- 1. As a Committee of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc., the ABA shall promote the Objectives of the Round Table as presented in the Rules of Incorporation. That is, it shall:
- a) foster a spirit of co-operation and resource sharing among members
- b) set standards and improve the range and accessibility of material produced
- c) provide for action and/or consultation on matters of common concern
- d) represent the collective views of members to appropriate bodies, and
- e) foster consumer consultation
In addition, the ABA has the following special objectives:
- 2. To promote braille as the prime literacy medium and a versatile communication tool for blind people by, among other things:
- a) acting as a forum for the interchange of views and information by those interested in braille
- b) sponsoring publications that promote braille
- c) encouraging organisations providing rehabilitation services to newly-blind adults to promote the benefits of braille to their clients, and
- d) organising seminars and other activities to raise the level of braille consciousness in the community
- 3. To act as a standard setting body for all braille codes as they are used in Australia, and methods of braille production, in both cases taking into account developments and usages in other countries. In pursuance of this objective, the ABA shall, among other things:
- a) receive and advise on requests for rulings on the use of existing braille codes
- b) receive and advise on requests for changes to existing braille codes
- c) receive and advise on requests for the development of new codes
- d) endorse independent publications dealing with braille codes if such publications depict those codes accurately, and
- e) receive and advise on requests for rulings on transliteration and format, for example, the layout of a Table of Contents
- 4. To act as an accreditation body for braille transcribers, proofreaders and others involved in braille production.
- 5. To participate in membership of the International Council on English braille and its committees.
- 6. To liaise with:
- a) national and international organisations on matters of relevance to the activities of the ABA
- b) companies producing or distributing adaptive technology related to Braille, and
- c) other Committees of the Round Table on projects of common concern
The Australian Braille Authority is a subcommittee of the Round Table on Information Access for People with a Print Disability Inc.