SOUTH AFRICAN BRAILLE AUTHORITY
MINUTES
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 3-4 OCTOBER 2013
Minutes of the meeting of the South African Braille Authority (SABA) held on 3 & 4
October 2013 at the Bamboo Hall, Kgorong Building, UNISA Muckleneuk, Preller Street,
Pretoria.
1. OPENING AND WELCOME
The meeting was started with the singing of the National Anthem. Thereafter the
President of SABA, Christo de Klerk, welcomed several very eminent persons at the
meeting including Mr MC Baloyi Executive Director: Dean of Students, University of
South Africa and Dr Siva Moodley of the same University. Also present was Mr Pete
Osborne, the President of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB who came
to South Africa especially for the meeting.
In his welcome and opening address Mr MC Baloyi said:
"Chairperson of the South African Braille Authority (SABA),
Deputy Chairperson of SABA, Mr Simon Netshituni
Members of the Executive Committee of SABA (incl. Mr Deenadayalan Moodley),
Delegates from the various member organisations,
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to officially welcome you to UNISA. I trust that your deliberations would be
very fruitful in promoting the quality and use of Braille in South Africa.
I am confident that the arrangements for the two-day General Assembly have been well-planned by the
Unisa staff of ARCSWiD, under the leadership of Dr Siva Moodley. I trust that you will find your brief stay
at UNISA, an enjoyable and enriching experience. I am extremely delighted to be invited to officially
open this, the fourth General Assembly of SABA.
Please allow me to share few thoughts on this historic occasion:
UNISA is extremely committed to addressing issues of disability:
ONE:
Just two weeks ago, UNISA, in commemorating and celebrating 140 years of shaping futures, hosted A
Two-Day Conference on Access Technology. I know that few of you present here today attended that
event.
TWO:
Today, we mark yet another milestone in UNISA’s long and rich history by hosting the TWO-DAY SABA
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, emphasising that we are not only willing to lead, but also to collaborate with
organisations in promoting services for persons with disabilities.
THREE:
Many of you are probably not aware that disability features very prominently at a strategic level at
UNISA, and I believe that we are unique in this regard.
FOUR:
Every college and department at UNISA is responsible for promoting issues of disability as part of their
operational activities.
FIVE:
There is a POLICY ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES; a separate policy for employees with disabilities; a
high-level Disability Steering Committee that is chaired by the Vice-Principal Institutional Development;
and an employee disability forum.
SIX:
In terms of Braille, UNISA has a dedicated directorate (ARCSWiD) that prides itself not only in keeping
abreast of trends and developments in respect of Braille production, but has taken the lead among
higher education institutions in implementing the Unified Braille Code in its Braille production.
Moreover, our involvement goes beyond that…….as two staff members of ARCSWiD serve on the EXCO
of SABA – Mr Simon Netshituni as the Deputy Chairperson, and Mr Deena Moodley as a member of the
EXCO.
There is no doubt that SABA has a very important role in ensuring the highest standards of Braille. I
believe that your work would involve, among other things:

monitoring the implementation of braille standards in the various organisations that work with
braille;

participating in the development and maintenance of technical braille codes;

implementing quality control measures with regard to the implementation of braille; and

Providing high-level training on implementing the Unified Braille Code (UBC).
As you have a great deal to discuss, I wish you well in your deliberations. I am confident that you will
leave here feeling empowered and enriched, because your collective contribution has the potential to
make a huge difference in the lives of those who use Braille.
With these few words, I officially declare the fourth SABA general assembly open."
Mr de Klerk informed the meeting that UNISA provided all the conference material in
braille and he expressed his appreciation for this very generous gesture.
Thereafter Dr Siva Moodley was introduced to the meeting. He said that UNISA also
appreciate the fact that SABA chose UNISA for such an important meeting. He said that
it was wonderful that such an organisation as SABA was started. The hard work will be
seen in future and the Executive will see the fruit of the work done.
2. PRESENT
The attendance list will be attached as annexure one
3. APOLOGIES
Ms M Darwing from the South African National Council (SANCB) represented by Mr
Alfons Dzapast, Mr D Greeff, Representatives from the Free State University, Mr N
Matthÿser, Ms M Schoeman and one more person whose name was inaudible on the
recording.
4. IN MEMORIAM
The following names of persons who passed away since the last meeting were
submitted:
The Father-in-law of Ms S Bam, Abe Nemeth the inventor of the Nemeth Braille code,
Mr P Matshaya, a braille instructor at the Khanyisa School in Port Elizabeth, Rev
Maquena, The husband of Ms M Steyl. One more name mentioned was inaudible.
5. CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA
A request to move item 19, Braille Examinations to an earlier slot in the agenda was
approved where-after the agenda was approved as circulated.
6. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 9 AND 10 May 2013
RESOLVED:
6.1 That the minutes of the General Assembly held during May 2013 be adopted.
7. FINANCE
7.1 Financial Report
The treasurer reported via Skype that the financial statements for 2012-2013 was
approved by the Executive Committee and therefore adopted. The financial statements
were subjected to a financial review and not audited as approved by the General
Assembly with a constitutional adjustment during the year.
No fees were charged for the preparation of the statements but a fee was paid for the
official review of the statements.
The opening balance on 1 April 2013 was R3,067.78 which was followed by deposits of
R13,305.00 during the period up to 21 September, the date of the circulated report.
R7,000 of this was for membership fees, R1,920 for registrations and the rest from other
items as listed in the report.
During the reporting period, R4,993.00 was expended as in the detailed report.
This left SABA with a closing balance on 21 September of R11,379. SABA committed
itself for a further R7,950 leaving an estimated balance of R3,429.05 for the period.
The Treasurer then said that during the reporting period R96.85 was expended on cash
deposit fees at the bank from members who paid their membership and registration fees
with cash leaving SABA to pay the deposit fee.
Although this may be a small amount per deposit, he estimated that it can be round
R200 per annum and, at this stage, SABA just does not have the funds to cover even
this payment. He requested the meeting to consider adding a further R10 to any cash
deposit to cover this bank charge for cash deposits.
This was agreed by the meeting and it was,
RESOLVED:
7.1.1
That members be requested to add R10.00 to any cash deposit of their
membership or registration fee to cover the cash deposit fee levied by the bank.
