Wendy Benckhuysen is a braille transcriber who works for Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools, Alberta. Wetaskiwin district has partnered with Alberta Education to supply teacher resources to students in K-12. She believes in a solid training and braille knowledge of EAs working directly with visually impaired students. Offering accurate, high quality braille is so important for allowing students the equal opportunity for success as their sighted peers. Wendy is certified in Unified English Braille (UEB) and Nemeth (2011) codes, through the CNIB, Toronto, Ontario. She passed the CNIB Technical exam in 2019. Wendy first studied Literary braille at Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, Brantford, Ontario, 2005. She was an NBA (National Braille Association) board member from 2013-2016 and has presented at several NBA conferences on UEB and Unified English Braille Guidelines for Technical Material. Wendy has travelled to give workshops to transcribers and TVIs in Houston TX, Charlotte NC and Tampa FL. She has written and presented several webinars for her provincial TVIs, EAs and transcribers. Wendy offers the CNIB course From Print to Braille with UEB, through correspondence and looks forward to offering The Unified English Braille Extension Course (UEB_TE).
Nicole Reinhardt is a braille transcriber who works for Alberta Education. Nicole provides braille resources to students in the Alberta K-12 system who are blind or visually impaired through Services for Students with Visual Impairments (SSVI). Nicole has worked for Alberta Education since 2015, where she obtained her Unified English Braille (UEB) Certification and Letter of Proficiency for UEB Technical through CNIB. Prior to working with Alberta Education, Nicole was an Educational Assistant with Edmonton Public Schools. Nicole supported multiple students with diverse needs, including a student who was blind. Nicole firmly believes in inclusivity and providing equitable access to braille resources for students so they are prepared with the skills they need to succeed.