RNIB Maths Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB)

This distance-learning course is aimed at sighted learners who have completed the RNIB Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB) and would like to braille basic maths.

The course teaches students basic maths in contracted Unified English Braille (UEB). It consists of five months of self-study, with one tutor-marked assessment half-way through, and another one at the end. (No exam).

Note: This is a follow-on course from the RNIB Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB). As a result, students must have completed the RNIB Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB), preferably with a grade C or higher, before enrolling on this course.

Course content

Students receive all the materials and tuition needed to complete the course.

The course includes the following:

• Numeric indicator and numeric mode (including the signs allowed in numeric mode such as the decimal point)
• Fractions (simple numeric fractions, mixed numbers, general fractions)
• Operations signs  +, −, ×, ÷  and also ratio :
• Comparison signs  =,  ≠, <, >,  ≤,  ≥
• Omission marks, e.g. 3+ 7  = _
• Use of grade one mode in maths expressions (e.g. simple algebra)
• Ordinal Numbers and Roman Numerals
• Brackets (round, square and curly)
• Superscripts and subscripts 
• Square roots and cube roots
• Common Greek letters
• Unit abbreviations, dates, times of the day, phone numbers 
• Layout of maths expressions and questions with subsections
• Layout of simple calculations and tables

It does not cover any of the following:

• Material covered in the RNIB Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB) Course
• Other maths notation not listed above – e.g. Arrows, Shapes, Trigonometry, Matrices and Vectors, Set notation, Computer Notation, etc.
• Chemical formulae
• Producing tactile diagrams
• Skills in teaching braille to blind individuals

Enrolment dates

There are two starting dates for the course each year: 1 February and 1 October. The closing date for receipt of applications for each intake is 23 January or 23 September respectively. Any applications received after these dates will be held until the next enrolment deadline.

Course structure

The correspondence course consists of eight self-study lessons, with a tutor-marked assessment after lesson four and another at the end of the course. The two assessments contribute to 100 per cent of the final grade. (There will be no exam.)

Students should be aware that the course could involve up to 50 hours of study, although the actual amount of study time will vary from one student to another.

The two assessments must be submitted for marking by the date specified, and completion of the first assessment is required in order to progress with the course.

Tutorial support will be available to provide feedback and advice by email or telephone.

What you will need for the course

All learning materials are provided by email (compressed/zipped files). Sighted learners are expected to read braille by sight, rather than touch and most of the course material will be in print format.

All students are expected to have access to a computer/printer and will be provided with a link to download the free Perky Duck software to complete their brailled assessments. An email account is required for the submission of the assessments.

How much does the course cost?

The cost of the course is £150 per person.

How to enrol

To enrol on the February or October intake of the RNIB Maths Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB) course, please download and complete an application form and return it to our address below. The course application form is in Word document format on the top right corner of this page for you to download.

Completed application forms should be sent to:

Racheal Jarvis, RNIB, 1st Floor, Midgate House, Midgate, Peterborough, PE1 1TN

Or email your completed form to [email protected]

Terms and conditions

• Applications will be acknowledged within two weeks of receipt.
• Fees must be paid prior to the start of the course and no course materials will be dispatched until the receipt of payment. Cheques should be made payable to RNIB and sent with the application form, or paid on receipt of an invoice.
• RNIB reserves the right to impose a charge of £75 for places cancelled after the application deadline of the course.
• Students are required to complete the course assessments within the given timeframe. Extensions will only be considered if made in writing and will not be granted for periods longer than three months. Only one extension will be permitted on the course. If, due to extenuating circumstances, a longer period away from study is required, application in writing with supporting evidence must be made. Reasons might include:
• Serious personal illness (or serious illness of an immediate family member)
• Bereavement
• Maternity/paternity leave
• It is not possible to extend registration on the course because of other reasons such as pressure at work, moving house, etc.
• RNIB accepts no responsibility for the free software provided, this is installed at the user's own risk. RNIB provides no technical support for this software.
• Except in the case of fraud or personal injury resulting from an act or omission by RNIB the maximum liability of RNIB to the student shall be capped at the price you have paid for the course and in particular RNIB shall not be liable for any indirect, economic or consequential loss the student may suffer.
• Training materials provided are copyrighted and are for the student's personal use only.

Maths Certificate Re-take 

If you've completed the full RNIB Maths Certificate in Contracted Braille (UEB) and wish to re-take the assessments in order to pass or improve your grade, we now offer a re-take option.