IADD Unveils Braille Standard

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 post-workshop through the IADD and BANA Web sites 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.