MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to provide continuing education to those who prepare braille and to provide braille materials to persons who are visually impaired.
National Braille Association
is an international organization with no local units or chapters. All members join as individuals. Many of them work through philanthropic, religious or service groups in their own communities or are professionals in related fields. All serve NBA in a volunteer capacity, including those on the Board of Directors.
The National Braille Association was founded in 1945 as the National Braille Club by a group of braille transcribers in and around New York City. The founding vision for the club was to help other transcribers around the United States by providing education and to develop a network for transcribers. The ultimate goal was to ensure that braille transcribers throughout the nation would receive consistent braille, since braille transcribers across all states would be taught the same standard for transcribing materials.
Soon after their founding, the group began publishing educational materials and hosting conferences around the United States. It quickly became apparent that the need for such a network was more needed than even the founders knew.
After changing our name to the National Braille Association, the organization set out on a path to provide education, professional development training, and support to transcribers everywhere. It wasn't long before NBA's national status grew, and transcribers in other countries joined. Since our humble beginnings as a small club in 1945, NBA has grown into one of the most prominent organizations providing support to those who prepare braille.
Click here to see NBA's entire historical timeline.
Learn More About Us On Our History Page!
As an organization we still strive to provide education and support by offering various services to our members throughout the world. Members of NBA receive access to:
- A quarterly published peer reviewed journal of skills articles. The Bulletin is written by national experts to help explain intricate areas of transcription in every skills area.
- An archive of training videos recorded from our monthly webinars.
- An online technical support forum called Ask An Expert. Here members ask questions with transcription work they might be struggling with, and our team of experts helps to provide answers and explanations.
- and more! To learn more about membership benefits, checkout our membership page here.
In addition to providing support for individual members, NBA hosts professional development conferences annually, provides access to trainers through our Training Bureau who can visit your location to offer instruction, instructional publications, certification in Braille Formats, and more!
As the organization expanded and developed, we moved our headquarters to Rochester located in Upstate New York. From this locale, we continue to strive toward providing the best possible service to teachers of the visually impaired, braille transcribers, and those who prepare braille material.