Newsletter - February 2025

In This Issue

1. President's Message (Daphne Hitchcock, BLC President)
2. A Note From Your ICEB Rep (Jen Goulden)
3. Braille Promotions presents: Let's talk about embossers!
4. Edie Mourre Scholarship accepting applications until March 31, 2025
5. La bourse d'études Edie Mourre accepte les candidatures jusqu'au 31 mars 2025
6. Braille Potluck - something for everyone!
7. What Braille Means to Me (Joseph W.)
8. Save the date! Fifth Annual Braille Literacy Canada virtual Symposium!
9. À vos agendas! Cinquième symposium virtuel annuel de Littératie braille Canada!
10. A Look Back at World Braille Days 2025 (Kim Kilpatrick, BLC Vice-President)
11. Braille Art Corner
12. Social Media Links

President's Message

By Daphne Hitchcock, BLC President

Happy February everyone! I hope that this newsletter finds you well and enjoying some sunny winter days. With these longer sunlight hours, I find myself thinking of spring and about all the things BLC has planned for you in the coming months. Read on to learn more about the Braille Promotions workshop on Feb 15, our Braille Potluck on May 24 and the 2025 5th Annual Braille Symposium - Unlocking Access-Ouvrir les portes au sucès on June 13th.

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about our upcoming 2025 AGM. This will be a hybrid meeting with members being able to join us in person at the Toronto Chelsea Hotel, or virtually through Zoom. The AGM will be on Saturday, May 24, 2025, 1pm-2:30pm EST. If you can't attend, you will still be able to vote by proxy or ballot.

The AGM package will be distributed to all members at the end of April. Members must be in good standing to vote. If you haven't already renewed your 2025 membership, now is the time to do this. Renew your membership here! Your membership makes a difference. It is thanks to your support that we are able to continue the essential work of advocating and educating for the equitable and timely access of braille for those who wish to use it.

We have all come to BLC for different reasons but the tie that binds us together is that we are passionate about literacy - the ability to read and write. Braille is the conduit, the medium through which literacy can flow. Some of you have already shared with us what braille means to you, and we continue to welcome your thoughts. Please send them along to info@blc-lbc.ca, and you might see them in future newsletters!

All the best to you and yours,
Daphne Hitchcock, President

A Note From Your ICEB Rep

By Jen Goulden

On January 30th ICEB held a town hall to discuss the changes in the recently released third edition of the UEB rule book. We had over 100 registrants from countries around the world, and we would like to thank everyone who attended. The ICEB Public Relations Committee plans to host more of these events on a variety of topics, so stay tuned!

The Rules of Unified English Braille, Third Edition is available for download in print (PDF) and braille (BRF) from https://www.iceb.org.

The BRF is also available from CELA, and a hard copy can be requested via the single-use braille option.

ICEB brings together English-speaking countries from around the world and is the body responsible for Unified English Braille (UEB). The General Assembly is held once every four years, with a midterm face-to-face meeting of the ICEB Executive Committee taking place two years into each term.

If you'd like to learn more about braille on the international stage, visit https://www.iceb.org or write to info@blc-lbc.ca.

ICEB produces a newsletter under the direction of its Public Relations Committee, which is chaired by Stuart Lawler of Ireland. The newsletter is jam-packed with all sorts of braille-related events and information from around the world. If you'd like to receive the newsletter, UEB updates and other announcements directly into your inbox, we invite you to subscribe to our one-way announce list by writing to iceb-announce+subscribe@groups.io.

You can also follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter and Mastodon at @ICEBbraille.

Braille Promotions presents: Let's talk about embossers!

Have you been considering the purchase of a braille embosser for home use? Or are you just curious about using embossers and want to learn more? Join us on Saturday, February 15 at 1:00 pm Eastern, to hear from our panel on their experiences with home embossers.

Bring your questions and our panel will provide you with lots of information.

To register, just email us at info@blc-lbc.ca, with the subject line Embosser Workshop. This workshop will be recorded.

Edie Mourre Scholarship accepting applications until March 31, 2025

The 2025 competition for the Edie Mourre Scholarship is now open and will be accepting applications until March 31, 2025.

