Presenters
Maylene Bird and Susan Osterhaus, TSBVI, TX, USA.
Abstract
According to the 2026 Braille is Literacy Report, Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, braille is a foundational driver of independence, educational attainment, and workforce participation. Braille is essential to literacy development and should be fully integrated into instruction and curricula. However, there is a current national crisis in braille learning and training, especially regarding the Nemeth Code. We will begin with a brief overview of the Texas plan to help address the U.S. braille crisis, in hopes that other states will follow their lead. This presentation will focus on the efficiency of the Nemeth Code via examples and feedback from blind and sighted professional experts and students working and studying in the STEM fields. We will then guide attendees to the latest resources for learning and teaching the Nemeth Code from BANA and others. Certain individuals have expressed the view that “It is now time to open the conversation at a national level to see if the United States wants to take the step to adopt UEB for both literary and technical subjects and usage from this point onward.” That is, no longer offer Nemeth as an option. We welcome your feedback and your perspective on this conversation.
Presenter Biographies
Maylene Bird, Mathematics Teacher, TSVI, COMS
Maylene Bird is a high school mathematics teacher at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, where she has taught for approximately 35 years. She has presented on mathematics and Nemeth Code at TAER, AER International, and the POSB STEM Institute. She is a co-author of the Nemeth at a Glance resource guide.
Susan A. Osterhaus, M.Ed., Statewide Mathematics Consultant
Susan A. Osterhaus is a global mathematics consultant and former 29-year TSBVI mathematics teacher. She shares her expertise through workshops and publications. A long-time member of Braille Authority of North America (BANA) committees, she co-authored several Nemeth braille curricula and serves as a consultant for Project INSPIRE NextGen and Perkins’ TEAM Initiative.