learn braille

The North Orange County Community College District College of Continuing Education is offering a Braille Transcribing class beginning September 5, 2007. This nine-month course in the Literary Braille code will prepare you for transcribing printed materials into Braille for blind persons and is free of charge. Successful completion of this course will prepare you for the Library of Congress certification process and will allow you to join local volunteer groups that provide transcribing services to Braille readers in the community.

Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the Braille Institute in Anaheim. Braille Institute is located at 527 North Dale Avenue at the southwest corner of Dale and Crescent in Anaheim. Parking is free at the Dale Avenue parking lot.

There is no tuition for this class. Textbooks will be provided free of charge and supplies are minimal. If you are looking for an interesting and challenging opportunity, we are looking for you! Typing skills are not needed, only your time and dedication to learning this fascinating skill.

To obtain additional information about the class, to reserve a space, or to register, you may leave a voice mail for Diana Burkhardt at 714-821-5000, extension 1602, or contact Jana Hertz at 949-212-7556 or via email at JanaBrailles@aol.com.

American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is continuing to support a new and unique curriculum at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, Texas, that provides a career path for people to become Braille transcribers. The college series is conducted entirely online through Northwest Vista College. Students are required to successfully complete three multi-disciplinary semesters to receive the Braille Textbook Transcriber Certificate. The first cohort began in August 2006 with people from six states. The second college cohort will begin August 27, 2007.

For more information about this career opportunity, visit the official Web page at http://www.accd.edu/nvc/areas/braille The curriculum brochure is available at the college Web page above or at AFB’s Web page at http://www.afb.org/education.asp at the Braille transcriber page.

I took an introductory course in Braille as part of job skills training. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much opportunity to use it on the job (I’m sighted), and let the skill go away. I need to find my workbook and start going through it again.

And for those of you who are sighted and having trouble reading by touch- our instructor said it’s very, very difficult- she’s sighted and has been an instructor/transcriber for 25 years!