Governance and Bylaws

Braille Literacy Canada was founded in 1990 (and then known as the Canadian Braille Authority), and is a corporate entity formed pursuant to the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. BLC is governed by a volunteer, member-elected Board of Directors in accordance with the corporation's constitution and Bylaws. Its membership is comprised of braille readers, transcribers, producers, educators, rehabilitation professionals, and anyone else who supports our mission and objectives.

The organization operates almost entirely virtually, and has no part-time or full-time staff. Instead, BLC's day-to-day activities are carried out by a dedicated team of volunteer committees led by the board of directors (the members of which are elected each year in conjunction with the organization's annual general meeting).

Board Elections

Each year, BLC conducts an election for positions on the Board of Directors, which may be comprised of between 5 and 16 individuals. Three positions on the board are reserved for representatives of our founding organizations (CNIB, the Canadian Council of the Blind, and L’Institut Nazareth et Louis Braille (INLB)). At least 25% of the board members must be braille users; at least every second President must be a braille user; and as much as possible, we aim to include representation from each of our stakeholder groups.

Directors serve a two-year term of office up to a maximum of three consecutive terms, at which point they must either leave the board for at least a year or assume a different role.

Each year, a nominating committee is established to review the current board composition, evaluate the organization's current and future needs, and to identify potential new candidates for the board. A "slate" of candidate is prepared and presented at the annual general meeting, and voting to approve the slate (with or without any additional nominations) follows.

If you are interested in serving on the board or a committee, please contact us for more information.