Newsletter - August 2023

In This Issue

1. President's Message: Happy Summer Everyone! (Daphne Hitchcock, BLC President)
2. A Note From Your ICEB Rep (Jen Goulden)
3. Welcome to the 2023 BLC Board
4. Félicitations aux membres du conseil d'administration de 2023 de LBC!
5. Braille Literacy Canada announces the winners of the 2023 Edie Mourre scholarship
6. Littératie Braille Canada annonce les noms des gagnants de la bourse d'études Edie-Mourre 2023
7. Braille Literacy Canada Honours Debbie Gillespie with the 2023 President's Award
8. Littératie braille Canada remet le prix de la présidente 2023 à Debbie Gillespie
9. Horray for the Braille Challenge!
10. Social Media Links

President's Message: Happy Summer Everyone!

By Daphne Hitchcock, BLC President

I hope that this newsletter finds you well. We have lots of exciting news to share with you, so sit back and settle in for a good newsletter read.

We jumped into June with our Braille Symposium - it was a great success, with over 150 registrants from all corners of the world. The five presentations illustrated just how dynamic braille continues to be; the Symposium covered a wide range of braille-centric topics. Our speakers took us through the process of building a new braille code for the Mi'kmaw language, demonstrated the use tactile graphics within mainstream books, delved into the intricacies of braille types and braille files, shared their expertise in innovative ways of teaching braille through experience centred learning, and showed us how to use the virtual platform for online learning of UEB. There is nothing boring about braille; it is vital, it is dynamic and it is here to stay. Contributing to the success of this event was made possible by the tireless efforts put in by the Symposium committee and from the overwhelming support from our many sponsors. Our thanks goes out to each of them, including Canadian Assistive Technology, Kids Can Press, Humanware, Crawford Technologies, Select Roses, CNIB Beyond Print, Purdy's Chocolatier, Groundwood Books, National Braille Press, and ScotiaBank. The 2023 Symposium was recorded and once our transcripts are edited, we will make these files available to you on our website. Stayed tuned.

The AGM on June 3, provided us with the opportunity to review our past year, and reflect on the strength of our community. BLC is very fortunate to be supported by such a strong stable membership. During the AGM we were pleased to honour Debbie Gillespie with the President's Award, for her work and leadership related to braille and accessibility on a national and international level. As well, we welcomed three new Board members - a warm welcome to Marilyn Rushton and Joan McGouran, Joan steps in as our CNIB representative. And welcome back to Leo Bissonnette; Leo is our CCB representative. Read on ahead to learn more about our Board member updates.

During June we learned that the importance of braille and the legacy of Braille Literacy Canada had caught the attention of an anonymous donor; this donor has indicated that they will match up to $1000 per month for donations being made into the Vancouver Foundation's Braille Literacy Canada / littératie braille Canada Endowment Fund. They have asked that the donations are made directly to Vancouver Foundation BLC-LBC Fund and they will continue matching amounts for one year, until June 2024. Already they are matching a monthly pledge from one of our loyal supporters. A gift to BLC-LBC Endowment Fund will be held in trust forever. The annual interest and earnings generated from this Fund will help sustain the work of BLC-LBC for generations to come.

Additionally, we continue to receive donations directly to BLC and through Canada Helps. Our sincere thanks to all of our donors for their support of this organization.

Our Board looks forward to the coming year with plans for continued programming and to virtually convene for a Strategic Planning Meeting. It is time for such a meeting, as the last Strategic Plan was developed in 2013. Funding from CNIB, granted to BLC in June, will be directed towards employing the services of a Strategic Planning facilitator.

Additional funding received in June from CNIB, will go towards defraying the 2023-24 administrative expenses. We are most appreciative of the ongoing support from CNIB.

Should you have any comments, questions or suggestions for your BLC Board, as we plan for the year ahead, please reach out to us through email info@blc-lbc.ca or by leaving a message on our toll-free telephone number 1-877-861-4576.

BLC exists because of members like you, we value your input, please don't hesitate to reach out.

A Note From Your ICEB Rep

By Jen Goulden

The 8th General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) will take place in Auckland New Zealand from May 25-31, 2024. The focus of the General Assembly will be "Two hundred years of braille". Stay tuned for more details! You can also go to http://www.iceb.org for more information.