7.2 SABA Membership
The Secretariat reported that membership started during 2012 with 24 members but
was reduced to 22 members for 2013. It therefore started with 10 schools and 14
institutions but changed to 9 schools and 13 institutions for 2013.
For the October 2013 General Assembly, 5 schools and 8 institutions registered.
The President reported that, at the last General Assembly the Executive was instructed
to make suggested changes to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) and SABA. This was now done
and the document was duly signed by both parties.
The SANCB, according to the MOU is a non-voting member of Saba. The support of the
SANCB is wonderful and has a strong representation at this meeting. Relations are very
cordial.
The President also expressed his concern on the poor attendance especially the poor
attendance of schools.
It was suggested that some schools decided to rather attend the upcoming biennial
conference of the SANCB as their budgets will not cover both meetings.
It was also suggested that all the documentation was not received in time. This was not
supported as the secretariat was in possession of confirmations of receipt of
documentations to schools. This communication problem was also experienced by the
Library for the Blind in trying to communicate with all schools.
It was suggested that the Provincial Departments of Education be approached to rather
send delegations from schools to SABA and other meetings. This will encourage
schools to attend and benefit from the meetings.
RESOLVED:
7.2.1
That the Executive of SABA write to Provincial Departments of Education
informing them of SABA and what it does and stand for and encourage the Departments
to pay the membership fees and send delegations from schools to SABA meetings.
It was also suggested that teachers responsible for braille training at every school be
contacted for their contact details so that all future correspondence can be sent to these
persons as well as the principals to make sure all correspondence reach all persons
concerned.
The President requested schools to please forward the names and contact details of
persons at Provincial Departments that can help with the process and who have an
interest in promoting braille.
7.3 Application for funding of SABA to the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC)
The President said that the braille investigation conducted by DAC some time ago
recommended that the Braille Authority be funded by the DAC. Whether this
recommendation will be accepted will have to be seen.
At this point Mr Puleng Kekana, Director: Library policy and Coordination of the DAC
joined the meeting.
He was asked to enlighten the meeting on the progress with the braille investigation
report. He said that the braille investigation report was completed and has been
approved by the Minister of DAC. The next step was to forward the report to the Minister
for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for approval. Further discussions will now
take place to discuss the many recommendations of the report some of which has a
direct relevance on education. As soon as the discussions have been concluded, the
braille sector will be contacted to inform it as to which of the recommendations can be
supported. Officials of the two departments have already had preliminary discussions. It
was emphasised that the officials understand the urgency of a final outcome of the
report.
The commitment to support SABA from a funding perspective is there and the
mechanisms to do this are being assessed at present. The DAC is committed to support
some of the projects of SABA while it is looking for sustainable funding for operational
activities.
On a question related to the road shows to stakeholders and schools to show them the
importance of braille and the Authority, Mr Kekana said that the DAC understands the
importance of a young institution like SABA to talk to its constituency and to inform them
of the way forward but that support of such projects of this nature can only be funded if
funds can be made available.
On a further question on the budget for the implementation of the Braille Report, Mr
Kekana said that, by the time the investigation was completed, the budget for the
Department was already approved for the next three years. After the discussions with
the DBE, the DAC will have to see which of the recommendations it can support and on
what level.
Finally Mr Kekana agreed that the statements made on the establishment of a National
Braille Facility as stated in the United Nations Country Report was incorrect and that the
main intention of the Braille Investigation was not towards this.
7.4 Other fundraising efforts
The President reported that the Executive is looking at other fundraising efforts. An
informational brochure was compiled as a prospectus to use as an information
document for fundraising efforts.
It was also envisaged to hold road shows to schools and other stakeholders. Through
this way contributions can be accepted as fundraising efforts.
At present there is no external funding available and all funds are derived from
membership and registration fees to SABA.
7.5 Registration fees
The secretariat reported that all participating members paid their registration fees of the
October General Assembly meeting.
Although the registration form clearly states that R120.00 was for the registration of a
delegation, some schools did not understand that and paid R120.00 per delegate
attending.
The Secretariat wrote to schools asking whether the additional payments must be
refunded but only one answered requesting the registration fees to be retained for future
meetings. This will then be the arrangement that all additional payments be retained for
future registrations for meetings.
It was interesting to note that no request for late registration was received so it is clear
that members understood the process of cut-off dates for certain processes.
RESOLVED:
7.5.1 That members and interested parties will be reminded of the payment of their
membership fees early in February 2014 and that this reminder should include a
reminder for the payment of R10 should fees be paid in cash at the bank.
8. ADVOCACY COMMITTEE
The meeting was informed that the Advocacy Committee met for the first time on 28
September 2013. The Committee was formed at this meeting as directed by the
previous General Assembly.
Members of the Committee are: Mr C de Klerk (Vice-Chairperson), Mr S Netshituni
(Chairperson), Ms Donaldson (Secretary), and Mr D Moodley and Mr W Malatsi as
members.
RESOLVED:
8.1 That the Advocacy Committee be established with the persons as listed above.
It was pointed out that all these persons are from the Gauteng Province but it was also
emphasised that the selection was done for convenient and cost sake and not to
preclude any other person from being involved.
To start the activities of the Committee some actions were extracted from the Terms of
Reference. This includes the question of who should advocate for SABA. It was agreed
that it was not the task of the Executive but of the Advocacy Committee.
The first Department to be targeted is the Department for Women, Children and
Persons with Disabilities (DWCPD). This department has at present no powers to
enforce anything but to monitor implementation of various acts for this sector. This
Department will be invited to the next General Assembly meeting to get a feel for the
sector.
The delays by the DBE in the provision of braille textbooks will be dealt with by the
Committee. It was also ruled by the Minister of the DBE that teachers will have to know
braille by 2014 if they teach blind learners but this will not materialise in the present
circumstances.
The Advocacy Committee resolved to, with the assistance of other organisations, take
the matter to court so that the process can be forced with a court order.
At this point, the President explained that the DBE has already violated the rights of
learners to have textbooks available. This process has already been ongoing for two
years with no real outcome at present.
The SANCB has already instituted court action through its involvement with Section 27
institutions. It is believed that the DBE tried to stall such actions by holding two
meetings in December 2012. No promised outcome did happen and a further effort to
stall the process was the arranged forced tender meeting during July 2013 where all
producers had to be present. However, it was found that the tender rules were
impossible to comply with especially the delivery dates. The penalties of late delivery
were also so severe that no producer could take the chance to start with any work.
