Why a new braille code?
For years, there has been confusion and controversy about the best way to transcribe computer-related manuals and textbooks into braille. In 1972, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) adopted the “Provisional Braille Code for Computer Notation.” The 1972 code instructed a transcriber to use a slightly modified Nemeth code to represent program listings. The code concentrated on how to transcribe flowcharts, paper tape, and punch cards. These materials are now obsolete in the computer world. The basic problem was that a blind programmer using a braille device would have to work with a program listing in a different braille code than that found in transcribed books. All American braille devices (braille printers and paperless braillers) use the same system of “computer braille.” The “computer braille” system assigns a different printable ASCII character to each braille cell. For example a question mark in print comes out as a “th” sign in braille. If a brailler prints a “th” sign
