Dan Gergen

Background

About Dan Gergen

I find that learning and personal development are life-long adventures for most people. Knowledge is something to be shared, and when you share what you know, you tend to learn more in return.(Does that make sense?)."Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." —John Cotton Dana, New Jersey Librarian - As a certified braille instructor and transcriber for our Minnesota non-profit, I have provided formal local instruction in literary braille transcribing —in a classroom or by email— and guide sighted volunteers toward national certification by the US Library of Congress in Unified English Braille literary transcribing. I've been transcribing print materials into braille for over twenty years and I've been teaching this unique skill for over ten years- I continue to share my knowledge of braille codes, formats, and transcription initiatives. I develop learning aids, publish study guides, and fact sheet handouts to augment the instructional text provided by the Library of Congress (LOC/NLS), the Braille Authority of North American (BANA), and the International Council on English Braille (ICEB). I'm motivated in this regard by a purpose for contributing to the literacy and opportunity of print-disabled children and adults who read or are learning to read tactile braille- I am currently the national chairman of the Unified English Braille (UEB) Literary Committee of the National Braille Association (NBA). We answer questions, oversee forum discussions, present monthly free webinars, as well as compose quarterly skills articles and annual workshops that support continuing education for transcribers- My personal mission is to help others master the professional skills and resources needed to help them succeed as certified volunteer or professional braille transcribers. Whether in a class, through independent self-study correspondence, or individual one-on-one formal instruction, I believe that regardless of age —learning never ends. This goal extends to the print-to-braille transcriptions I complete for children and adults who depend on our gift of sight for accurate representations of print texts in their education, their careers, and their daily lives- My personal interests involve music, art, and literature. My wife and I have created visual arts in photography, and mixed media arts and crafts. I've crafted and built acoustic musical instruments for playing in group and personal sessions. I enjoy reading to my wife as she works on her arts and have recorded over 150 novels for sharing with friends.