On this page:
- Unified English Braille (UEB);
- Learning the Braille Code;
- UEB Online;
- Teaching the Braille Code to Children;
- Transcribing Braille;
- Essentials of Braille Formatting;
- International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA);
Unified English Braille (UEB)
BANZAT has adopted Unified English Braille (UEB) for the teaching and production of Braille in New Zealand.
UEB was developed by the International Council on English Braille (ICEB). BANZAT is a member of ICEB. ICEB has a Code Maintenance Committee which monitors the use of UEB and updates it as appropriate. When ICEB makes any changes to UEB, BANZAT considers these changes and adopts them on the recommendation of its own Code Maintenance Committee following consultation with New Zealanders involved in the use, production and teaching of Braille.
The Rules of Unified English Braille are available for download from the ICEB website. The third edition of the UEB Rulebook was released in December 2024.
More detailed information about transcribing mathematics and science in UEB are provided in Unified English Braille: Guidelines for technical material.
ICEB is reviewing and updating the UEB Code to keep up to date with the ever-changing world of print. To know about ICEB's approved changes we recommend you subscribe to ICEB's newsletter published regularly on its Announcements email list. Send an email to iceb-announce+subscribe@groups.io
Learning the Braille Code
Braille and the UEB code used in New Zealand can be learned from the New Zealand edition of the UEB Manual. The New Zealand manual is maintained by BANZAT.
The UEB Manual New Zealand Edition is a training manual for students studying for the Trans-Tasman Certificate of Proficiency in Unified English Braille. It is based on the Australian Primer produced by the Australian Braille Authority and uses the same exercises but is adjusted to reflect New Zealand format rules. The Australian Manual is based on the British Braille Primer.
Three formats of the March 2017 New Zealand edition of the UEB Manual are provided here for download:
- the PDF version of the manual
- the Word version of the manual
- Volume 1 of the Braille version of the manual
- Volume 2 of the Braille version of the manual
- Volume 3 of the Braille version of the manual
- Volume 4 of the Braille version of the manual
- Volume 5 of the Braille version of the manual
BANZAT plans to update this Manual to include all the changes in the Third Edition of the UEB Rulebook published by ICEB in December 2024.
UEB Online
“UEB Online” is a training program for people to learn Unified English Braille (UEB). The program is suitable for classroom and specialist teachers, parents, teacher aides and other professionals supporting children and adults with vision impairment. This program was created by NextSense Institute in Australia. There are formats and screen layouts suitable for students with normal vision, low vision or screen reader users. The link is https://uebonline.org/.
Teaching the Braille Code to Children
“The Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB” was written for children learning UEB by New Zealand resource teachers vision as a quick reference tool for all those supporting children learning UEB. It is divided into two sections, literary Braille and maths Braille. The BRF and PDF versions are here with printing and binding instructions for the PDF version. The BRF version is formatted 25 lines per page, 40 characters per line.
- Volume 1 of Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB Literary BRF version
- Volume 2 of Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB Literary BRF version
- Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB Maths BRF version
- Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB Literary PDF version
- Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB Maths PDF version
- Hitchhiker's Guide to UEB Printing and Binding Instructions Word version
Transcribing Braille
BANZAT recommends the use of the Duxbury Braille Translator program (DBT). BANZAT has written a New Zealand template for Duxbury. This includes rules for the correct transcription of words in Te Reo Māori which have been agreed with Kāpō Māori Aotearoa. The New Zealand template is available in the DBT program.
Essentials of Braille Formatting
“Essentials of Braille Formatting” was developed by BANZAT for the New Zealand environment. This guide covers letters, agendas and minutes, accounts, the treatment of tables and print page indicators and tables of contents, as well as BANZAT's rules for the transcription of Te Reo Māori. Guidance is given about copyright and cataloguing and the handling of print errors that producers might encounter.
BANZAT plans to update Essentials of Braille Formatting. The New Zealand Copyright Act has changed to incorporate New Zealand's signing of the Marrakesh Treaty.
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
Following ICEB approval, BANZAT has adopted the Braille code for the International Phonetic Alphabet for use in New Zealand.
Information about print and Braille copies of IPA Braille is available at
Last updated 5 January 2025