When a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) has determined through a Learning Media Assessment (LMA) that a student needs to learn braille, the educational team will need to decide which braille code the student should know to access math and science content.
The PaTTAN publication UEB Math/Science and UEB with Nemeth: A Guidance Document for IEP Teams is a document that was created by the PACES-BVI advisory committee to address the various braille codes that a student’s IEP team can choose from, UEB Math/Science and UEB with Nemeth. While these codes are different, both codes are fully capable of representing what is often referred to as “technical materials,” math and science texts. This document is intended to facilitate a conversation about instruction in these areas and may be considered on an annual basis or as a student’s needs change. Pennsylvania is supporting both codes and aligns with BANA’s position that the decision which code individuals use “should be made based on braille readers’ individual needs” (2015).
Resources
The following resources provide more in-depth information about the adoption of UEB in the United States and other topics related to the use of UEB and Nemeth Codes.
- The Braille Authority of North America’s website contains information about the adoption of UEB in the US, as well as links to codebooks and other materials related to UEB Math/Science and Nemeth Code.
- Online tutorials covering the basics of UEB Math/Science and UEB with Nemeth can be found on American Printing House for the Blind’s APHTech webpage:
- UEB Math/Science Tutorial
- UEB with Nemeth Tutorial
- Online courses for learning both UEB (including UEB Math/Science) and UEB with Nemeth can be found on Perkins School for the Blind’s Path to Literacy website. NextSense (Australia) offers UEB Online courses in UEB, including mathematics.
- Braille Brain
- NextSense UEB Online
Additional Guidance Documents:
- D’Andrea, F. M. (2019, October). Considerations for states providing materials in braille
(NCEO Brief #19). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes. Download PDF
- Indiana UEB Implementation Sub-Committee. (2015). Nemeth or UEB: Factors and considerations for math code. Download PDF
- MN Department of Education. (2020). Nemeth or Unified English Braille (UEB): Factors and considerations for math code. Download PDF