Unified English Braille (UEB)
Unified English Braille (UEB) was developed by the International Council on English Braille to unify the braille codes used among English-speaking countries and to unify the braille symbols used in literary, mathematics and computing contexts.
It was ratified in 2004 and is now used in Australia, Botswana, Canada, Fiji, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kiribati, Malaysia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. The United States members of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) voted to adopt UEB to replace English Braille American Edition (EBAE) on November 2, 2012, the nationwide implementation date was January 4, 2016. The Massachusetts Unified English Braille (UEB) State Implementation Plan, approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on July 28, 2015, and updated July 11, 2016, was completed in 2020. UEB is a complete braille code that supports reading and writing both literary and technical, higher-level math and science (STEM; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) content in braille.
Suggested UEB Resources
Unified English Braille (BANA): https://www.brailleauthority.org/unified-english-braille-ueb
The official source of UEB information, this BANA page provides a list of links to various topics and learning/research resources. Instructional materials, including The ABCs of UEB, and example documents can be downloaded in both BRF and PDF.
International Council on English Braille (ICEB): http://www.iceb.org/ueb.html
The UEB Rulebook and the Guidelines for Technical Materials document are downloadable in PDF and BRF on this site.
Literary Braille Transcribing Course (NFB): https://nfb.org/programs-services/braille-certification
Offers downloadable instructional manuals used for this certification course. The full text of Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing – UEB Edition, 2015 is available in both PDF and BRF.
National Certification in Unified English Braille (NCUEB): http://www.nbpcb.org/ncueb/
Provides information on the NCUEB exam administered by The National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB).
UEBOT, Unified English Braille Online Training: http://uebot.niu.edu/index.php?page=home–
Developed through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, this five-week course is designed as a path to proficiency in UEB for individuals already familiar with EBAE.
The Open Online Course offers a certificate of completion, as well as the opportunity for college or professional development credit.
UEB Online Accessible Braille Training (RIDBC): http://accessible.uebonline.org/
A UEB online course offered by the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in Australia. Self-paced completion of the 30 lessons and exercises will be aided by written and audio feedback.