Newsletter - March 2022

In This Issue

1. President's Message (Natalie Martiniello, BLC President)
2. Preliminary Notice of 2022 Annual General Meeting
3. Save the Date for the Second Annual Braille Literacy Canada Symposium
4. Reminder: Edie Mourre Scholarship accepting applications until March 31, 2022
5. Braille Tech Highlight: The BrailleSense6 (Caroline Toews)
6. Midterm Executive Meeting of the International Council on English Braille
7. World Braille Days 2022 (Riane Lapaire, Braille and Accessibility Testing Coordinator, NNELS)
8. Becoming a BLC Member
9. Social Media Activity

President's Message

By Natalie Martiniello, BLC President

Dear BLC members,

It is only March and the year has already been filled with so many fun and exciting braille events! As you will read in this issue, BLC partnered with a number of other Canadian organizations to celebrate braille literacy throughout the month of January -- in honour of Louis Braille's birthday on January 4th. There were events for everyone: a panel of braille users on braille technology innovations; a workshop on designing inclusive library and story circles; a French session highlighting some of the great French braille resources out there; and, a workshop for teachers on co-designing braille awareness workshops with a focus on equity, accessibility and inclusion. These recordings and transcripts are up on our YouTube channel. BLC thanks the National Network for Equitible Library Services (NNELS), CNIB Foundation, Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA), and the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and all our speakers for another fun year of collaborations and all those who attended to make this such a success - Until next year!

Our Braille Zoomers program, a monthly virtual peer-support network for adult braille learners, is zooming ahead in so many ways. We've officially distributed 25 starter kits across the country, with more to come. If you're an adult braille learner (or know someone who is!), we welcome you to attend any of our monthly sessions, where we share lots of great tips, resources and excitement all around braille. Write to info@blc-lbc.ca to learn more.

Our French print-braille project is still available for anyone from across Canada who can benefit! Want to brush up on your French braille reading skills? Through this initiative, you can submit a request for financial assistance to purchase French print-braille books. Learn more: https://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/en/news/now-available-funding-to-assist-with-the-acquisition-or-pro

Our next braille promotions workshop will take place in April. Stay tuned -- it will be another great one! We always love hearing all your great topic suggestions. Reach out if there is a theme you'd love to see us cover in future, or if you have special topic expertise you'd like to share!

Our Edie Mourre scholarship has launched once again: Apply until March 31st to be considered for this fantastic scholarship that supports those who are working towards braille transcription or proofreading certification. The recipients will be announced at our Annual General Meeting (AGM)!

Speaking of which, this newsletter includes some exciting announcements about events awaiting us in the spring and summer months (because yes, we promise, the winter shall soon pass!) We are happy to share that the 2022 BLC AGM will be held virtually on Saturday, June 11th at 1 PM Eastern, and our second annual virtual Braille Symposium will take place on Friday, June 17th beginning at 1 PM Eastern. We can't wait to see you there and are working on putting together an exciting line up of world-renowned speakers. And to top it all off: we'll be hosting the second annual braille trivia event, also on June 17th -- so brush up your braille trivia skills, get your favourite drink and snacks ready and join us for the fun.

BLC members have free access to all of our workshops, including the annual symposium. Membership is a great way to support braille literacy advocacy and initiatives in Canada. Through BLC, you have the opportunity to weigh in on important braille issues and to vote on braille matters at the international level through our membership in the International Council on English Braille (ICEB). You can learn more about membership and join online by visiting our website, or reaching out to us by email if you'd like assistance by phone: info@blc-lbc.ca.

With that, I close this summary but look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events. We've said it before and will say it again: the Canadian braille community is strong. Thank you for all that you do to promote equitable access through braille literacy every day. I feel honoured and humbled to know so many of you.