ICEB brings together English-speaking countries from around the world and is the body responsible for Unified English Braille (UEB). The General Assembly is held once every four years, with a midterm face-to-face meeting of the ICEB Executive Committee taking place two years into each term.

If you'd like to learn more about braille on the international stage, visit http://www.iceb.org or write to info@blc-lbc.ca.

ICEB produces a quarterly newsletter under the excellent direction of Mary Schnackenberg of New Zealand. This newsletter is jam-packed with all sorts of braille-related events and information from around the world. If you'd like to receive the newsletter, UEB updates and other announcements directly into your inbox, we invite you to subscribe to our one-way announce list by writing to iceb-announce+subscribe@groups.io.

You can also follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter at @ICEBBraille

Welcome to the 2023 BLC Board

At the 2023 BLC Annual General Meeting, the membership approved the list of nominees for the 2023 BLC board of directors. Thank you to our membership and our many volunteers for making BLC what it continues to be today. A warm welcome to all new and returning board members. We would also like to thank our outgoing board members, Dwila Nixon (Director) and Melanie Romer-Noel (Director, CNIB). Although their terms have ended, we know they will continue to be valued members of BLC and thank them for their many volunteer hours.

2023 Board Members

• Daphne Hitchcock: President
• Kim Kilpatrick: Vice-President
• Riane LaPaire: Treasurer
• Jen Jesso: Secretary
• Natalie Martiniello: Past President
• Adam Wilton: Director
• Anthony Tibbs: Director
• Ashley Shaw: Director
• Cathy Ausman (W. Ross): Director
• Glenda M. Parsons (APSEA): Director
• Joan McGouran (CNIB): Director
• Leo Bissonnette (CCB): Director
• Marilyn Rushton: Director
• Shawn Lebrun (Allyant): Director
• Tami Boccaccio: Director

Please refer to the Nominations Report, circulated to all members as part of the AGM package, for full bios of all new board members.

Félicitations aux membres du conseil d'administration de 2023 de LBC!

Lors de l'assemblée générale annuelle de LBC 2023, les membres ont approuvé la liste des candidats au conseil d'administration de LBC - 2023. Merci à nos membres et à nos nombreux bénévoles qui font de BLC ce qu'elle est encore aujourd'hui. Nous souhaitons la bienvenue à tous les nouveaux membres du conseil d'administration et à ceux qui reviennent. Nous tenons également à remercier nos membres sortants, Dwila Nixon (directrice) et Melanie Romer-Noel (directrice, INCA). Bien que leur mandat soit terminé, nous savons qu'elles continueront à être des membres appréciés de BLC et nous les remercions pour les nombreuses heures de bénévolat qu'elles ont consacrées au conseil d'administration.

Membres du conseil d'administration 2023 :

• Daphne Hitchcock: Présidente
• Kim Kilpatrick: Vice-présidente
• Riane LaPaire: Trésorière
• Jen Jesso: Secrétaire
• Natalie Martiniello: Ancienne présidente
• Adam Wilton: Directeur
• Anthony Tibbs: Directeur
• Ashley Shaw: Directeur
• Cathy Ausman (W. Ross): Directrice
• Glenda M. Parsons (APSEA): Directrice
• Joan McGouran (INCA): Directrice
• Leo Bissonnette (CCB): Directeur
• Marilyn Rushton: Directrice
• Shawn Lebrun (Allyant): Directeur
• Tami Boccaccio: Directrice

Veuillez vous référer au rapport sur les nominations, distribué à tous les membres dans le cadre de l'AGA, pour obtenir les biographies complètes de tous les nouveaux membres du conseil d'administration.

Braille Literacy Canada announces the winners of the 2023 Edie Mourre scholarship

(TORONTO, ON, June 29, 2023) - At its Annual General Meeting held on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023, Braille Literacy Canada (BLC) was pleased to announce the two recipients of the 2023 Edie Mourre Scholarship award. This award, created in honour of Edie Mourre, a long-time CNIB library employee and braille transcriber, supports outstanding individuals who are training to become braille transcribers, proofreaders, or braille educators.

