Newsletter - April 2025

In This Issue

1. President's Message (Daphne Hitchcock, BLC President)
2. AGM and Braille Potluck
3. BLC's Braille Symposium - Five Years Strong!
4. Calling all graduates!
5. UEB BASICS: Foreign Language Symbols
6. Braille Art Corner
7. Social Media Links

President's Message

By Daphne Hitchcock, BLC President

We are pleased to be sending this snappy little newsletter to you, to make you aware of some important educational opportunities coming your way from Braille Literacy Canada.

Read on to learn about upcoming workshops, foreign language symbols, scholarship opportunities and more.

We always look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for BLC, please drop us a line at info@blc-lbc.ca.

Happy reading,
Daphne Hitchcock, President

AGM and Braille Potluck

April showers do indeed bring May flowers... and for BLC it also brings along the opportunity for us to meet at the AGM in Toronto on May 24, 2025. If you live in the area you are most welcome to join us or plan to attend the meeting through the virtual format.

The AGM package will be sent out to the membership by May 2, 2025. Your voice is important to us. BLC members who have paid 2025 membership fees by the end of April are welcome to vote at the AGM.

Go to our website to register: 2025 BLC AGM (Hybrid)

If you cannot attend the AGM, virtually or in person, please take the opportunity to vote by proxy or by e-ballot. Both of these documents are included in the AGM package.

Following the AGM, light refreshments will be provided and we will be hosting a Braille Potluck. This is an opportunity for those in attendance to share some of their favourite braille devices, books or resources with the group. This will be a real time 'show and tell'. Bring along your favourite braille object, be prepared to give a brief description of it, and enjoy the opportunity to share it with others. And not to worry, if you don't have anything to share but are curious to know what nifty braille items are available, you are still welcome.

Please RSVP to info@blc-lbc.ca if you would like to participate in this in-person event.

BLC's Braille Symposium - Five Years Strong!

BLC looks forward to our 5th Annual Braille Symposium on Friday, June 13, 2025. We are pleased to be offering 5 different presentations:

• Using Tactile Images to Make Astronomy More Accessible for Blind and Visually Impaired Learners (concurrent)
• Dans le sillage de trois personnages emblématiques mis à l'honneur au musée Valentin Haüy - Paris (concurrent)
• Marrakesh and the Accessible Books Consortium: The Benefits and Access for Readers.
• Braille Challenge; Celebrating the Challenge of Braille
• e-Braille; A Reality for Everyone across the World

We would like to thank our sponsors: Beyond Print, Canadian Assistive Technology, Crawford Technologies and Humanware.

Plan to join us for a braille-centric afternoon!

More information and registration for the Symposium: https://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/en/programs/workshops/2025-symposium

More information and registration for the concurrent French session (Valentin Hauy): https://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/en/programs/workshops/2025-valentin-hauy

Calling all graduates!

If you are or know of someone who is graduating from high school this year and moving onto post secondary education or work, please forward these scholarship application announcements to them.

• The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 AEBC/Allyant Scholarship Program. The application deadline is Friday, May 30th, 2025. The application package can be downloaded from: https://wix.to/O10ZTlX.

• CNIB's scholarship program awards multiple scholarships, bursaries and other educational awards to people who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision in recognition of their educational aspirations and achievements. Whether you're working towards a diploma or degree, starting an apprenticeship, building a career in skilled trades, or continuing your education, there are multiple scholarships, bursaries, and awards available to help support you! Check out CNIB Scholarships and Awards.

UEB BASICS: Foreign Language Symbols

Have you come across some accented letters while reading and wondered about these special symbols? Here is a quick guide to sorting out some foreign language symbols. Note: These common accents are made up of a prefix, dots 4-5 followed by a root. The accent sign precedes the letter in the word.

Accented letters that show the accent above the letter in print:

• Circumflex: dots 4-5, dots 1-4-6
• Tilde: dots 4-5, dots 1-2-4-5-6
• Diaeresis (umlaut): dots 4-5, dots 2-5
• Circle: dots 4-5, dots 1-2-4-6
• Acute accent: dots 4-5, dots 3-4
• Grave accent: dots 4-5, dots 1-6

Accented letters that show the accent below the letter in print:

• Cedilla: dots 4-5, dots 1-2-3-4-6

Spanish punctuation:

• Inverted question mark: dots 4-5, dots 5-6, dots 2-3-6
• Inverted exclamation mark: dots 4-5, dots 5-6, dots 2-3-5

Braille Art Corner

Butterfly, butterfly, Fly away with me!

This harbinger of spring has two antennae at its head on a central elongated body with two open wings. The upper part of each wing has a circle decoration and the lower part of each wing is decorated with a single dot.

• Line 1: one space, dots 3-5, dots 1-3-4-6, dots 2-5, dots 3-6, dot 4, dots 2-6, one space, dots 3-5, dot 1, dots 3-6, dots 2-5, dots 1-3-4-6, dots 2-6.
• Line 2: dots 4-5-6, dots 4-5, dots 3-6, dots 1-2, one space, dots 1-4, dots 2-6, dots 1-2-3-4-5-6, dots 3-5, dots 1-4, one space, dots 4-5, dots 3-6, dots 1-2, dots 1-2-3.
• Line 3: one space, dots 1-5, dots 3-6, dots 3-6, dots 3-6, dot 2-5, dots 1-3-5, dots 1-2-3-4-5-6, dots 2-4-6, dots 2-5, dots 3-6, dots 3-6, dots 3-6, dots 2-4.
• Line 4: two spaces, dot 6, dots 2-4, space, dots 3-4-5, space, dots 1-2-3-4-5-6, space, dots 1-2-6, space, dots 1-5, dot 3.
• Line 5: two spaces, dots 1-5, dots 1-3-6, dots 2-4, fives spaces, dots 1-5, dots 3-4-6, dots 2-4.

Design resource: https://einfachmachbar.de

Social Media Links

Here are a few of the items we have posted on our social media platforms in recent weeks.

• TactileView software NOW included with Romeo and Juliet embossers! https://www.humanware.ca/web/en/newsletter/01042025-General-Announcement-TactileView-RomeoAndJuliet-UK.html
• Announcing the Release of BrailleBlaster 3.0.1: https://brailleblaster.org/download.php
• BANA Releases Eighth Episode in BANA Braille Bits Podcast Series: https://www.brailleauthority.org/bana-releases-eighth-episode-bana-braille-bits-podcast-series