Yours truly,
Natalie Martiniello, Ph.D.
President, Braille Literacy Canada

Preliminary Notice of 2022 Annual General Meeting

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual general meeting of the members of Braille Literacy Canada / Littératie braille Canada (the "Corporation") will take place on Saturday, June 11th, 2022 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10am Pacific, 11am Mountain/Saskatchewan, 12pm Central, 2pm Atlantic) via the Zoom platform.

This meeting will be held for the purposes of:

• Approving the minutes of the 2021 Annual General Meeting of members;
• Receiving the financial statements of the Corporation; and
• Electing the board of directors.

To vote, you must have been a member of Braille Literacy Canada (and paid your annual membership dues) as of May 21, 2022. For those unable to attend the meeting, electronic ballots (along with complete AGM materials) will be sent to members on or before May 21, 2022.

If you hold both a personal membership and you are a corporate representative, recall that you may submit two ballots: one for you personally, and one on behalf of your organization.

Do not hesitate to write to us at info@blc-lbc.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

Kim Kilpatrick
Secretary, Braille Literacy Canada

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AVIS EST PAR LA PRÉSENTE DONNÉ que l'assemblée générale annuelle (AGA) des membres de Littératie Braille Canada/Braille Literacy Canada (l'« organisme ») aura lieu samèdi le 11 juin 2022, de 13h00 -- 14h30, heure de l'Est (10h00 Pacifique, 11h00 Montagne/Saskatchewan, 12h00 Central, 14h00 Atlantique), par le truchement de la plateforme Zoom.

L'objectif de la réunion est triple, soit :

• approuver le procès-verbal de l'AGA des membres de 2021;
• prendre connaissance des états financiers de l'organisme;
• élire les membres du conseil d'administration.

Pour avoir le droit de vote, vous devez être membre de Littératie Braille Canada (et avoir payé votre cotisation annuelle) en date du 21 mai 2022. Pour ceux qui ne peuvent pas assister à la réunion, des bulletins de vote électroniques (ainsi que les des documents complets de l'AGA) seront envoyés aux membres au plus tard le 21 mai 2022.

Si vous êtes à la fois membre à titre personnel et représentant d'une société, rappelez-vous que vous pouvez remplir deux bulletins, soit un bulletin personnel et un bulletin pour le compte de votre organisme.

N'hésitez pas à communiquer avec nous à info@blc-lbc.ca si vous avez des questions ou des préoccupations.

Le secrétaire de Littératie Braille Canada,
Kim Kilpatrick

Save the Date for the Second Annual Braille Literacy Canada Symposium

Braille Literacy Canada (BLC) will be holding our second annual virtual braille symposium on Friday June 17th, 2022 from 1 - 5 PM EDT. This event will be of interest to braille readers, educators, transcribers, parents and anyone else with an interest in braille literacy!

A host of exciting and world-renowned speakers will give half hour presentations (beginning at the start of each hour) followed by time for Q&A and discussion.

A separate braille trivia event will take place after the symposium (beginning at 5:30 PM EDT), and a save the date with registration details for that will be circulated separately -- stay tuned!

The symposium will be free of charge to members and $20 for non-members. Interested in becoming a BLC member? Annual membership is $20 - Write to us to learn more! info@blc-lbc.ca

More details on registration and schedule coming soon -- Mark the date in your calendars! This will be an event you will not want to miss.

Reminder: Edie Mourre Scholarship accepting applications until March 31, 2022

The 2022 competition for the Edie Mourre Scholarship is now open and will be accepting applications until March 31, 2022.

Are you interested in pursuing a certification in braille transcription? Or maybe you have always wanted to study music braille? Perhaps you have been contemplating pursuing braille studies but the cost has held you back? Your time could be now!

The Edie Mourre Scholarship fund is intended to assist those who are pursuing employment as a braille transcriber or proofreader, or as an educator. Eligible codes include: Unified English Braille, Code braille français uniformisé, music braille, or other braille systems.

More information on the program and an application form (in English and in French) may be found online at https://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/en/programs/ediemourre.

Good luck, and we invite you to share this announcement with others!