This year, we are pleased to announce that two recipients have been chosen for the Edie Mourre Scholarship:

• Rebecca Leslie is a deafblind intervener who is looking forward to pursuing certification to better support students with Deafblindness in her district.
• Jody Tottenham is an Educational Assistant who is wishing to pursue braille certification to support more of the students in her schoolboard.

BLC, as the Canadian Braille Authority, is thrilled to be able to support Rebecca and Jody as they strive towards their braille goals, and we wish them all the best with their future training! We thank all those who are interested in pursuing braille certification to increase access to timely and high quality braille.

Littératie Braille Canada annonce les noms des gagnants de la bourse d'études Edie-Mourre 2023

(TORONTO, ONTARIO, le 29 juin 2023) - Lors de son assemblée générale annuelle tenue le samedi 3 juin 2023, Littératie Braille Canada (LBC) a dévoilé les noms des deux gagnants de la bourse d'études Edie-Mourre 2023. Cette bourse, créée en l'honneur d'Edie Mourre, employée de longue date de la bibliothèque d'INCA et transcriptrice de braille, aide des personnes exceptionnelles qui suivent une formation afin de devenir transcripteurs, correcteurs d'épreuves ou professeurs de braille.

Cette année, nous sommes heureux d'annoncer que deux personnes recevront la bourse Edie-Mourre.

• Rebecca Leslie est une intervenante sourde-aveugle qui souhaite obtenir une certification afin de mieux aider les élèves sourds-aveugles de son district.
• Jody Tottenham est une assistante en éducation qui désire obtenir une certification braille afin d'aider un plus grand nombre d'élèves de son conseil scolaire.

En sa qualité d'autorité canadienne du braille, LBC est ravi de pouvoir soutenir mesdames Leslie et Tottenham dans leurs efforts pour atteindre leurs objectifs dans l'univers du braille. Il va de soi que nous leur souhaitons un franc succès dans leur formation future! Nous remercions tous ceux et toutes celles qui désirent obtenir une certification braille afin d'accroître rapidement l'accès à des documents en braille de très grande qualité.

Braille Literacy Canada Honours Debbie Gillespie with the 2023 President's Award

June 17, 2023 - President Daphne Hitchcock, on behalf of the board of Braille Literacy Canada (BLC), presented the 2023 President's Award to Debbie Gillespie at the Annual General Meeting held on June 3, 2023. Established in 2018 and awarded annually, the award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to braille literacy in Canada.

Debbie Gillespie is a lifelong braille user and has spearheaded numerous initiatives related to braille and accessibility at the national and international level. She served as President of the Canadian Braille Authority, now Braille Literacy Canada, from 2001 - 2003, before transitioning to the board position of CNIB representative.

Her career began as a braille proofreader in 1988, before becoming Coordinator of the CNIB braille proofreading unit. For 20 years, she served as the National Manager of Braille Publishing and Quality Management. As an accessibility consultant, she designed and taught courses on accessibility and hosted braille promotion workshops across the country. She was a core member of the team that developed braille bank statements for RBC in 1991, the first bank in Canada to offer braille bank statements, leading to the eventual adoption of this accessible practice by other banks. Her leadership extends to public transportation, where she has advised on accessibility matters for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

In addition to braille promotion and advocacy, Debbie has remained instrumental in supporting the development and advancement of braille guidelines. She served as a member of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) formats committee and serves as a member of the BANA braille signage guideline committee. Moreover, she is currently involved in the development of updated accessible signage standards at the federal level within Canada.

At the international level, Debbie has served as Canadian delegate for the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) during past general assemblies, elevating the voice of the Canadian braille community within these discussions. "BLC continues to benefit tremendously from the strong expertise that Debbie brings as both a professional and a lifelong braille user and we thank her profoundly for her continued commitment and leadership within the Canadian and international braille community. She brings humour, enthusiasm and positive energy to her committee work." states BLC president, Daphne Hitchcock.

BLC is honoured to recognize Debbie for her years of dedication to the organization and for the many contributions she has made in developing and promoting braille accessibility.

Littératie braille Canada remet le prix de la présidente 2023 à Debbie Gillespie

Le 17 juin 2023 - La présidente de Littératie braille Canada, Daphne Hitchcock, au nom de son conseil d'administration, a remis le Prix de la présidente 2023 à Debbie Gillespie lors de l'assemblée générale annuelle qui s'est tenue le 3 juin 2023. Créé en 2018 et décerné chaque année, ce prix récompense les personnes qui ont contribué de manière significative à l'utilisation du braille comme moyen de littératie au Canada.