Are you interested in pursuing a certification in braille transcription? Or maybe you have always wanted to study music braille? Perhaps you have been contemplating pursuing braille studies but the cost has held you back? Your time could be now!

The Edie Mourre Scholarship fund is intended to assist those who are pursuing employment as a braille transcriber or proofreader, or as an educator. Eligible codes include: Unified English Braille, Code braille français uniformisé, music braille, or other braille systems.

More information on the program and an application form (in English and in French) may be found online at https://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/en/programs/ediemourre.

Good luck, and we invite you to share this announcement with others!

-- From the BLC Board of Directors

La bourse d'études Edie Mourre accepte les candidatures jusqu'au 31 mars 2025

Le concours 2025 pour la bourse d'études Edie Mourre est désormais ouvert et les candidatures seront acceptées jusqu'au 31 mars 2025.

Vous désirez obtenir un certificat en transcription braille ? Vous souhaitez depuis toujours étudier la notation musicale en braille ? Vous avez peut-être envisagé d'étudier le braille, mais vous n'aviez pas les moyens financiers de le faire ? Voici une bonne nouvelle !

Le fonds de la bourse d'études Edie-Mourre a été mis sur pied pour aider les personnes désireuses de travailler comme transcripteur, correcteur d'épreuves ou professeur de braille. Codes admissibles : Unified English Braille, Code braille français uniformisé, notation musicale en braille autres codes de braille.

De plus amples informations sur le programme et un formulaire de candidature (en anglais et en français) sont joints à cet e-mail, et peuvent également être consultés en ligne à l'adresse suivante : https://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/fr/programs/ediemourre.

Bonne chance, et nous vous invitons à partager cette annonce avec d'autres !

-- Du conseil d'administration de la BLC

Braille Potluck - something for everyone!

On Saturday May 24, 2025, BLC will be meeting at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto for the 2025 AGM. As this meeting is going to be in person, we would like to provide the 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'.

The Braille Potluck will take place following the AGM, from 3:00-4:30 pm EST. You are cordially invited to attend! Bring along your favourite braille thing, 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 at this in-person event.

What Braille Means to Me

By Joseph W.

I have been part of the partially sighted community throughout my schooling, my marriage and employment life; but now in my retirement years I have lost much of my hearing and vision. Braille is my savior.

I was taught braille in Brantford, read only periodicals and in recent years, listened to e-books with great pleasure and gusto! Sadly though, my hearing has failed me-- only to be saved by CELA--"what a moment!". I best make out another Braille book list for me to stay happy.

Let us toast 200 years of Braille.

Thank you.

Joseph W.
Ottawa, Ontario.

Save the date! Fifth Annual Braille Literacy Canada virtual Symposium!

Braille Literacy Canada (BLC) will be holding its fifth annual virtual braille symposium on Friday June 13, 2025 from 1 - 5 PM EDT. This event will be of interest to braille readers, educators, transcribers, parents and anyone else who is passionate about braille literacy!

Wherever you are located, the international braille community is strong. As we look ahead into the bright future of braille literacy, there is much to celebrate and share.

À vos agendas! Cinquième symposium virtuel annuel de Littératie braille Canada!

Littératie braille Canada (LBC) tiendra son cinquième symposium virtuel annuel sur le braille le vendredi 13 juin 2025, de 13 h à 17 h HAE. Cet événement s'adresse aux lecteurs de braille, aux éducateurs, aux transcripteurs, aux parents et à tous ceux qui se passionnent pour la littératie en braille!

Où que vous soyez, la communauté internationale du braille est vivante. Alors que nous nous tournons vers l'avenir prometteur de la littératie en braille, beaucoup de choses doivent être célébrées et partagées.

A Look Back at World Braille Days 2025

By Kim Kilpatrick, BLC Vice-President

As someone who has been helping with these events since we first began them in January of 2021, it is so hard to believe that we have reached our fifth anniversary already.

We have featured a variety of speakers, panels, and topics over the past five years.

This year, we decided to have a retrospective event which included many past presenters and panelists. These people were asked to reflect on a series of questions about braille. These recordings were put together into a wonderful collage of opinions and ideas about braille.