It was therefore decided amongst producers to possibly form a Consortium to submit a
joint tender to accommodate the many formats of production as not all the production
houses have all the expertise in-house.
As a result of the restrictions of the tender conditions, no producer submitted a tender
and the work could not be done. At this point correspondence received from the DBE
made it clear that the Department was not interested to discuss the matter with a
consortium. The Pioneer Printers have in the mean time also withdrawn from the
proposed consortium. It was learnt that they even started producing some of the books,
a risk other stakeholders were not prepared to take.
The President said that he received the Country Report from the United Nation
Convention. In Section 239 it was stated that delays in the production of school
textbooks was due to the lack of capacity of producers. It was also stated that the
situation could now be alleviated because of an investigation into the production of
braille by the DAC to establish a National Braille Facility. He was sure this was not the
idea with the braille investigation but will confirm this with the DAC when possible.
It was felt by some stakeholders that the matter should not be delayed anymore and
that it be taken up with Section 27 to court for action.
SABA does not have funds as an organisation and it is therefore clear that SABA will
want other organisations to be involved in this action from a funding aspect.
Training on the technical aspect of the UBC was conducted during December 2012.
Substantial work was done to prepare a braille manual which was to start on 20 March
2013. This has not yet happened regardless of the fact that the training in grade 2
braille was supposed to start in the third quarter but has not happened to date. In the
mean time Blind SA's Braille Instructor has started with the training of fifty trainers in the
North West Province on a budget supplied by the Provincial Education Department.
Nothing is happening in other provinces and nothing is also initiated from the National
Department.
At this point Blind SA indicated that it will prefer to be involved in this action but that it
also needs the support of other organisations. Members were invited to join the action
and to make that known to the group that plans to work with Section 27 instructions on
this matter. It was pointed out that teachers who are paid by the DBE and partaking in
such action may jeopardise their position as employees of the State. It was also pointed
out that this matter of capacity has also been dealt with in European countries and is
nothing new. The President of ICEB suggested that a letter of support can be sent from
the ICEB offices if it can support the proposed actions. The meeting learned that the
President of the International Daisy Consortium also suggested that a letter of support
be issued from its office stating that braille and DAISY are harmonious entities opposed
to different ways of achieving the same objectives.
It was also stated that DAISY could replace braille but the President of DAISY South
Africa stated that there was no way in which DAISY can replace braille.
The capacity matter was addressed in the correct way by the DAC investigation which
involved all stakeholders on the matter and eventually produced a report with many
recommendations still in the process of being assessed by the DAC and the DBE.
It was suggested that the involvement of the international press will contribute to the
matter and that a strongly worded press release can have the desired effect. The only
proviso for this is that the facts must be tested and affected persons or person should
be prepared to agree with the standpoints in such a press release.
Members present were possibly not mandated to commit their organisations to such
proposed action and can therefore not respond at the moment.
RESOLVED:
8.2 That Blind SA and the SANCB jointly represent stakeholders of SABA and will join
with Section 27 to start court proceedings to force the DBE into action regarding the
production of braille textbooks.
It was also suggested that the parallel country report from the United Nations has not
yet been completed and corrections can still be made to it should the facts in the
original report be faulty. The updated braille report from DAC can be annexed to the
parallel country report as a support document for existing capacity for producing braille.
The matter of awareness and how to deal with it was discussed. Road shows were
discussed and assessed engaging schools and other institutions to raising awareness
on braille. The strategy for this action has not yet been thought through in detail but the
Engagement of the DAC was considered. It will take some work to change the present
mentality regarding braille in South Africa.
A framework is envisaged which will guide the users of braille especially as far as
standards and practice was concerned. This will promote the optimum use of braille.
An engagement of the Department of Public Works is considered with the use of braille
in public places.
All of the former must still be thrashed out in detail to be reported on at the next
meeting.
In previous years, a document on quality braille was prepared by Mr de Klerk and Mrs
Marshall. People were requested to source this document again to be used in future
awareness projects and quality assurance efforts.
The use of braille on pharmaceutical products in Europe is now standard practice. It
provides awareness to millions of people using it on a daily basis. This is an item that
can be investigated in South Africa.
Members were encouraged to submit any advocacy related item via the SABA General
mailing list.
9.
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON
ENGLISH BRAILLE (ICEB)
Mr Pete Osborne said that it was an absolute privilege to join SABA in South Africa. He
said that his intention during his presidency was to visit as many braille authorities as
possible to learn and to share experiences of the various authorities.
He referred to Dr Abe Nemith who died that week and said that he was always very fair
in his approach to anything even if not many did agree with him. He can be seen as a
pillar of braille in the work and more so in the development of braille codes.
As the Chairperson of the World Braille Council he said that the council is a committee
of the World Braille Union and was given a new life at the World Braille 21 conference
held during 2012 where braille was given a new profile.
The unification of all braille in the world is under discussion but one should be very
cautious on this matter as some work is being done on it but that there is still a long way
ahead before it can be achieved, if at all.
An item on the agenda of the Council is the shocking cost of refreshable braille displays.
This is a matter that must be addressed and resolved in the near future. New
technology now allows for less expensive displays and this must be resourced. Work is
ongoing with a consortium to do just that and results are expected soon.
A further item to be addressed is the braille music code. Although there is an
international code it is far from standardised as many countries' music demand more
from the code than what it can produce at present. Funding for this development will still
have to be sourced. Another item is to narrow the gap between braille and technology.
Both can be linked but some gaps still exist. Braille is as important as before but
technology can be brought on board to enable better use of braille.
Some areas of speech software and the representation of braille need to be attended to.
This is currently receiving serious attention.
The heritage of braille is extremely important in his view. This is an item that needs
serious attention and funding to maintain and reserve resources of braille for the future
generations.
Access to braille is, in his view, absolutely important even for the low cost aspect of it.
Braille is not dead and it is and will be the way to read through touch. It is vibrant and
must be maintained in this way.
He finally saluted South Africa for developing a braille code for eleven languages in the
Unified Braille Code (UBC), something the majority of countries does not have. The rest
of the world can take the example.
He was looking forward to the rest of the conference so that he can reflect the matters
discussed in other forums around the world.
At this point, the President informed the meeting that a new large braille producer has
started up in the near past.
The representative from Shereno Printers CC said that Shereno is the only commercial
printer that also produces braille. The organisation is a locally established printing
house and does printing for many organisations and for departments of the
Government.