Braille Tech Highlight: The BrailleSense6

By Caroline Toews

It's 2022, and the question of whether braille notetakers still have a place in our tech arsenals is still very much a thing. Why do we need these often outdated pieces of equipment when we can buy a smartphone off the shelf and just simply pair it with a braille display? I can't answer that for anyone else, but I can for myself.

I purchased the BrailleSense Polaris from Hims in 2019, and it quickly became like my right arm. So last year when the BrailleSense6 was announced, I jumped at the upgrade path opportunity.

The BS6 is a small portable device with an 8-key Perkins-style keyboard, a 32-cell braille display with cursor routing buttons above each cell, and a few function keys. The underlying operating system is Android 10, which has some advantages.

The unit itself comes with an intuitive menu structure which allows a new user to get up and running quickly. There's a hotkey for almost everything, however it's not necessary to learn all of them until and unless you want to because of the menus, and the fairly useful context-sensitive help. The suite of applications that comes preinstalled are what you'd expect, word processor, notepad, email, web browser, calendar and contacts list, etc. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options available, getting connected to the Internet, or pairing to your smartphone can be done quickly and easily. Several USB ports allow for the connection of external cameras, monitors/projectors, external storage devices, or even USB hubs. This ability makes for a very versatile package.

As an Android phone user, I'm very much into the Google ecosystem, choosing to use the Google contacts and calendar on all my devices. By signing into my Google account on the BS6, I automatically have access to these features, and no matter where I am or what device I pick up, I can get to the same information.

The BS6 has a small LCD display that can be used for someone with vision to see what's happening on the unit. This allows the BS6 to become a communications device for the DeafBlind. By connecting a QWERTY keyboard through USB or Bluetooth and turning on the LCD display, it is possible for a sighted person to type on the keyboard, have the BS6 automatically translate that typing into the user's preferred braille code, allow the user to reply in their preferred braille code, and have that translated back into print and displayed on the screen. In this way, communication can be done seamlessly and easily.

I mentioned that the BS6 has, as its underlying system, Android 10. This is, to me, what sets this type of notetaker apart from many other ones. It gives me the ability to install apps from the Google Play Store, which greatly increases my ability to be productive without the need to be tied to my computer. There are many apps that I run on my phone that I'm also able to use on my BS6. Zoom is a good example. The BS6 has an internal camera on the back of the device, however it's not very useful if you want to have it sitting on a desk or table. By connecting an external camera and a pair of headphones with a microphone, I have a nice portable way of connecting to Zoom without having to rely on my phone.

I think one of the most powerful features of the BS6 when it comes to Android apps is the ability to use first-letter navigation. As an example, let's say I want to look at my books in the Kindle app. I'd open Kindle, press the letter L to get to the Library tab, press Enter, and then press the first letter of the book I want until I find it. This works quite well, and makes navigation easier because I don't have to spend as much time tabbing around to get to what I want.

Unlike a smartphone, this device doesn't have any sort of touch-screen. This means that there are a few apps that don't work simply because there's no way to interact with the app using the keyboard. However, overall, I find it truly makes my life easier. And, I can keep my phone charged for the next time I'm stuck somewhere in Winnipeg with -20 below temperatures and need to call for a ride.

So for me, the question of why do I want a notetaker instead of just using a braille display with my phone has an easy answer. Speed, convenience, having everything in one small package, and keeping my phone free in the event of an emergency. I've barely scratched the surface of what this device can do, but if you want to read more or hear demonstrations, go to the Hims website at http://www.himsinc.com.

Midterm Executive Meeting of the International Council on English Braille

The International Council on English Braille (ICEB) is pleased to confirm that the midterm meeting of the Executive Committee will be held from Sunday 5th June to Thursday 9th June 2022. The event will be held daily online via Zoom at 20:00 UTC. The virtual meeting will bring the Executive Committee together to discuss ICEB business, including updates on work undertaken by ICEB committees. The meeting will include additional presentations on braille and reports from the member country representatives to ICEB. Observers are welcome to attend.

