The National Braille Press provides families with classic children’s books with custom braille pages
In 1983, The National Braille Press started a children’s braille book club. The goal was to make sure people with impaired vision or people who are blind, have access to literacy.
Books
According to Brian McDonald, President and CEO of the National Braille Press, braille is what gives people with visual impairments, access to literacy. He told CBS News: “Braille is literacy by definition for blind or low vision person. If they don’t have that skill it’s hard to learn sentence structure and grammar and becoming more independent in life.” Through their children’s book club, they have provided children with this type of independence since 1983. Every month, they send out a book to families with children who are blind or visually impaired. The braille pages in the books are carefully put together by the National Braille Press. It takes a lot of time and effort to make, but the facility says that it is worth it.
“I think it’s most rewarding now since we’ve been around so long, is that we have parents that grew up with these books that they’re reading to their sighted children bedtime stories,” MacDonald said.
Generations
CBS News talked to one of the first members of the children’s book club: Tim Vernon and his family. Vernon, who is blind, told the news channel: “My family wanted me to have a library of books similar to my sighted brother and sighted family members and friends who were having a library of printed books.” Tim said it made him feel independent. And now, with the books he saved from when he was young, Vernon is able to read to his nephew. He told CBS News: “Being able to read with him helps to cultivate and nurture a truly special bond.”
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Source: CBS News | Image: Unsplash, Leeloo Thefirst