The opportunity arose to also produce braille and this was grasped. The necessary
investigations were done at schools and other institutions and this was followed by the
acquisition of the necessary equipment.
A Government tender for the production of Vuk’uzenzele, a publication of the
Government's Communications department was granted and this put Shereno Printers
CC on the market as another large braille producer.
Further investigation will be conducted to produce other formats of braille in the near
future.
Shereno will be dependent on the rest of the sector to assist them with problems
experienced and they will welcome assistance to provide material for blind persons.
10. CREATION OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE STRUCTURE
The President said that a quality assurance structure is to be set up within SABA. Once
this has been established, it would like producers to submit work to this structure. This
will then ensure that good quality braille is produced for the readers. All producers
regardless of its size should comply with this structure so that a stamp of approval can
be given to products circulated.
It was also said that, for smaller producers, it would be important to have a quality
control document to which it can comply.
It was suggested that volunteers be requested to make themselves available for this
group. In the setting up process, the group can work out its own structure and report to
the next General Assembly meeting.
The following persons volunteered their service:
Ms P Alden, Mr J Dube, Ms H Marshall, Mr D Moodley and Ms S van Wyk. Further
specific expertise can be sourced when required.
11. PROCEDURES FOR ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DURING
2014
The President explained that the Executive Committee must again be elected during
2014. To avoid problems with the process of elections, it was proposed that this be set
at this meeting to avoid confusion next year and years to come.
He explained to members the way Blind SA uses to do a secret ballot. This process has
been used for a long time and it worked very well up to now. This procedure was only
an example of how it can be done but should not be seen as the only way to do the
elections.
Members understood this method but also discussed other aspects of the process.
RESOLVED:
11.1
That the secret ballot used by Blind SA be used for future elections of the
Executive Committee of SABA.
11.2 That nominations for members of the Executive Committee of SABA must reach
the secretariat by the end of March of each election year.
11.3. That persons nominated must be available to take up the post they were
nominated for to avoid withdrawals at the last moment.
11.4 That a neutral person should preside over the election of the next Chairperson.
This will be decided upon by the meeting.
11.5 That a notice on the election process will be posted on the SABA General mailing
list and to individual members to allow enough time to approach available persons.
This will be done at the same time as the reminders for membership renewals.
12. EDUCATION
12.1 Capacity Building programme of the DBE
The DBE was not represented at the meeting and no report was circulated.
12.1.1 Teacher training in grade one braille as part of capacity building
No report was tabled and no member of the DBE staff was present.
It was reported that teachers of blind children were requested to attend a workshop on
the Kha Ri Gude project arranged by the Premier's office of Limpopo and presented at
the Setotolwane School. It was also planned to employ an accredited person on the
staff of the University of Venda from where the project will be driven. Training will take
about one year.
RESOLVED:
12.1.1.1 That the Kha RI Gude teacher training planned for Limpopo be monitored by
the Executive of SABA.
12.1.2 Grade two teachers training.
No report from the DBE was circulated and there was no indication when this was to be
conducted.
12.2 School textbooks in braille
No progress report was circulated or received from the DBE.
12.3 Any other education related matters
A request was received from a person in QwaQwa in which it was said that many adult
blind persons do not know braille at all. Assistance was requested to teach these
persons braille.
It was suggested that the Kha Ri Gude project be contacted to assist in this matter.
Correspondence with Prof McKay was attempted but no response was received to
date.
12.4 A general dissatisfaction was expressed on the Kha Ri Gude process. Members
were encouraged to submit proof of poor performance of the project otherwise no
discussions can succeed and it would not be worth taking the matter any further.
It was suggested that Prof McKay be contacted again with specific information on the
poor performance of the project. Only when this action fails, can the matter be taken to
the Public Protector or similar institutions.
RESOLVED:
12.4.1 That a meeting be requested with Prof McKay to discuss particular matters of
dissatisfaction of the Kha Ri Gude project.
It was again emphasised that it was not only learners that have a problem with braille
training but it was stated that more adults do not know braille than learners and that it
would be ideal to train them through members who serve learners in any way.
Correspondence courses can also be considered as there were enough resources
available for this purpose. Many of the Member Organisations of the SANCB does not
train braille at all to their members. It was also again stated that these proposals are the
ideal but it needs funding which SABA does not have.
13. MUSIC BRAILLE
13.1 Music list
It was reported that there has been no activity on this mailing list. Regardless of this, it
was requested not to remove the music list at this point.
14. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ENGLISH BRAILLE (ICEB)
14.1 ICEB Executive Committee meeting
Meetings are held every quarter by telephone conference. During the last meeting some
matters that were discussed included the next physical meeting to be held in New
Zealand during 2014, the promotion of braille and the website.
14.2 Code Maintenance Committee
Since the last SABA meeting the work of the Code Maintenance Committee (CMC) was
focused on the publication of the rulebook, with additions and last minute improvements
in representation.
The music accidentals which were requested were included, causing renumbering of
the subsections that follow it in §3 General Symbols and Indicators, plus checking the
references to the renumbered items. The Nemeth code indicator requested by the
Braille Authority of North America and the rule governing the switch to Nemeth Code
were also approved by the ICEB Executive Committee in time for inclusion in the Code
Switching rule.
Extensive work was done on the Symbols List (Appendix 2) to ensure consistency in
representation and a user friendly approach. For a symbol with more than one meaning
separate entries were given rather than combining meanings in one entry, which assists
easy reference especially for braille readers. One or two helpful notes were added to
address frequently asked questions, e.g. explaining how to enter or capture the Unicode
value of an unfamiliar symbol.
Ms Botha said that it was very special for her personally to be able to announce at this
meeting that the release of the second edition of THE RULES OF UNIFIED ENGLISH
BRAILLE is expected at the end of this month. The print and braille versions will be
made available for download on the ICEB website. The format of the braille version will
be 25 l/p and 30 c/l, chosen because it can be produced on any braille embosser.
The next major task on the agenda of the CMC is the revision of the Guidelines for
Technical Material (GTM), which will probably be included as a separate volume in the
next edition of the rulebook, replacing the current §11.
Regarding the query at the last SABA meeting about using contractions in mathematical
function names such as "sin" and (Afrikaans) "tan", the reply from both the chair of the
CMC and a co-author of the GMT confirmed that contractions may be used in function
names when not in grade 1 mode. This will be specifically clarified in the revision of the
GMT.
