Ebook: Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing

This manual is designed for use in the correspondence course in English braille transcribing conducted by the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), and for use by instructors of braille classes. The course is intended to familiarize the student with the braille system, with braille contractions and their usage, and with the rules of braille transcribing. Rules are set forth by the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) and by the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) and published in The Rules of Unified English Braille (UEB). In January 2016, UEB will be the general-purpose code in use in the United States, along with other specialized braille codes and guidelines set forth by the Braille Authority of North America.
A source citation appears in brackets following each main heading in this manual. The citation refers to the rule and section of the latest edition of the official code, The Rules of Unified English Braille, Second Edition 2013, or to Braille Formats: Principles of Print to Braille Transcription 2011 (BF), upon which the information in the following material is based. See and see also references refer to sections within this book.
Great care has been taken to ensure that very few of the sentences in the drills and exercises in this manual contain words that require the use of contractions not yet studied. While greatly restricting the choice of words and types of sentences in the earlier lessons, this practice helps prevent the student from acquiring the habit of brailling words incorrectly.
Throughout this manual examples are presented in simulated braille (dots reproduced in print). The student is directed to study them carefully. They show how the rules work in practice and also peculiar situations where a rule is inapplicable. When simulated braille is not used in examples, contractions are shown enclosed within parentheses.
Appendix A at the back of this manual gives the correct print for the simulated braille reading exercises that appear at the end of many lessons.
Most of the problems that are likely to be found in the transcription of general literature are presented and discussed in this manual, and upon successful completion of the course, the student should be competent to deal with these problems. However, no attempt is made here to train the student in the transcription of specialized materials. Therefore, before attempting to braille a textbook of any kind, the transcriber must be thoroughly familiar with the rules provided in the latest revision of Braille Formats: Principles of Print to Braille Transcription, available online at www.brailleauthority.org. If called upon to braille technical material on mathematics or science, the transcriber first must study the latest revision of The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation. The transcription of music must be in accordance with provisions set forth in the most recent edition of the Braille Music Code. These
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publications may be purchased from the American Printing House for the Blind, (800) 223-1839 or www.aph.org.
The National Federation of the Blind currently administers the braille certification courses under contract with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. All persons using this manual are invited to submit comments, criticisms, or suggestions regarding it to the Braille Certification Training Program, National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230. These will be studied carefully and given serious consideration in the preparation of any revision.