Debbie Gillespie est une utilisatrice de braille depuis toujours et a mené de nombreuses initiatives liées au braille et à l'accessibilité à l'échelle nationale et internationale. Elle a été présidente de la Canadian Braille Authority, aujourd'hui Littératie braille Canada, de 2001 à 2003, avant de devenir représentante de l'INCA au sein du conseil d'administration.

Elle a commencé sa carrière en 1988 en tant que correctrice de braille, avant de devenir coordonnatrice du département de correction braille de l'INCA. Pendant 20 ans, elle a occupé le poste de directrice nationale de l'édition braille et de la gestion de la qualité. À titre de consultante en accessibilité, elle a conçu et offert des formations sur l'accessibilité et a organisé des ateliers de promotion du braille dans tout le pays. Elle a été l'un des principaux membres de l'équipe qui a mis au point les relevés bancaires en braille pour RBC en 1991, la première banque au Canada à offrir des relevés bancaires en braille, ce qui a mené à l'adoption ultérieure de cette pratique accessible par d'autres banques. Son leadership s'étend aux transports publics, où elle a conseillé la Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) sur les questions d'accessibilité.

Outre la promotion et la défense du braille, Debbie a joué un rôle déterminant dans l'élaboration et l'avancement des lignes directrices en matière de braille. Elle a été membre du comité des formats de la Braille Authority of North America (BANA) et est membre du comité des lignes directrices sur la signalisation en braille de la BANA. En outre, elle participe actuellement à l'élaboration de normes actualisées en matière de signalisation accessible à l'échelle fédérale.

Sur le plan international, Debbie a été la représentante canadienne au International Council on English Braille (ICEB) lors des dernières assemblées générales, faisant ainsi entendre la voix de la communauté braille canadienne lors de ces discussions. « LBC continue de tirer profit de l'expertise de Debbie en tant que professionnelle et utilisatrice de braille depuis toujours. Nous la remercions profondément pour son engagement continu et son leadership au sein de la communauté canadienne et internationale du braille. Elle apporte de l'humour, de l'enthousiasme et de l'énergie positive à son travail au sein du comité », déclare Daphne Hitchcock, présidente de LBC.

LBC est honorée de rendre hommage à Debbie pour ses années de dévouement à l'organisation et pour les nombreuses contributions qu'elle a apportées au développement et à la promotion de l'accessibilité du braille.

Horray for the Braille Challenge!

This year four Canadian finalists participated in the 23rd Braille Challenge in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 24th; Aiza S., Janna C. and Keaton H. from Ontario, and Margot W from B.C. Braille Literacy Canada recognizes these students and their notable achievement in braille excellence. Congratulations!

The Braille Challenge is an international event. Over 800 students participated in regional 2023 Braille Challenges in the US, Canada and the UK. Each student competed to gain a spot within the top 50 finalists. These outstanding students were then invited to participate in the 2023 Braille Challenge in LA. The finalists spent a grueling day of competition on Saturday; Janna C accomplished 3rd place for her age-grade category. All four students are to be commended for their hard work and devotion to braille.

The Canadian Regional Braille Challenges are held each year right across Canada, coast to coast. Our thanks go to the regional coordinators and representatives for organizing these events and for providing the opportunity for our students to participate with other students who read and write braille and tactile graphics.

Social Media Links

Here are a few of the items we have posted on our social media platforms in recent weeks.

• How tactile graphics can help end image poverty | MIT Technology Review: https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/06/15/1074036/ending-image-poverty/
• Braillists Braille Bar on Tuesday + More News and Events - http://eepurl.com/it-C0Y
• @BlindNewWorld: What will it take for the beauty industry to embrace #braille - and beyond - to make packaging #accessible for folks who are #blind and #VisuallyImpaired? http://beautymatter.com/articles/beaut Assortment of Victorialand beauty products that have CyR.U.S. tactile tags on the packaging to indicate what's inside.
• International Council on English Braille ICEB 8th General Assembly 2024: http://www.iceb.org