The President said that Ms Botha has not told the meeting of her enormous contribution
towards the success of this committee. He said that nothing passes her attention;
something we have seen over the years in minute writing. To a large degree, the
rulebook to be published was and is a tribute to Ms Botha for the work she has done
over the years. These sentiments were echoed by the President of the ICEB in saying
that this rulebook is probably the best book of its kind for any code in the world. This
publication will also have a more international look whereas it was somewhat country
orientated before.
14.3 Refreshable Braille Committee (Now the Braille Technology Committee)
Efforts are on the way to produce an affordable braille display in the near future. The
Transforming Braille Project is working on this project.
Recently the committee started dealing with the poor implementation of braille with
apple i-phone users. A letter will be sent from ICEB to Apple in this connection and it
was hoped that the matter will be taken seriously.
The meeting was told that especially in Europe, Apple products are provided to visually
impaired persons and an elementary braille implementation called "Braille Talk Back" is
available and is being developed. This braille support will be available on more and
more of the mobile information technology. The use of UEB is also more frequently
seen on these technologies.
A South African developer is in the process of developing a note taker that will be
launched on 10 October 2014. He made contact with Ms and Mr Kearney from the USA
who was interested in developing translation tables for Afrikaans. He requested a
document with Afrikaans rules. The Head of Tape Aids was willing to have the Afrikaans
rules translated into English for Mr Kearney to use it for the translation tables. The
meeting was requested to approve this action but felt that the translated rules must first
be checked by SABA in case something was misunderstood by the translator.
It was also suggested that the document for rules of Afrikaans be sent to the DAC to
assess whether it cannot do the translation which normally is free of any charge.
RESOLVED:
14.3.1 That the Afrikaans document on the Afrikaans translation tables be sent to the
DAC to assess whether it can perform the translation of the document into English after
which SABA will again assess the translation to make sure that the translator did
understand all the contents.
14.4 Braille Music Committee
The Committee is in the process of collecting data from member countries and world
wide from music transcription services with the aim of finalising the charges on hand.
14.5 Public Relations Committee
The exact actions of the committee have been agreed upon. This includes the use of
the website and other actions including the publishing of braille in general. The
development of the website will be in cooperation with the website development in the
UK.
14.6 Training and implementation Committee
No further developments have taken place since the last meeting of SABA.
14.7 Signage Committee
Contact was made with an official of the South African bureau of Standards. It was
envisaged that, in time, the whole standard of braille in products will be dealt with.
A document was received from a European country dealing especially with
pharmaceutical products with braille writing on it. The process of evaluating the current
standards is slow but some opportunities have arisen that will be followed up. The
meeting was informed that the European standard has now progressed to the
International Standards Organisation which will become a recognised standard. This is
important for developers to develop their own products according to the adopted
standards.
Two actions are in progress i.e. the gathering of data amongst member countries and
the setting of standards and guidance from within ICEB followed by recommendations
and guidelines. The adoption of an ISO standard will enforce standards including braille
on products.
The President informed members that the new ID card will also include braille dots on
the bottom left hand corner.
14.8 CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE
The representative for the Certification Committee said that there has been no further
action since the last meeting of SABA. South Africa was encouraged to activate some
action in this Committee of ICEB as there are a number of issues that can be attended
to.
15. UNIFIED BRAILLE CODE
15.1 Training presented since the last meeting
The President of ICEB encouraged SABA to have a look at the resolutions of the
previous meeting of ICEB. SABA was encouraged to challenge some of these
resolutions as it may interest SABA to do so.
As reported in another item, training was given to the teachers of the North West
Province Education Department arranged by Blind SA. No further training by the DBE
has taken place since the last meeting
15.2 Reading material for beginners
It was reported that various levels of reading material was transcribed since the last
meeting. The project is on target.
15.3 Usage of the unified code
It was reported that it would be difficult to test the usage of UBC in other languages as
not much material has been produced and circulated. Teachers are again requested to
encourage the use of unified code by learners in all languages. It was found that
learners do not know the unified code because many teachers do not know braille and
are not keen to learn it either.
It was suggested that an investigation should be started in finding out what code is
being used by the different disability units and other smaller producers. Only in this way
the implementation and usage can be determined.
RESOLVED:
15.3.1 That the Executive Committee starts an investigation in determining the level of
UBC usage by disability units and smaller production units.
At this point, the President of ICEB suggested that ICEB be contacted for financial
support of actions taken by SABA that in real terms also supports the cause and actions
of ICEB generally. This can be motivated as research being done locally for the
international cause.
RESOLVED:
15.3.2 That SABA request financial support from ICEB to assist SABA in the research
of some matters that can be of value to all ICEB member countries and further afield.
16. LOCAL MANUALS
16.1 Hands On
The publication has been received very well throughout South Africa. The stock has
nearly been depleted and another production run is considered. The matter of cost for a
re-print is discussed in detail and it was agreed that, should a re-print be considered,
Pioneer Printers be requested to consider doing the work or alternatively to request
Shereno Printers to assess the possibility to perform the task.
16.2 Ses Punte 21
The author of this manual needs a lot of support to continue with the work as she is of
the opinion that the manual is not required anymore. Progress is very slow and only
moves forward when the author has assistance for this. Although the manual has not
been completed the author is encouraged to finish it up to the end of the contractions
sections. Members are requested to encourage the author to continue with the work. If
this is not to happen, there may be no manual at all. Because of the frail condition of the
author there is a real fear that it will never be finished.
The president undertook to speak to the author and to encourage her to finish the book
seeing that 51 copies of the first four volumes have already been sold.
16.3 Supplements for SA languages
Work is continuing on this project and progress can be reported in that a supplement for
Zulu is nearly completed and is only in need of a final proof.
Some discussions continued on the use of uncontracted lower signs at the end of lines
or not. It was concluded that exceptions should not be considered and that the UBC rule
should be used.
On a question on the format of such publications, it was agreed that loose leaf books
can have an advantage in that worn pages can be reprinted and that further
supplements can be inserted with ease.
The Venda contractions were revised during 2009 but still some contractions are not
always acceptable to the users of the language. The implementation of the tables used
in 2009 was probably left behind in various areas although the producers used the latest
versions.
16.4 Manual for beginners by Ms Smith
The "Braille made Easy" manual is in the process of being finalised. In the mean time
Ms Smith uses the manual but no copies can be made until it has been completed.