We held one session in English and one in French.

We also continued our popular braille boost activities for kids with a record high number of downloads. These activities can be downloaded now or anytime throughout the year. They are available in English and French - just open the Braille Boost link.

You will be able to find the recorded sessions very soon on our BLC YouTube channel

Thanks to all of the organizations and individuals who always make World Braille Days such a success.

Braille Art Corner

Send your special someone a 'cute-as-a-button' mini heart and a long-stemmed flower!

Heart: This 3-line mini heart will fit easily on a recipe card, note paper, or even on a sticky-note.

Row 1: Make letter "s" (dots 2-3-4), make letter "e" (dots 1-5), make letter "i" (dots 2-4), make 'wh' contraction (dots 1-5-6)

Row 2: Make 'gh' contraction (dots 1-2-6), Space 2 times, make 'ar' contraction (dots 3-4-5)

Row 3: Space one time, make letter 'e' (dots 1-5), make letter 'i' (dots 2-4)

Flower: This is an outline of a long-stemmed circle flower with leaf on the right side of the finely curved stem, it requires a full page as it is 20 lines when completed.

Row 1: Space seven times, make a capital sign (dot 6), make a comma (dot 2), make dot 4 two times, make dot 1 two times, make dot 5, make dot 3

Row 2: Space six times, make letter 'i' (dots 2-4) space eight times, make letter 'e' (dots 1-5)

Row 3: Space five times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4) space 10 times, make 'ch' contraction (dots 1-6).

Row 4: Space five times, make letter 'k' (dots 1-3) space four times, make a full cell (dots 1-2-3-4-5-6) 2 times, space four times, make dots 4-6

Row 5: Space five times, make 'ch' contractrion (dots 1-6) space ten times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4)

Row 6: Space six times, make 'en' contraction (dots 2-6) space eight times, make 'in' contraction (dots 3-5)

Row 7: Space seven times, make dot 4, make dot 2, make dot 6 two times, make dot 3 two times, make dot 5, make 'ch' contraction (dots 1-6)

Row 8: Space fifteen times, make 'ch' contraction (dots 1-6)

Row 9: Space sixteen times, make dot 2

Row 10: Space sixteen times, make dots 4-6

Row 11: Space sixteen times, make dots 4-6

Row 12: Space sixteen times, make dots 4-6

Row 13: Space sixteen times, make dot 2, space two times, make dot 3, make dot 2, make dot 4 two times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4)

Row 14: Space fifteen times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4), space one time, make dot 3, make dot 1, space two time, make dot 6, make dot 4

Row 15: Space fourteen times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4), make dot 3, make dot 1, space two times, make dot 6, make dot 4

Row 16: Space thirteen times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4), make dot 2, space two times, make dot 3, make dot 4

Row 17: Space twelve times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4), make dot 3, make dot 5, make dot 4

Row 18: Space eleven times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4)

Row 19: Space ten times, make 'st' contraction (dots 3-4)

Row 20: Space four times, make letter 'g' (dots 1-2-4-5) twenty-one times. This line is the ground.

Social Media Links

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

• To braille enthusiasts across Canada: The Rules of Unified English Braille Third edition 2024 is now available in electronic and hard copy braille from @CELAlibrary - https://www.celalibrary.ca/node/25501557
• The DAISY Consortium's Music Braille Project and RNIB would like to invite teachers of music braille - blind and sighted - to an online Round Table on Teaching Braille Music. Date: March 7, 2025. Time: 11:00 GMT/UTC. Register at: https://soundwithoutsight.org
• Siobhan Meade @BlindGirlVlogs Spent the weekend in Paris & fulfilled a dream visiting Louis Braille's home. Touched history, from Braille's early tools to 1740s books. Notre Dame's 3D models & Braille displays blew my mind. Kind people, amazing food, & inspiration everywhere. Here's to big dreams in 2025!
• ICEBbraille @ICEBbraille The draft program [Tactile Reading and Graphics 2025] is now available at the following link: https://tactilereading.yellenge.nl/programme/