The deadline to register is the 13th of May, 2022. The meeting agenda, as well as committee and country reports, will be provided to registrants in Word and BRF formats. Visit http://www.iceb.org/register to complete the registration form.

Those interested are also invited to follow @ICEBbraille on Twitter and the hashtag #ICEB2022 for updates.

Thanks are extended to Braille Literacy Canada (BLC) for hosting the meeting in collaboration with ICEB. We look forward to connecting with you all in a week dedicated to braille!

The International Council on English Braille (ICEB) was formed in 1991 and provides a forum for international cooperation among those countries that use English-language braille by assisting countries to establish standard-setting bodies in relation to braille codes and practices; working towards the development and adoption of international minimum standards for the production and teaching of braille; and facilitating the exchange of braille materials between member countries. Its members currently include braille authorities from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To learn more about ICEB, visit http://www.iceb.org or write to info@iceb.org.

World Braille Days 2022

By Riane Lapaire, Braille and Accessibility Testing Coordinator, NNELS

What do you get when you put Braille Literacy Canada, the Canadian Council of the Blind, the CNIB Foundation, the Centre for Equitable Library Access, the National Network for Equitable Library Service, and the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired in a room together? The boundless love of braille, a lot of laughter, and a series of nationwide World Braille Day events throughout January.

The first of the four events kicked off with the panel session "Looking Through the Crystal Ball: Innovations in Braille Technology for the 21st Century and Beyond" on January 8th. Panellists shared their expertise in many areas, including their early experiences with braille, tactile graphics, braille devices, what tools they use now, some best practices, and their braille hopes for the future.

The second event, "Building Braille Inclusion in Libraries", which took place on January 13th, featured a live reading of the print-braille book My City Speaks followed by strategies for inclusive library programming, makerspaces, games, book clubs, and a demonstration of a refreshable braille display.

The January 20th session, "Tools for Your Toolbox: Braille Resources for French Speakers of All Ages" gathered a plethora of hard-to-find and highly desirable French braille resources into one place. Attendees could overflow their toolboxes with so many goodies; it was almost like it was someone's birthday party...

To conclude the month-long celebration of braille, a session emphasizing braille awareness activities and the importance of braille in accessible design took place on January 27th. "Refreshing and Rethinking Braille Awareness Presentations with a Focus on Equity and Accessibility" shared strategies around co-designing classroom or community-based presentations with braille users and how to engage students in the broader accessibility, equity, and inclusion conversations.

For those who were unable to attend or would like to re-watch the events, the recordings for all four events are available for countless viewing pleasures on Braille Literacy Canada's YouTube Channel.

BLC, CCB, CNIB Foundation, CELA, NNELS, and PRCVI would like to thank everyone who attended and supported World Braille Days 2022; and give specific thanks to the guest speakers and panellists for their generous contributions. World Braille Days 2022 wouldn't have been successful without each of you. We look forward to seeing you at next year's events!

Becoming a BLC Member

Not a member of BLC? We'd love for you to join us! Your support will help us promote literacy and increase access to braille across Canada. To become a member please fill out our online membership form.

If you don't wish to become a member but would still like to support the work of BLC we invite you to visit our web site and donate online.

Social Media Activity

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

• Growing into Braille Technology, from the Teaching with Hope Blog, a blog for parents and special education professionals, covers a variety of topics, like growing into braille technology: https://carroll.org/news/growing-into-braille-technology/

• CoolBlindTech reports on Hadley's launch of a new interactive braille workshop: https://coolblindtech.com/hadley-launches-new-interactive-braille-workshop/

• The Braillist Foundation: Taking Giant Steps Toward Increasing Braille Literacy: https://www.afb.org/aw/23/1/17826

• The Reading Ripple Inc. is a not-for-profit that distributes books to children from 0-6 years of age. Print-braille books are welcome and can be sent to 1609 Kensington Pky, Brockville, ON, K6V 6J1