17. AN INVESTIGATION INTO BRAILLE RELATED MATTERS
This matter was discussed in earlier items.
18. BRAILLE CODES IN SA
18.1 Grade 1 (all languages)
No discussions
18.2 Grade 2
18.2.1 Afrikaans
This report is presented on behalf of Reinette Popplestone who could not attend this
meeting. She provided draft versions of six rules upon which the SABA Rules
Committee have reached consensus. She also prepared a written report which
contains useful background information. It is recommended that this report be
attached as an annexure to the Minutes, and members are encouraged to study it
carefully and to discuss it with fellow braillists and interested braille using friends. It
must be strongly stressed that the changes to standing rules are not to be randomly
implemented. Official implementation will be announced when all rules have been
covered, the translation table has been adapted, and the supplement for Afrikaans is
ready for distribution.
The committee agreed not to change current Afrikaans contraction rules unnecessarily
where they differ from UBC usage, provided that they do not violate UBC principles.
For example, we retained our rule not to allow apostrophe'd letters to one-cell
wordsigns (as in "hy's"); and we retained our rule to use shortforms only when
standing alone. The UBC "standing alone" rule is not much different from our current
usage, but UBC stipulates exactly which symbols may be attached to one-cell
wordsigns and shortforms, which makes its application much easier.
The effect that pronunciation has on current contraction usage in Afrikaans is liberalised
to some extent in the new rule. It will change word images to which readers are used
in many cases, but will become much easier to apply.
(See Annexure 2 for report from Ms Popplestone.)
The committee requested all readers to make the new rules known and to report all
mistakes or suggestions to the committee for implementation in the future. It was also
emphasised that, although the rules must be made known, it should not be implemented
yet.
18.2.2 Other South African languages
Some contractions of other African languages had to be discarded to bring it in line with
the UBC rulings. Examples were given.
It was suggested that the work on African languages and in particular some disputes
must be referred back to the committee for African languages regardless of the fact that
there are not many readers of the languages. Co-option of experts outside of the larger
production houses must be sourced to avoid in-house decisions to suit the producers. It
was also stated that changes are never comfortable but that readers will get used to
implemented changes.
A letter was received from Zimbabwe wherein the model used for Nguni languages was
challenged. It was stated that the contractions used was far from ideal and should be
revised. Permission was requested to critically evaluate the efficacy of the post UBC
contractions implementation.
In discussing the appeal, the African Languages Committee, although short of
knowledgeable persons, cannot see its way to agree to a change of the current model
for African Languages contractions. In their view the Nguni language system is doing
very well and does not need to be changed at this point. It was also felt that it cannot be
allowed that it be interfered with.
19. BRAILLE EXAMINATIONS
This was the first time that the South African Library for the Blind (SALB) has taken over
the administration of the braille examinations. Quite a number of entries were received
for the elementary examinations. The administration of this was made difficult by the
postal strikes at the time and the higher examinations had to be moved forward
because of this. Many communication problems therefore came regardless of the
alternative actions the SALB took to make it work.
The same strict scheduled programme will be followed for the higher examinations. The
process was much faster and effective this time.
Communication is still a problem and schools are again requested to communicate with
the SALB when there is any doubt whether scripts or other documents have been
delayed.
The Braille Consultant thereafter discussed some details of entries of the higher exams
containing details of writing. Some examples were given to inform delegates on what
problems can be experienced.
It was interesting to note that there was an increase in the entries for African Languages
with high marks for some entries. Members were however urged to encourage more
learners to write the examinations as it was also clear that not many know contracted
braille.
RESOLVED:
19.1 That the matter of the postal delays be referred to the Executive Committee for
action in writing a letter to the postal authorities of complaint.
The Braille Consultant reported that plans are made to forward examination
documentation with a courier system to ensure that documentation reached the right
person at the right time.
Concern was expressed on the system used for prizes to learners. It feels as if the
system is unfair and not properly thought through.
It was also stated that addresses are included on the registration forms and it was
difficult to understand how problems can exist with the addresses used for
correspondence.
To eliminate problems with the awarding of prizes, it was suggested to award a first
prize but thereafter only second and third places.
This was the first year that the Library has taken the responsibility of conducting the
examinations and the President congratulated and thanked the library and its staff for
doing it in this way. One can only learn over time and problems can be sorted out in this
way.
The Library is also thanked for providing the budget for the two examinations.
20. BRAILLE CONSULTANCY
A circulated report was tabled for information of the meeting.
Schools were visited in Limpopo where it was found that teachers either have a basic
knowledge of braille or did not know braille at all regardless of UBC. Efforts were made
to promote braille to teachers and others.
The work with tactile books have developed with the latest being on musical
instruments. Eighteen books have now been made available with various tactile items
included.
It is also envisaged that a tactile braille mailing list can be established to encourage
communications between persons interested in this format.
The simplification of tactile books is also looked into. This will make it easier for learners
to understand.
It should be borne in mind that the use of tactile braille is still very new to most of the
teachers in South Africa.
It was reported that the UK is considering adopting the USA's guidelines on tactile
braille as this is a very comprehensive work in this format. South Africa can consider
using this guideline as a standard.
A request was again tabled for the Braille Consultant to visit schools in the Free State
as there is a great need for input from the consultancy.
A braille workshop was held at the Setotolwane School in Limpopo initiated by the office
of the Limpopo Premier to encourage the use of braille. Various presentations were
conducted concurrently. In some of these the importance of the role of SABA was
highlighted. In other presentations it was clear that many teachers know very little of the
braille code and even less of UBC.
Systemic problems of braille and the re-deployment and other teacher related matters
were discussed in separate sessions.
To date no resolutions of the workshop was made available and it was asked what
intention and action was expected from whom. It was not clear who will implement any
of the awaited resolutions
RESOLVED:
20.1 That the SABA Secretariat requests the resolutions from the Braille Workshop
held during July 2013 and arranged by the Premier's Office of Limpopo.
21. LOUIS BRAILLE BULLETIN
This publication is circulated twice annually after the SABA General Assembly meetings
to all stakeholders and interested parties.
22. DUXBURY BRAILLE TRANSLATOR
22.1 Table Development - maintenance
It was reported that quite a lot of work has been done on the tables. Various individuals
work on individual languages where progress is well advanced with the tables
implementation of the unified code in progress. Details of some changes were
highlighted to the meeting.
