October 19th – The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is jointly hosting the General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) with UKAAF (UK Association for Accessible Formats) from 18 – 22 October.
The Assembly was originally scheduled to be held at the Google Academy in London in May but had to be postponed due to Covid-19. The rescheduled virtual event takes place in the UK from 8pm – 11pm each evening.
As well as the procedural business there will be daily themed discussions on music, technology and braille literacy, with a focus on digital braille and the relevance of this code into the future.
Due to time constraints presenters have pre-recorded 15-minute highlight videos of their papers which are available to be viewed online on YouTube before the start of the event. As part of this, RNIB Customer Experience Manager, Dave Williams and Braille Technical Officer, James Bowden can be seen jointly presenting a paper on better braille translation for everyone. James also presents on electronic braille books and can be seen helping Roger Firman, Chair of UKAAF, with a presentation on braille music.
RNIB Director of Services, David Clarke said: “RNIB is delighted to jointly host the 2020 ICEB General Assembly which is an important and prestigious event. As someone who uses braille daily, I welcome all initiatives that promote its continued use. We are looking forward to the presentations and hearing more about digital braille and what makes it an exciting and relevant code for the future.”
UKAAF Chair, Roger Firman said: “It is a great privilege to be jointly hosting this event, particularly in circumstances none of us expected. Louis Braille faced a challenge, the results of which we continue to celebrate. Developing standards with colleagues in ICEB and further afield for braille in a digital age is our goal.”
The Assembly is held every four years and 2020 is the seventh one to take place. Over 100 people have already registered to attend the event. Official delegates and attendees will be joining from New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, Canada and the United States. Registrations have also been taken from countries as diverse as Iran and India.
To find out more about the General Assembly, visit the conference website www.ukaaf.org/iceb2020/ Registration is free. Any questions around the conference can be directed to [email protected]
Notes to editors
All media enquiries to Cianna McNally on 0207 391 2082 or [email protected]. For urgent enquiries out-of-hours, please call 07968 482812.
YouTube presentation links here:
Dave Williams & James Bowden talking about better braille translation for everyone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIpVEhxlEWM
James Bowden presenting on producing electronic braille books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-REe70rhaJ0
James Bowden helping Roger Firman with a presentation on braille music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mahADpO9qN8
About RNIB
We are the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Every six minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. RNIB is taking a stand against exclusion, inequality and isolation to create a world without barriers where people with sight loss can lead full lives. A different world where society values blind and partially sighted people not for the disabilities they’ve overcome, but for the people they are.
RNIB. See differently. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk
