Introduction to the 2016 ICEB General Assembly Special Issue

This issue of the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research (JBIR) is dedicated to the proceedings of the recently concluded General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB). The ICEB General Assembly was hosted by the National Federation of the Blind and was held at the Federation’s headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland from May 22-26, 2016.

The proceedings of the 2016 ICEB General Assembly is the single largest consolidated source of contemporary information about Unified English Braille (UEB) in the English speaking world. The papers reflect the thinking and deep personal commitment of the world’s foremost authorities on English braille and their determination to insure that braille continues to be the foundation of literacy and equal opportunity for blind people everywhere.

The UEB began with a dream to unify the braille code throughout the English speaking world. The ICEB was founded in 1991 and began the ambitious task of working to develop a braille code that would reduce to the greatest extent possible ambiguity in the way braille is written and read and to consolidate technical codes into a unified system of braille. The development of the UEB sought to address the challenges introduced by technologies that offered the promise of automated translation and reverse translation of braille. The goal was daunting from a technical standpoint, but the driving force was a worldwide commitment to promoting literacy for blind people in English speaking countries around the world.

It is timely that this issue of the JBIR is being published just before the World Blind Union conducts its 9th General Assembly. The lessons learned from the development of UEB and its impact on the literacy of countless blind children and adults will serve as an inspiration and important source of information for producers of braille and blind people across the globe.

Dr. Fredric Schroeder
Chief Editor, JBIR
First Vice President, World Blind Union
July 26, 2016

The Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research is copyright (c) 2016 to the National Federation of the Blind.