International Council on English Braille (ICEB)
Unified Braille Code Research Project
Objective II: Extension of the Base Code

UBC Grade 1, Numeric and Assigned Shape Symbol List
As of: February 27, 2001

This list presents the basic symbols of UBC as defined for grade 1 and numeric mode, and all directly assigned shape symbols. Valid single-cell UBC symbols that have no grade 1 assignment are also included, and noted as not assigned. Grade 2 symbols (contractions), and symbols defined only within special modes, such as within arrows, described shapes, alignment mode, and horizontal line mode, are generally not included. For listings of these, see the relevant sections in the Committee II Report of March 1995, its Supplementary Report of October 1999, and the report of the Joint Session of Committees II and IV of February 2001.

In the following listing, relevant section numbers, given in square brackets, refer to one of the defining reports. The plain two-part section numbers, e.g. "3.5," refer to the March 1995 report of Committee II. Section numbers of the form "S1-..." refer to the Committee II Supplementary Report of October 1999. "S2" refers to the report of the Joint Session of Committees II and IV of February 2001.

The order is the customary one for braille characters, i.e. as the characters would be read in the standard seven-line table.

Each entry begins with a two-cell "dot locator", dots 4-6, 1-2-3-4-5-6, which is there to assure that the position of the dots is always clear when read in real braille; it is not part of the symbol being listed. Sighted readers who do not see such a pattern in simulated braille at the beginning of each line should download and install the "SimBraille" font from the free downloads page of Duxbury Systems' web site at http://www.duxburysystems.com. If your browser can make use of such fonts, you should then see the simulated braille properly.

Persons who are reading this list in real braille need to be sure that their viewing device is set for "North American ASCII-Braille"; if some other device code is in effect, some of the braille characters will be incorrect.


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Page content last updated: August 10, 2001