Members were reminded that all translation tables can be requested from the Braille
Consultant.
23. MASS LITERACY CAMPAIGN
The Kha RI Gude project is now driven by Prof McKay. It was reported under another
item that a letter was sent to Prof McKay with no response so far.
24. SAQA (recurring item)
No updates were available.
RESOLVED:
24.1 That the item on SAQA be retained for future agendas.
25. SPECIAL COMMITTEES
25.1 Braille Maths
No activity has been reported on the mailing list set up for this purpose.
A maths committee was established but no matters have been reported and no
requests put to the group.
On a question, it was said that follow-up training was envisaged. No schools from KwaZulu Natal attended the previous training sessions and this has to be addressed. Some
teachers, who attended the training for the technical component, did not even know
braille although they were informed that they had to know braille itself.
On a further question, it was stated that the material used for technical UBC training
cannot be used for self training and that a fair knowledge of maths was required for the
material to make sense at all.
The meeting was informed that the publication on the guideline for technical training
was available although it was in the process of being revised. Regardless of this the
guidelines can be used in its present form.
Confusion still exists as to the level of UBC technical material that should be used for
schools as some are already using it for grade 12 and others not. This problem must
also be discussed and finalised. SABA realises that there is a need for the technical
training but it still needs quite a lot of work before it is finalised.
The committee was requested to post the rules on SIN and TAN as mathematical terms
on the mailing list for all concerned to benefit by.
25.2 Tactile Graphics
See item 20 for information
26. DRAFT BRAILLE POLICY STATEMENT
The SANCB drafted a braille policy and requested inputs on the policy. Discussions
were held with DWCPD but that department could not accept the document as a policy
as policy writing is the task of the Government itself according to a statement by the
Deputy Minister. There were some further discussions but the outcome of this is unsure
with no indication what will happen when.
Being a SANCB generated document, SABA could hardly work with it unless the
SANCB agrees to this. It was also suggested that the document can be used in
awareness projects but even this can only be done with agreement of the SANCB.
RESOLVED:
26.1 That the Draft Braille Policy Document be discussed at the upcoming SANCB
biennial conference and that the DWCPD be advised that this process is to follow with
the view of using it in the future. It was also suggested that such a document can be
annexed to the parallel country report to be available to all of the braille industry over
the world.
27. NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
An e-mail was received requesting an invitation for a delegation from Botswana but
nothing further has been heard.
27.1 Request received from Mr Gary Ngara form Zimbabwe
This matter was discussed in earlier agenda items.
27.2
Any visitors from neighboring countries will be given the opportunity to
report/contribute.
No delegation from neighboring countries registered for the General Assembly meeting.
28. ANY OTHER RELEVANT MATTERS
Saba was requested to make sure that the DBE be represented at SABA meetings as
their input and notice of discussions were very important. The meeting was informed
that on receiving an apology from the DBE for not attending, a message expressing a
serious dissatisfaction of SABA was returned.
It was noticed that teachers who became blind in service, found it difficult to be reabsorbed in the system. Organisations are requested to assist teachers as far as
possible for re-absorption and with other activities required by the blind person. This
matter was and can again be taken up by the Advocacy Committee as a matter of
urgency. This action can be extended to all Government employees in the same
situation.
29. CLOSING ADDRESS BY THE HOST OF THE MEETING
Dr Siva Moodley said that the fact that the meeting could be hosted by UNISA was a
privilege for the University. He said that in general terms, the meeting was systematic,
very comprehensive and an honest assessment of the issues on the table. Although
SABA was in his view a young organisation, it achieved a lot in a short time span. He
was impressed about the establishment of a quality assurance committee. The lobbying
for teachers, learners and other users was equally impressive. He understands the
membership issues and that needs to be improved. The workshop in the north was a
vehicle for awareness of SABA and should be continued to achieve effects.
The funding problem is universal and will probably not change easily.
Mr Moodley expressed some views on the production of Braille and the negative
attitudes about braille. Teachers are mostly insecure on braille because they do not
know enough of it.
On the question whether training is enough to encourage teachers to teach in braille, he
said that that is not enough because literacy is the important matter. Braille should not
be set aside as an issue but incorporated into the education programmes.
He suggests that a workshop be held where real life situations can be brought to the
table, experiences of real life braille teachers can be discussed, and practical benefits
from braille users discussed with the issue of how braille and technology can be
integrated. He closed by saying that in praising braille, Helen Keller said "the beauty of
braille is that you can touch it and be touched by it."
The President of SABA thanked Dr Moodley for a most inspiring closing address. He
also thanked him for his continued commitment and enthusiasm for braille.
30. DATE AND VENUE OF THE NEXT MEETING
An invitation was received from the SA Library for the Blind in Grahamstown to host the
next General Assembly meeting of SABA. The Library will be celebrating its 95 th
birthday and this will be seen as another way of celebrating service for braille.
RESOLVED:
30.1 That the next General Assembly meeting of SABA be held on 8 & 9 May 2014 in
Grahamstown.
The President also advised the meeting that an invitation was received from the Pioneer
Printers to host a General Assembly. This will be dealt with at the next meeting but it is
likely that the October 2014 meeting will be in Worcester.
31. VOTE OF THANKS
The President thanked UNISA for hosting the General Assembly meeting this time.
Appreciation was also expressed towards Mr Baloyi for attending and performing the
opening address. The team that made it all possible was thanked; Mr D Moodley and Mr
NS Netshituni in particular and appreciation was expressed to all the staff and
volunteers that assisted during the meeting, the gifts and tremendous effort put into the
meeting.
Members and its delegations were thanked for attending. The meeting could not have
happened without the delegations.
Ms Botha has now indicated several times that this will be her last SABA meeting. This
can not be allowed. Where will the standards go without her was asked. A quality
committee has just been established but they cannot do it without her wonderful
knowledge and experience of braille. It was stated that she was welcome any time and
her input will be valued in the future. Saba would like to keep a close relationship with
her.
At this point, the President of ICEB said that he learnt a lot from the meeting and that he
can take this away and use in other similar circumstances.
32. ADJOURNMENT
With this the meeting was adjourned.
