International Council on English Braille

Resolutions from
Fifth General Assembly
Johannesburg, South Africa
6-10 May 2012

1. 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; and

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,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:

• Request that the WBU establish the World Braille Council as a permanent committee of the WBU with consideration given to enabling sufficient resources to undertake realistic charges.
• Appoint a member of the ICEB Executive to serve on the World Braille Council.
• Monitor the continued development of the World Braille Council with a view to establishing closer cooperation between ICEB and the Council.

2. Daisy Consortium

Whereas the DAISY Consortium continues to lead developments in accessible publishing for all; and

Whereas the DAISY Consortium engages in developing reading solutions for all,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:

• Appoint the President of ICEB to liaise with the DAISY Consortium with the aim of creating cohesion between the aspirations of ICEB and the DAISY Consortium.
• Work with the DAISY Consortium to ensure that publishing standards and reading solutions incorporate improved support for the publishing and reading of braille.
• Encourage the promotion of braille publishing and reading through the DAISY Consortium’s communications channels.

3. UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Whereas the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“the Convention”) is part of International Law; and

Whereas the World Blind Union (WBU) has published a Toolkit to help its members to use the Convention in their advocacy on behalf of people who are blind; and

Whereas the Convention specifically recognizes “braille” under “communications” in Articles 9, 21 and 24,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:

• Support the WBU and the World Braille Council in developing a plan to take advantage of the terms of the Convention in promoting the worldwide use of braille and the right of persons who are blind to have access to braille.
• Monitor the reports of English-speaking countries for items relating to the use of braille in those countries, informing the WBU of countries where braille does not get the prominence expected under the Convention.

4. Promotion of Braille

Whereas ICEB has received evidence at this Assembly confirming widespread research showing the immense benefits of braille to blind people in the areas of literacy, independence, education, employment and life enrichment; and

Whereas other evidence shows a decline in the teaching and use of braille; and

Whereas even though braille is more available than ever, there is a clear need for the promotion of braille,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:??

• Promote UEB as a code which effectively increases the learning and use of braille, and reduces the costs of production.
• Gather braille promotional material from member countries and associated organizations for use by the Public Relations Officer in promotional activities.

5. Outreach

Whereas ICEB???s major body of work to codify UEB is complete and is transitioning into ongoing code maintenance; and

Whereas a focus by ICEB on the promulgation of UEB in developing countries presents a unique opportunity to promote the benefits of braille for education, employment and daily life; and

Whereas the WBU and the International Council on the Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI), with their commitment to braille and their expertise in advocacy for and education of people who are blind, are critically important global partners for ICEB; and

Whereas English is widely used as a business language alongside indigenous languages and is increasingly taught and used in school,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:??

• 5.1 Direct the Executive to focus on the promotion of UEB in developing countries as a high priority for ICEB???s work over the next quadrennium by means including engagement:
  • With WBU and ICEVI at the global, regional and sub-regional levels to raise their awareness of UEB and advocate for its adoption,
  • With opinion leaders at national level with a view to the adoption of UEB in target countries, and
  • With those international organisations that support the production and teaching of braille in developing countries to raise their awareness about the utility of UEB.
• 5.2 Direct the Executive to use its best endeavours to develop and promote easy-to-read UEB-related learning and production materials to assist braille producers in developing countries.

• 5.3 Direct the Executive to develop a database of donor organisations able to assist the production, teaching or promotion of braille in developing countries.

6. Tactile Graphics

Whereas the guidelines for tactile graphics produced in North America are now available for use; and

Whereas these guidelines were developed as a result of extensive research and evaluation,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:??

• Recommend that these guidelines be considered for use in member countries.

7. International Certification

Whereas UEB is being implemented in a majority of the ICEB member countries; and

Whereas the quality of braille can be maintained by common standards for training and certification; and

Whereas Australia and New Zealand have co-operated to create the Trans-Tasman Certificate of Proficiency in Unified English Braille as a model of co-operation between countries that has worked very well,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:

• Establish a committee to investigate the feasibility of ICEB becoming an international certifying body for braille transcription in UEB.

8. Educational Aids and Equipment for Braille Production in Developing Countries??

Whereas braille is the primary medium for literacy and education for blind persons; and

Whereas ICEB acknowledges the roles of international donors in the provision of equipment and educational aids for the teaching, learning and production of braille to agencies in developing countries; and

Whereas there is often a mismatch between what countries need and what donors are providing,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:

• Liaise with member Braille Authorities in developing countries and international donor organizations to develop criteria and strategies to end the communication gap between donors and recipients.
• Consider the creation of a fund to support greater access to braille in developing countries.

9. Refreshable Braille

Whereas refreshable braille is a vital reading and writing experience; and

Whereas current standards and technologies for these devices are still limited and inconsistently applied; and

Whereas existing refreshable braille display devices are costly; and

Whereas UEB has now been adopted by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, and the United Kingdom,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:??

• Support the immediate formulation of requirements in the sphere of refreshable braille to make these devices more affordable and user-friendly.
• Advocate for producers of braille technology to add support for UEB in their devices.

10. Labelling of Products in Braille

Whereas braille is the basic tool of literacy for blind people; and

Whereas many consumer products carry printed text or labels for identification and/or control,

This Fifth General Assembly of ICEB resolves to:??

• Encourage manufacturers of consumer products to add braille to their products whenever possible and ensure that the braille on these products is correct by consulting with braille authorities and other experts as appropriate.