>
>Press Release
>
>February 2011
>
>For Immediate Release
>
>
>
>CONTACT: Judith Dixon, Chairperson
>
>Braille Authority of North America
>
>Phone: 202-707-0722
>
>Email: jdix@loc.gov
>
>
>
>
>
>BANA Announces Results of NUBS Evaluation
>
>
>
>The Braille Authority of North America, (BANA) has concluded a
>two-year evaluation study of the Nemeth Uniform Braille System
>(NUBS). BANA will publish the complete results of the study on its
>website in late February.
>
>
>
>NUBS is an outgrowth of the Nemeth Braille Code of Mathematics and
>Science Notation, which was first published in 1965. Its developer,
>Dr. Abraham Nemeth, reports that this new system has been in
>development for ten years and is capable of rendering both literary
>and technical texts.
>
>
>
>The evaluation of NUBS was handled by BANA's Braille Research
>Committee, which employed several research strategies including
>timed reading tests, focus groups, and a questionnaire based on a
>sampler of various texts written in NUBS. Dr. Frances Mary D'Andrea
>and Dr. Diane Wormsley, Co-Chairs of the research committee, shared
>preliminary statements that reflect the results of the committee's
>evaluation of NUBS:
> * An examination of reading speed was conducted using the
> measure of characters per second. The results of the examination
> provided some limited evidence that NUBS was slower in general than
> current braille codes.
> * The results of the sampler questionnaire suggested that, while
> people who reviewed the sampler found text written in NUBS
> generally not difficult to read, opinions expressed in the
> responses to the NUBS questionnaire as well as open-ended comments
> that were included by participants were generally much more
> negative than positive.
> * Positive comments about NUBS included reference to the concept
> of a single code rather than three separate ones; ease of learning
> due to familiarity with Nemeth; preference for dropped numbers; and
> potential for increasing the accuracy of transcription into
> braille. Negative comments included the increased bulk of NUBS
> compared to the current code; lack of necessity for changes since
> the current code works well; dislike for certain symbols of NUBS
> such as the modes; cumbersomeness of NUBS for writing; and concern
> about needing to show all the print indicators. Other questions and
> concerns raised included the potential impact on children learning
> braille and on current braille readers, particularly adults; the
> cost of implementation; the cost of producing books; the fact that
> no other country is considering the use of NUBS; and the lack of
> transcribers and teachers who know NUBS.
>
>
>
>When the complete evaluation report is posted on its website, BANA
>will send a notification to the subscribers of the BANA-Announce
>e-mail list that disseminates official BANA information. To join
>this one-way e-mail list, send a blank email message to
><mailto:bana-announce-subscribe@brailleauthority.org>bana-announce-subscribe@brailleauthority.org
>and follow the directions in the confirmation email that will be
>sent in response.
>
>
>
>For additional resource information, visit
><http://www.brailleauthority.org/>www.brailleauthority.org
>
>
>
>The mission and purpose of the Braille Authority of North America
>are to assure literacy for tactile readers through the
>standardization of braille and/or tactile graphics. BANA promotes
>and facilitates the use, teaching, and production of braille. It
>publishes rules, interprets, and renders opinions pertaining to
>braille in all existing codes. It deals with codes now in existence
>or to be developed in the future, in collaboration with other
>countries using English braille. In exercising its function and
>authority, BANA considers the effects of its decisions on other
>existing braille codes and formats; the ease of production by
>various methods; and acceptability to readers.
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>BANA-Announce mailing list
>BANA-Announce@brailleauthority.org
>http://www.brailleauthority.org/mailman/listinfo/bana-announce
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