[Missouri-l] New braille labeling standards for packaging

[Nancy Lynn]

PRESS RELEASE -- Converting Magazine, 3/19/2009 9:15:00 AM
> To better satisfy the needs of the visually impaired in North America,
> the International Association
> of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD), located in Crystal Lake, IL, has
> created "Can-Am Braille," a set
> of guidelines and recommendations for the use of braille on packaging.
> The IADD worked in conjunction with the Braille Authority of North
> America (BANA) over the past 18
> months to develop the standard, whose official release is set for
> Friday, May 8, at the 2009
> IADD.FSEA Odyssey in Atlanta, GA, USA. An informative technical
> workshop, "Let Your Fingers Do The
> Talking: Braille on Folding Cartons" will review the North American
> standard in detail. All
> participants will receive a copy; further distribution will take place
> postworkshop through the IADD
> and BANA websites to reach out and bring together the printing,
> paperboard packaging and
> pharmaceutical industries. The standard has been reviewed and received
> its final approval by the
> IADD Executive Committee and Board of Directors in January 2009.
> "The use of braille in packaging will continue to increase over the next
> several years," predicts
> Stephen Brighton, IADD Braille Task Force Chair, "following European
> pharmaceutical and food product
> packaging trends in Europe."
> Brighton explains that in October 2005, a previous directive of the
> European Commission regarding
> the use of braille for pharmaceutical packaging was implemented as law
> for newly approved medicinal
> products. To address these requirements, the European Carton
> Manufacturers Association worked
> closely with national carton associations from Austria, Belgium,
> Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
> Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom
> to develop a standard that is
> being used as a set of guidelines and recommendations for the use of
> braille on packaging. Can-Am
> Braille is derived from this standard.
> Already the Canadian and U.S. packaging markets are experiencing the
> effects of the European
> requirements, with some larger pharmaceutical companies incorporating
> braille on their packaging for
> the last few years. It is essential that a common standard be in place
> to ensure that blind and
> visually impaired individuals will be able to benefit from its use. When
> asked why the IADD chose to
> base its standard on a European one, Brighton elaborates, "There is
> nothing about braille that we
> can hold autonomous. We have had the opportunity to collaborate with
> BANA to marry their knowledge
> of braille with our knowledge of what's practically possible when
> applying braille to paperboard
> substrates. What we are really dealing with is the independence of the
> visually impaired. Our
> responsibility is to ensure that their independence is respected and
> that we, as an industry, do the
> best that we can to produce pharmaceutical, fast food or other types of
> paperboard packaging with
> the best quality braille for readability and continuity through the use
> of the standard. Otherwise
> the purpose of producing the braille and the resources it takes in these
> economic times ends up
> being an exercise in futility for everyone involved."
> "We are looking forward to the implementation of this standard." said
> Judy Dixon, chair of the
> Braille Authority of North America, "It will have the effect of making
> more braille labels to help
> blind people identify the packages in their everyday lives and this will
> be a very positive step
> forward." Interestingly, no government legislation similar to that of
> Europe is currently proposed
> in the U.S. or Canada that would require pharmaceutical packaging to
> have braille on it. The
> original concept of creating a North American standard stemmed from a
> braille workshop and
> discussions at an IADD Can-Am Chapter meeting. Some members had
> participated in a braille workshop
> at the IADD Annual Meeting in Switzerland in November 2006. It was felt
> that a proactive approach on
> the part of industry to develop and implement its own standard would be
> a way of reducing or even
> eliminating legislative intervention. This has allowed the standard to
> be developed in a time frame
> that fosters continuity, making it more of an international standard,
> and that ensures it will work
> from a practical standpoint.
> The IADD Board approved the Can-Am Braille standard in January 2009. The
> BANA Board reviewed and has
> approved the IADD Can-Am Braille standard in November 2008.
> Contact: Jill May, IADD Chapter Relations Coordinator, International
> Association of Diecutting and Diemaking. Phone 1-815-455-7519; Fax
> 1-815-455-7510; Email
> jmay at iadd.org
> .
> For more information about the IADD, visit
> www.iadd.org
> .
> For more information about BANA, visit
> www.brailleauthority.org
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Message content is the sole responsibility of each individual contributor
> and should not be considered to reflect the opinions of WVSB, the alumni
> association or the list moderators.
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>


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