also been a leader in expanding opportunities for learning and collaboration. Initiatives such as the “Ask an Expert” program, the Training Bureau, and ongoing accessibility efforts demonstrate the organization’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of the braille community. The NBA Bulletin—first published in 1946—continues to serve as a valuable resource for members today.

Among its many contributions, NBA developed the Braille Formats training course in 1999, which became one of the few certification programs recognized by BANA and authorized through an external organization.

For decades, NBA has helped train, connect, and support the people who produce high-quality braille materials—and it continues to be recognized as a leader in education and
service within the braille community.

The National Braille Association is represented on the BANA Board by Diane Spence of Texas.

Image: NBA logo

04/28/2026

There's no better sign that spring has arrived than the first new edition of the Bulletin each year!

The spring edition of NBA's Bulletin has officially been published. Members and Prison Braille Program subscribers can login to our website now and download the newest edition in both PDF and BRF. Hardcopies will arrive in the mail in the next couple weeks.

The Spring 2026 BULLETIN: Vol. 62, No. 1 is now available for current NBA Members to download right from our website! Once you’re logged in, navigate to the “My Account” using the link at the very top of your screen. Then you’ll find a link to the Bulletin page. Both PDF and BRF files are…

04/09/2026

Have you been wanting to transcribe different world languages and don't know where to start? Good news! One of our free webinars this month is exactly on that topic!

Hit the link to see April's schedule and prepare to attend one of our free webinars--written precisely to help braille transcribers just like you.

Join us this month for these three free webinars! These webinars are entirely free to anyone and don’t require registration. As long as you have an internet connection, you can click the join link below each description a few minutes before start time, and you’re in! These are intended to run sh...

03/11/2026

For those who have been waiting, the Nemeth Code Errata has been published! Braille Authority of North America has it available both as a PDF and a BRF here:

The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation 2022 PDF and BRF (updated April 2025)The purpose of this revision is to modernize the code and clarify the application of pre-existing as well as newly adopted rules for transcription of mathematics and science using Nemeth within the UEB...

02/26/2026

Since it's the end of February, it's time to release the webinar schedule for March!

Join us starting next week for free trainings on Tactile Graphics, UEB Literary, and more. These four free braille transcription training webinars are open to anyone with an internet connection and are entirely free!

You'll find the schedule in this link.

Join us this month for these four free webinars! These webinars are entirely free to anyone and don’t require registration. As long as you have an internet connection, you can click the join link below each description a few minutes before start time, and you’re in! These are intended to run sho...