Publications and activities
Ozbrl listserve
The ozbrl listserve is an email list for sharing information on braille in Australia. Posts to this list include messages from the ABA Executive, minutes of ABA state and territory subcommittee meetings, and news and questions from braille producers, teachers and consumers.
To subscribe to ozbrl, send an email to ozbrl-subscribe@yahoogroups.com The message can be blank, but it must be sent from the email address that you wish to use to send and receive ozbrl messages.
You will receive a reply advising that your subscription request has been forwarded to the moderator for approval. You will subsequently receive a welcome message that gives some general information about the Ozbrl list and how to use it.
Annual reports
The ABA holds its general meeting in April or May each year as part of the Round Table Conference. At these meetings, reports are presented by the ABA chair and each active State or Territory Subcommittee.
- Chairperson's report for 2008 (doc 61 kb)
- Chairperson's report for 2007 (doc 59 kb)
- Annual Meeting minutes and reports 2006 (doc 495 kb)
- Chairperson's report for 2005 (doc 36 kb)
- AGM Minutes 2005 (doc 124 kb)
- Chairperson's Report 2004 (doc 40 kb)
Braille proficiency examination
The ABA holds a national examination in Braille proficiency about once every two years. The next examination will test knowledge of Unified English Braille and will be held in Australia and New Zealand in late September or early October 2008. The examination covers: Grade II Braille transcription, Braille proofreading, and Grade II Braille to print transcription.
More details of the ABA Braille Proficiency examinations including application forms and sample papers for print or touch readers will be made available here in July 2008.
Joan Ledermann Memorial Braille Collection
The Joan Ledermann Memorial Braille Collection (doc 20 kb) is sponsored and held by the Vision Australia library as a tribute to Joan Ledermann in appreciation of her tireless work for blind people through the promotion of Braille Literacy. Joan worked for more than twenty years as manager of the Royal Blind Society Braille Production Unit, held certification as a Braille transcriber and proofreader with the United States Library of Congress, was the founding Convenor of the Australian Braille Authority, and served a four-year term as President of the International Council on English Braille.
The Joan Ledermann Memorial Braille Collection is being compiled from the five short-listed finalists each year for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
ABA In Touch and ABA Newsletters
Throughout 2005, the ABA distributed a number of ABA Updates.
- 31 August 2005: Teaching the teacher's braille (doc 56 kb)
- 20 July 2005: Braille User Oriented Code (doc 33 kb)
- 12 May 2005: Report of the Chairperson of the ABA
- 18 April 2005: WBU Braille Essay Competition
- 30 March 2005: Braille Proficiency Test 2004
- 18 March 2005: UEB in a nutshell (pdf 41 kb)
The ABA Newsletters were published regularly, three to four times per year. These links take you to ABA Newsletters - there are two links for each newsletter, the first is an HTML page and the second a downloadable MS Word file.
- Newsletter May 2004 (html)
- Newsletter May 2004 (doc 175 kb)
- Newsletter July 2003 (html)
- Newsletter July 2003 (doc 126 kb)
- Newsletter April 2003 (html)
- Newsletter April 2003 9doc 137 kb)
- Newsletter January 2003 (html)
- Newsletter January 2003 (doc 78 kb)
- Newsletter September 2002 (html)
- Newsletter September 2002 (doc 78 kb)