Introducing BUOC: Braille, User-Oriented Code (Extra 80)

Braillecast

The latest in our occasional series showcasing historical braille shorthand codes which you might still find useful today:

Braille, User-Oriented Code (BUOC) was a code written by the late Australian, Rebecca Maxwell, with the support of Australian Braille Literacy Action (ABLA), formerly the Australian Guild of Business and Professional Blind. It was last revised in 1998 and includes a number of useful devices for making braille shorter.

We were delighted to be joined by Jordie Howell, a great proponent of BUOC and a contemporary of its author. Jordie introduced us to the principals of BUOC, described how some common words and phrases can be shortened and explained how we can find out more about this grass roots code.

Find out more on the ICEB Shorthand Codes page

During the session, two books on grade 3 were also mentioned by way of comparison. These books are also available on the above web page in BRF format, and can be obtained from NLS in the US using these catalogue numbers:

• BRA03950 The Braille Code A Guide to Grade Three Braille for First Year High School Students by Ruth Hayden
• BRA18832 Key to Grade Three Braille by Lewis Rodenberg