International Council on English Braille

Sixth General Assembly Registration Announcement

Proudly hosted by Braille Authority of North America and National Federation of the Blind

The sixth General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, from Sunday 22 to Thursday 26 May 2016. Details of venue, registration, accommodation and related information follow. The registration form can be found at https://nlsbard.loc.gov/2016registration. Please submit one form for each person attending, no matter their role.

Dates

Sunday 22 May to Thursday 26 May 2016 (inclusive) for the General Assembly itself. A welcome reception will take place the evening of 21 May.

Venue

Meetings will be held at:

The National Federation of the Blind
200 E. Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230

Accommodations are available at two locations:

1. Hyatt Place Baltimore/Inner Harbor

A block of rooms has been reserved at the:
Hyatt Place Baltimore/Inner Harbor
511 South Central Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21202 USA
Tel: +1 410 558 1840

Room rates are $199 plus 15.5% tax for single or double occupancy. Room rates include free breakfast and free Internet access. This hotel is approximately 2 miles from the meeting venue. Room reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly or at the following web site: http://baltimoreinnerharbor.place.hyatt.com/bwizhiceb2016.html

If you choose to stay at the Hyatt, please note that traveling between the Hyatt and the meeting at NFB is about a 30-minute walk or an $8 cab ride.

2. National Federation of the Blind

Dormitory-style accommodations are available at:
The National Federation of the Blind
200 Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
+1 (410) 659-9314

Room rates are $90 per person. Breakfast is available for $12.00 per person. Reservations can be made by contacting Tammy Helm by e-mail at thelm@nfb.org or telephone +1-410-659-9314 extension 2291.

Transport to the hotel

The closest airport to Baltimore is Baltimore Washington International Airport. It is about 12 miles south of the city center. A taxi will cost about $30. Dulles International Airport is about 50 miles away but several shuttle services are available.

Delegations

Each member nation of ICEB may send a delegation of up to four members, at least 50% of whom must be braille readers. Each delegate should be regarded by his/her standard setting body as knowledgeable of English language braille. Serious consideration should be given to selecting delegates who can represent the interests of blind consumers.

Each delegation of a member nation of ICEB shall have one vote.

Each member nation of ICEB should send a list of the names and addresses of the members of its delegation to the ICEB Secretary, Dr. Judith M. Dixon, at least sixty days prior to the commencement of the General Assembly or not later than 22 March 2016, email judy@judydixon.net.

Observers

Interested observers, both individuals and organisational representatives, are welcome to attend the General Assembly. Observers will have opportunities to speak at the General Assembly, but do not have the right to vote.

Observers and accompanying persons are required to complete a registration form. There will be a charge of $150 per person. This fee will include the opening reception, five lunches, and the final dinner. If not attending the entire conference, the charge is $30 per day.

Registration

Each person attending the general assembly must complete the registration form. There will be no registration fee for delegates. All observers and accompanying persons must pay the $150 fee for the full conference or the prorated amount for the number of days attending. Attendees will be responsible for their accommodation and meal costs. All payments must be made by credit card online or via wire transfer. Links for credit card payment can be found at 6th General Assembly page. Contact Judy Dixon (judy@judydixon.net) for information about wire transfers.

Electricity and Internet Access

The electricity standard in the United States is 110 volts AC. Only American power sockets are available in the hotel.

Wireless internet is available at the hotel and the meeting venue free of charge.

File types and formats for General Assembly documentation

All General Assembly papers will be available in print, hardcopy braille, and on USB flash drive. Papers must be submitted in Microsoft Word. If an author wishes to supply the braille file as well, this would be much appreciated.

Related events

There will be a meeting of the outgoing ICEB Executive Committee on Saturday, 21 May and a meeting of the incoming ICEB Executive Committee on Friday, 27 May.

There will be a meeting of the Braille Authority of North America on Thursday, 19 May through Saturday, 21 May. For more information on observing this meeting, please consult the BANA website at http://www.brailleauthority.org or contact the Chair of BANA, Jennifer Dunnam, jdunnam@nfb.org.

ICEB General Assembly Contacts

For all inquiries regarding local arrangements for the ICEB General Assembly please contact:
Judy Dixon
Email: judy@judydixon.net

For information regarding the conduct of the ICEB General Assembly contact the ICEB President.
Christo de Klerk
Email: cjdk@mweb.co.za