Hi Everyone,
In Rhode Island we have decided to use UEB and UEB Math. As a transcriber it is
much easier to use than Nemeth Braille.
I think in the years to come it will be UEB Math that is used.
Thank you
Jayne
Jayne Rabideau, Program Coordinator
Rhode Island Materials Access Center
at TechACCESS of RI
State NIMAC Coordinator/Authorized User
Assisitive Technology Conference of New England
November 30th and December 1st
www.assistivetechnologyconference.com<http://www.assistivetechnologyconference.com/>
From: duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of George Bell
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 8:50 AM
To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [duxuser] Re: Future of Nemeth.
Hi Kuenga,
This may be rather a long tale, but I hope you will understand where I am
coming from.
I make no apologies for being biased towards UEB. That said, my personal views
have developed over what might appear to be unusual circumstances.
When Duxbury began working with MathType and Scientific Notebook to produce
math braille, I have to admit that my own knowledge of mathematics was very
limited. I did not leave school with any math certificates. However, when I
became an apprentice Mining Mechanical Engineer, one day at college was
mandatory. Moreover, "Applied Mathematics" was also mandatory, and just the
very thought, scared me.
However, I very soon found that I actually began to understand much of the
theoretical math, when it was applied to a real life situation. How can a 80
kilo man raise an object which is 10 times his own weight? The theory is in
the "Principal of Moments". In practice, you would use a tool such as a
crow-bar.
Many years later, and after I became involved in the braille world, I met a
sighted English Dominican Nun, Sister Catherine Jackson, who was to change much
of my thinking, although not in a religious sense. "Sister Kate" as we
affectionately called her, began the Dorothy Duncan Braille Library in Harare,
Zimbabwe. One of the questions Sr. Kate raised was whether or not mathematics
could in fact be taught to braille users. Blind students in Zimbabwe were only
taught simple arithmetic, not actual mathematics.
Enter Duxbury, MathType and some willing young students who were already
proficient in contracted braille. With some personal tuition, the students
began to learn math braille, and to our absolute amazement most of them loved
it and understood it, some even better than their sighted peers. One of the
reasons was that braille math is "linear", virtually as it is spoken. However,
braille allows the reader to review an equation far better than have it read
with speech.
And so now Mathematics with braille students is on the curriculum in Zimbabwe.
And I have to say that I found a similar pattern in many other African
countries which I have visited over the years, and they too are beginning to do
what Sr. Kare has achieved.
So back to UEB, and what math code to use. One deciding factor relates to
braille acquired from abroad. If you get material from the UK and you use
British Exam Boards, you will find that UEB will usually be the literary
standard, and it would be logical to use UEB Math.
With every major English speaking country having now adopted UEB, I believe all
but the USA have adopted UEB math as well. America (excluding Canada) is the
exception, but I am reliably informed that some States are in fact choosing to
use UEB Math.
In conclusion, the main purpose of UEB is to have one common English braille
standard world-wide. It doesn't change spelling, so words like "colour" and
"color" stay as they are. Formatting of braille is not covered by UEB, and
therefore no changes there to worry about. It's all about standardisation and
trying to keep braille production costs down.
All the best,
George
From: duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kuenga Chhoegyel
Sent: 12 July 2017 06:24
To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [duxuser] Future of Nemeth.
Importance: High
Dear George and the rest of the friends,
It is just a couple of years since Bhutan introduced Nemeth Braille. Till
then, we were using British Mathematics and Science Braille symbols. Recently,
we have come across yet another structure of Braille Codes of Unified English
Braille. There are some who believes that it would take some more time for EUB
to be implemented in all the nations of the world using Braille. While others
say that in a couple of years from now, all may adopt using UEB. We are still
in the early stage, a situation where we can easily adopt. What would you
suggest:
1. Continue using Nemeth Braille
2. Start using UEB with BANA Nemeth.
We earnestly look forward for your practical suggestion and advise for long
term Braille users.
Looking forward to hearing soon.
Kuenga Chhoegyel,
Muenselling Institute,
Khaling, Bhutan.
P.O. box 4203
Email: kuengachhoegyel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:kuengachhoegyel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
kuengachhoegyel@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:kuengachhoegyel@xxxxxxxxx>
Mobile: +(975)-17684860
Skype me: kuenga.chhoegyel
Follow me on facebook: Kuenga Chhoegyel.
Follow Muenselling facebook: Muenselling Khaling
e-mail: muensellinginstitute@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:muensellinginstitute@xxxxxxxxx>
Visit us at:http://www.muensellinginstitute.edu.bt/