CHRISTO DE KLERK
Compiled by Derick Greeff
ANNEXURE 1
REGISTRATIONS OCTOBER 2013
SURNAME
FIRST NAME
MEMBER
ALDEN
BABEDI
BAM
BOTHA
DE KLERK
DZAPAST
DONALDSON
DUBE
GARRIB
GUMEDE
HATTINGH
HEADOWS
ISMAIL
JORDAAN
PHOSA
LESUFI
MOTGODI
MAKHAFOLA
MARSHALL
MATSHWANE
MOODLEY
MUFLANENG
NETSHITUNI
OSBORNE
ROOS
STEYL
SWART
SALB
BARTIMEA
BLIND SA
INSTITUTE BLIND
PRESIDENT
SANCB
BLIND SA
BLIND SA
SHERENO PRINTERS
UNISA
PRINSHOFSKOOL
ICEB
SANCB
BLIND SA
BARTIMEA
SIBONILE
SIBONILE
SIBONILE
SANCB
BARTIMEA
UNISA
NWU
UNISA
ICEB
DAC
PIONEER SCHOOL
PIONEER PRINTERS
PASHA
SYLVESTER
SUSAN
ANTONNETTE
CHRISTO
ALPHONCE
CATHY
JOHANNES
VIRJANAND
DR M
STEFANIE
HELEN
SURAYA
PHILIP
KAGISO
TERRY
RAKABE
SOLOMON
HAZEL
EUGENE
DEENADAYALAN
VIDE
NTSHAVHENI
PETE
ANDRE
MARIANE
MARIUS
TSHAZIBANA
TSHIOVHE
VAN WYK
VAN WYK
NOLUVUYO
RONNIE
MICHAEL
JULIANA
SUSAN
YONA
NWU
TSHILIDZINI
PIONEER SCHOOL
BLIND SA
SALB
ANNEXURE 2
Report to SABA
Rules for Afrikaans braille
3-4 October 2013
This report deals with the work that has been done to bring Afrikaans contraction and
related rules into line with UBC rules and principles. It will deal with those rules and
principles which have been approved by the Rules Committee appointed by SABA
some time ago. We have agreed on revised braille terminology in accordance with UBC
(see working document), and have agreed in principle on the formulation and the
examples used in the rules discussed below, although it is understood that small
editorial corrections and amendments may be necessary.
The "Standing alone” rule
Although many of the principles contained in this rule have been applied in practice for a
long time, it was explicitly formulated for the first time as part of the principles on which
UBC contraction rules are based. The rule has particular relevance to wordsigns and
shortforms. Consequently we have had to formulate this rule for Afrikaans and apply it
where required.
One-cell groupsigns
This rule has been adopted in principle, noting that many more examples have been
given than was the case in the past, especially because decisions approved by Braille
SA already before 2000 (and which newer members of SABA may not be aware of),
have an impact on how these contractions will be used as soon as the rule has been
formally approved. Essentially it liberalises the use of contractions: we would now
contract for instance the te in [[*g1*]]teater, karateles [[*g2*]]and telefoon.
The word images which may appear unfamiliar to some will also have changed as a
result of doing away with two contractions in the spirit of UBC. This is particularly true
of the contraction for el. Furthermore we will contract met in metode and metaal, kom in
kome[[*/*]]die, vol in volume, etc.
Shortforms
The rule governing shortforms has remained basically unchanged in respect to
Afrikaans, but it is the rule which deviates most significantly from the UBC usage, in that
we have retained the principle of not using shortforms when they occur as parts of
words. They are allowed to be used only when they’re standing alone. [[*g1*]]Ons
gebruik dus nie die verkorting vir brief in die woord briefwisseling, of die verkorting vir
goed in goedgelowig nie; [[*g2*]]neither do we contract natuurlik in the word onnatuurlik,
or moontlik in moontlikhe[[*/*]]de. This decision greatly simplifies the rule which
contains no exceptions, as opposed to the one for English which contains a myriad of
exceptions and conditions.
Uitspraak
This rule was the cause of lively debate and even required the group to resort to an
official vote, which is seldom necessary. We are now all agreed among other things that
the contraction for en can be used in Kenia, senior, Helene, Marlene, etc.
The rules on Voorkeur (preference) and oorbrug[[*/*]]gi[[*/*]]ng (bridging) are little changed from what
has been used in the past, except that there has been some liberalisation of the bridging of prefixes with
the main word, and also those where the first part of the word is no longer really recognized as an
independent word. (We know that wis is a much older form of the verb om te weet, but it is no longer
used in that sense, so that there is no reason not to use the contraction for sk, for example, in a word
such as wiskunde or wiskundige.
What remains:
Other rules which will not be circulated today have been formulated and discussed, but
major challenges with creating a correctly formatted and translated braille version of a
MsWord master have caused huge delays. This includes the rule for alphabetic and
one-cell wordsigns. It may still be useful to speak briefly about these. The UEB
rulebook treats alphabetic wordsigns and other wordsigns (this, shall, still, child, etc)
separately, mainly because of the high frequency of apostrophe’d words in English such
as you’ll, it’s, that’s, people’s, you’d, etc. UBC allows these contractions to be used in
specified instances. In Afrikaans on the other hand this occurs very infrequently (mainly
in very colloquial dialogue: “jy’s gek”) so we are able to apply the standing alone rule
with no exceptions to all kinds of wordsigns.
The rule for lower contractions has been circulated to the group, but Antonnette
provided detailed comment on the original draft which has not yet been worked into the
version of the rule the working group has seen for reasons similar to the above.
We will also need to apply our minds to the principles which we would like to govern the
use of the “language switch” facility that UBC (and DBT) allows. This means that one
can cause a passage within a document to be contracted in a language of choice. We
have long had a practice of contracting longer English passages when they have
occurred in an Afrikaans text, but we have had many a debate about under what
circumstances we will use this option. I would imagine the other indigenous language
users will each have to decide what they will do in this regard for their own language. It
also seems to me unlikely that we will make use of this facility in a predominantly
English text, for reasons that must be obvious.
Other issues such as word division will also need to be discussed.
I have, in principle, given up the dream of creating one master document, and this is
likely to speed up the work going forward. Who knows, I might also get my braille
display back, but this seems a fading hope.
In conclusion I must caution against haste or optimism regarding the imminent
publication of the Afrikaans rules, especially in print. It is simply a more time consuming
process than one imagines when one embarks on this process. Ms Botha will confirm
that between us she and I have spent hundreds, perhaps even thousands of hours on
this, and it may seem to some that we don’t have much to show.
Respectfully (and somewhat dispiritedly submitted)
Reinette Popplestone