In 2026, the NIMAC was pleased to offer two free online courses to support braille transcribers who work with NIMAS files. The recorded trainings and associated slide decks are archived below.
If you are interested in accessing a sample NIMAS file for practice, you are welcome to use this practice NIMAS XML file (with accompanying PDF).
Braille 2000: Textbook Transcription from Start to Finish
Producing high-quality digital and embossed braille using Braille 2000 and NIMAS files has never been easier. This series of 6 webinars will teach you how to use Braille 2000 to create a fully formatted braille textbook from NIMAS, including how to use BrailleBlaster as the initial conversion step.
This course was developed and presented by Rosemary Baggott, an independent transcriber. Her transcription company is Rhyomai, Inc.
For detailed information about what is covered in each session, just click the individual session title.
Session 1
Download training slides (English or Spanish)
Learn how to:
Convert the NIMAS file and perform initial formatting using BrailleBlaster or Braille 2000
Access and download a file from NIMAC site, including the basics of a NIMAS file set structure
Session 2
Download training slides (English or Spanish)
Learn how to:
Quickly navigate within your transcription project
Set up your text and format transcriber-generated pages
Session 3
Download training slides (English or Spanish)
Learn how to:
Utilize the features in Braille 2000 to edit and format Pagination, Tables of Contents, and Typeforms
Session 4
Download training slides (English or Spanish)
Learn how to:
Utilize the features in Braille 2000 to edit and format Headings, Lists and Tables, and Alphabetic References
Session 5
Download training slides (English or Spanish)
Learn how to:
Explore some other features you may find in NIMAS-generated files, including: sidebars, line numbered text/poetry, footnotes, Math/MathML, and pronunciation keys
Session 6
Question and answer session
Duxbury/NimPro: Textbook Transcription from Start to Finish
This 6-part webinar series for braille transcribers walks the participant through how to use Duxbury and NimPro to create a fully formatted braille textbook using a NIMAS file.
This course was developed and presented by Stacy Fontenot, an expert Nemeth transcriber and NIMAC contractor.
For detailed information about what is covered in each session, just click the individual session title.
Session 1
Learn how to:
Identify types of files in NIMAS file set (PDF, XML, images) and how they can be used for transcription
Access a file from NIMAC site as an Accessible Media Producer (AMP)
Download, Save, & Convert NIMAS file to braille file using NimPro/Duxbury
Explore NimPro features that help with initial formatting of the downloaded file
Session 2
Download sample NIMAS XML file (and corresponding PDF) for practice
Learn how to:
Set up your transcription project.
Use NimPro tools to quickly format textbook front matter.
Use SWIFT to format preliminary pages.