ICEB Resolutions 2020
Approved by the 7th General Assembly
of the International Council on English Braille 22 October 2020

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Resolution 1: UEB Support in Digital Braille Tools

Whereas, Unified English Braille (UEB) has been widely adopted by braille authorities across the English-speaking world for the better part of a decade, and is increasingly recognised as the default English braille code in countries where English is spoken as a second language;

Whereas, braille readers, students, teachers and supporting professionals are increasingly exposed to and reliant on braille content produced by automatic digital braille translation systems, including but not limited to, screen readers, refreshable braille displays, electronic braille library services, braille transcription tools and embedded braille translation engines; and

Whereas, many such systems used in popular products continue to exhibit UEB translation errors resulting in inaccurate braille input or output and ultimately a suboptimal braille experience.

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves to:

• Call on all manufacturers of digital braille products which have English braille support to adopt UEB uncontracted Grade 1 as the default setting for braille input and output and make with the option of contracted braille available for input and output;
• Work constructively with manufacturers of digital braille products to identify and correct outstanding errors and omissions with UEB support and to stay up to date with developments;
• Distribute this resolution and supporting material to braille technology manufacturers pointing to relevant resources on the ICEB website at www.iceb.org.

Resolution 2: Availability of Braille during Times of National and International Crises

Whereas, braille is literacy, and for millions of persons who are blind, braille is equivalent to print for the sighted;

Whereas, access to accurate and timely information is vital to the safety, inclusion, and full participation of blind persons in all aspects of society, particularly during national or international crises;

Whereas, braille may also be the primary, if not the only, mode of communication available for persons who are deaf-blind; and

Whereas, it is imperative that member countries take all necessary steps to ensure that braille and tactile graphics are made available during national and international crises.

The Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves that ICEB:

• Prepare a position statement affirming the importance of access to braille and tactile graphics during times of national and international crises.

Resolution 3: Affirming the Importance of Braille for Adults and Older Adults with Acquired Visual Impairment

Whereas, there is a growing prevalence of adults and older adults with acquired visual impairment due to both population growth and aging;

Whereas, the most common reason for referral to vision rehabilitation services today are difficulties related to reading and access to information;

Whereas, access to information is critical to regaining or maintaining independence after acquired visual impairment;

Whereas, braille is an important method of reading and writing that is used with and without technology for both basic and more advanced communication needs;

Whereas, braille may also be the primary, if not the only, mode of communication available for persons who are deaf-blind;

Whereas, braille has been empirically demonstrated as being correlated with higher levels of education, stronger employment outcomes, and higher incomes among blind adults; and

Whereas, there is a long tradition of braille research and services for children, but not necessarily for adults or older adults.

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves that ICEB:

• Prepare a position statement affirming:
• The importance of braille for adults and older adults with acquired visual impairment;
• The need for member countries to support adult and older adult braille learners through research, training, and access to braille resources, and
• The importance of ensuring that all adults and older adults who may benefit from braille have access to it in ICEB member countries; and that
• ICEB establishes a working group to catalog a list of the available learning resources for adult and older adult braille learners in English-speaking countries, with the goal of making this list available within a centralized, public online platform.

Resolution 4: Preserving Music Braille Presently Available Only as Hardcopy

Noting with appreciation the past efforts of many people, organizations and countries;

Reminding all participants of both an historic and continuing legacy of music braille;

Considering criteria for undertaking and outcome of the preservation of music braille;

Recognizing the fact that considerable financial commitment is required;

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:

• Encourage all relevant member-countries of ICEB, their organizations and agencies, to collaborate (where possible) to facilitate and further the preservation of music braille in hard copy;
• Request that all supporting countries, appropriate organizations and agencies make known to ICEB and relevant committees, their position in respect of preserving music braille; and
• Call upon member countries and agencies to invest time and resources into the digitization of hardcopy music braille, sharing knowledge of new technologies and expertise, to ensure future generations have access to and use of music braille resources from the past.

Resolution 5: Documenting Shorthand Braille Codes in an Online Resource

Whereas, braille has a rich history of development and coding over the past 200 years;

Whereas, braille and its founder, Louis Braille, should be celebrated for enabling blind people with the creation of a tactile reading and writing medium;

Whereas, a number of shorthand braille codes have been developed and used prior to the introduction of Unified English Braille; and

Whereas, Unified English Braille is officially endorsed and implemented as the official braille code in all ICEB member countries;

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves to:

• Document the history of shorthand English braille codes to preserve their history and materials; and
• Create an online repository of information and reference materials of highly contracted shorthand English braille codes that have been developed and used prior to the introduction of Unified English Braille.

Resolution 6: Marrakesh Treaty

Whereas, the pre-eminence of braille for blind persons is equivalent to that of print for sighted persons;

Whereas, the Marrakesh Treaty established in 2013 provides an outstanding opportunity for braille readers to have vastly increased access to reading material in braille;

Whereas, more than 80 countries in more than 60 jurisdictions have joined the Marrakesh treaty; and

Whereas, the treaty is becoming operational in major markets such as the US, Australia, the EU, and many countries around the world.

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves that:

• ICEB shall prepare a position statement affirming support of the Marrakesh Treaty;
• ICEB shall ascertain how implementation is proceeding in its member countries who have ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, and identify whether obstacles currently exist which prevent the full implementation of the treaty in those countries; and
• ICEB shall work with other organisations, including the World Blind Union to achieve the above objectives.

Resolution 7: World Braille Council

Whereas, the World Blind Union (WBU) has established a World Braille Council as a focal point for the continued development of braille;

Whereas, ICEB has confirmed its support for the development of a global body, as expressed in Article 3.6 of the ICEB constitution, capable of raising the profile of braille throughout the world;

Whereas, in 2012, WBU made the World Braille Council a permanent committee; and

Whereas, since 2012, the World Braille Council has held only two meetings and has not set up any mechanism for ongoing electronic communication.

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves to:

• Request that the WBU take steps to revitalize the World Braille Council, appointing a strong and knowledgeable chair, providing it with adequate resources, and ensuring a structure that will enable the Committee to accomplish its goals;
• Appoint a member of the ICEB Executive to serve on the World Braille Council; and
• Monitor the continued development of the World Braille Council with a view to establishing closer cooperation between ICEB and the Council.

Resolution 8: New International Manual of Braille Music Notation

Whereas, braille music is the only universal braille code;

Whereas, there are some elements of music not yet represented in the braille music code;

This Seventh General Assembly of ICEB therefore resolves to:

• Investigate a cooperative project with braille authorities and other braille-producing entities within and external to the International Council on English Braille to update the New International Manual of Braille Music Notation (1996) by Bettye Krolick.

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Page content last updated: October 24, 2020.