Braille Transcription:
Getting Started

Montage of two pictures of braille transcribers at work.

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.

According to a national survey conducted by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in 2000¹, there is a critical shortage of braille textbook transcribers across the United States.

The survey indicated that 375 additional transcribers were needed in the year 2000 to meet the need for braille textbooks for blind students. Further, the survey estimates that by 2005, 750 more transcribers will be needed, and by 2010 the need jumps to over 1,000 additional braille transcribers.

¹ Survey on the Training and Availability of Braille Transcribers, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Textbook and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum, 2000. Access through the AFB website: www.afb.org.

Incidence of Blindness Increasing

It is estimated that there are about 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States today. Unfortunately, this number is growing. Medical advances at both ends of the age spectrum have resulted in an increased incidence of blindness. Premature babies are being saved but can be faced with lifelong disabilities. Older adults are living longer and can develop degenerative eye diseases.

According to a 2002 report by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes for Health and Prevent Blindness America, many more Americans are facing blindness than ever before. The number of blind people in the U.S. is expected to double over the next 30 years as the Baby Boomer generation ages.²

The U.S. Department of Education currently serves 93,600 blind and visually impaired students across the country (K-12) in special education programs. In 2002, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) registered 57,148 blind and visually impaired students eligible to receive adapted educational materials through the APH Federal Quota Program.

² "Vision Problems in the U.S.: Prevalence of Adult Vision Impairment and Age-Related Eye Disease in America," Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute, 2002. Access through www.preventblindness.org and www.nei.nih.gov/eyedata.

Same Textbook -- Same Time

For children who are blind, braille can mean literacy. It is often the key to their success -- both in school and in their adult lives -- if they are to live independently and realize their full potential. According to No Child Left Behind, the education law passed by Congress in 2001 and signed by President George W. Bush in January, 2002, the federal government will "ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic standards and assessments." Students who are blind or visually impaired must receive their textbooks at the same time as their sighted peers if they are to reach these goals set by the federal government.

For several reasons, this task is much easier said than done. Major factors impeding this goal include:

Producing textbooks in braille is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor.

Since the vast majority of students in the U.S. are sighted, textbooks are published with this in mind. They convey an enormous amount of information through visual displays (photographs, maps, charts, etc.). Typical geography, math, and science books, for example, often have several graphics on each page to explain key concepts. Blind students are entitled to -- and required to -- learn the same information as their sighted peers, so this information must all be transformed into an accessible format. One of the first steps in the editing process is making decisions about how each graphic can be replicated in a non-visual way.

While proper braille transcription and formatting are being conducted, tactile graphics must also be developed so that the blind student receives the same information as the sighted student. A complicated textbook can take up to a year to transcribe, and will result in many more volumes than the print version of the same book.
Changes in educational practices in recent decades have resulted in a significant environmental shift in the population of blind students.

Until the mid 20th century, 90 percent of blind students in the U.S. were educated together in residential schools across the country. With the move toward "mainstreaming" disabled students, 90 percent of blind students now attend local or neighborhood schools. Combining this trend with the current practice of selecting textbooks at the local level means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide every blind child, with every braille textbook he needs, in every school across the country.
Historically, the majority of braille textbook transcription has been provided by volunteers.

In years past, volunteers (generally mothers of blind children) learned braille and transcribed textbooks at home. Unfortunately, this generation of braille transcribers is disappearing. A national campaign is currently underway to transform the field of braille transcription to a paid professional career. Much progress has been made toward this goal, including the development of a certification program at the community college level and increased recruitment and training efforts.

Braille Transcription Certification

"Best practice" standards dictate that braille transcribers be certified by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress. Certifications offered by NLS include literary braille, music braille code, The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Scientific Notation, and braille proofreading. The certification course for literary braille transcription is available by correspondence through NLS (contact information on back).

Work Options

There are two settings in which most braille transcribers work:

employment with a braille production company, and
"cottage industry" contract braille production.

Since there are few large braille production companies across the U.S., the vast majority of braille transcribers work on a contractual basis, either individually or through small businesses.

Employers of Braille Transcribers

The following list includes some of the major companies in the United States that employ full-time braille transcribers, and may also contract with "outside" transcribers as needed:

American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206-0085
Toll Free (800) 223-1839
Telephone (502) 895-2405
Fax (502) 899-2274
Website: www.aph.org
Email: info@aph.org

National Braille Press
88 St. Stephen Street
Boston, MA 02115
Toll Free (888) 965-8965
Telephone (617) 266-6160
Fax (617) 437-0456
Website: www.nbp.org
Email: orders@nbp.org

Braille International, Inc.
3290 SE Slater Street
Stuart, FL 34997
Telephone (772) 286-8366
Fax (772) 286-8909
Email: linda@brailleintl.org

Clovernook Center for the Blind
7000 Hamilton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45231-5297
Telephone (513) 522-3860 (Voice and TDD)
Fax (513) 728-3946
Website: www.clovernook.org
Email: clovernook@clovernook.org
(offices also in Dayton, OH and Memphis, TN)

Associated Services for the Blind
919 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Telephone (215) 627-0600
Fax (215) 922-0692
Website: www.asb.org
Email: asbinfo@asb.org

Salary Ranges

According to the AFB survey, the range of annual salary for full time, certified transcribers is $18,000 to $50,000, plus benefits. When paid by the hour, the range of payment is $6 to $18. Fees commanded by braille transcribers depend upon their level of certification, previous experience, and the difficulty of the work assignment.

Rates for Contracted Services

Rates paid when transcribers contract their services depend upon the level of difficulty of the project, transcriber qualifications, and who owns the equipment, materials, and paper used (contractor or contractee). Current pay ranges are:

By the page	$0.25 to $5
By the hour	$8 to $35
By the project	$75 to $5,000

Contract Braille Services

The following is a partial listing of government entities and companies that provide braille materials to people who are blind. These are the primary groups with whom individual and small business transcribers contract for work.

A braille transcriber working at a computer.

State schools for the blind (currently 48)
State departments of education, special education divisions
State departments for the blind
Local school districts
Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
State Instructional Materials Resource Centers (IMRC). (Sometimes called Instructional Materials Centers (IMC) or Instructional Resource Centers (IRC).)
Businesses (restaurants, theatres, banks, utilities, transit systems, etc.)

Key Resources

The most complete reference and referral resource available to identify organizations in the blindness field and available products and services is the AFB Directory of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in the United States and Canada, published by AFB Press, American Foundation for the Blind (see below). This resource includes a listing of organizations that produce braille in each state.

The American Printing House for the Blind manages a database called Accessible Media Producers (AMP), containing the names, qualifications, and contact information for over 100 organizations and individuals that produce braille, large print, sound recordings, and computer braille files. Braille transcribers are encouraged to list their services on this database, free of charge. This list may also offer opportunities for beginning braille transcribers to sub-contract with those more established in the field.

Blind Readers' Page is a website that may be a good source of information. It contains listings of materials in alternative media, including braille. The NLS Reference Directories can also be accessed through the internet at www.loc.gov/nls/reference/directories.

Select National and International Organizations in the Field of Blindness

Following is a partial listing of national organizations that may need braille transcription services or may be of help in identifying employment or contract opportunities:

American Council of the Blind
1155 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Toll Free (800) 424-8666
Telephone (202) 467-5081
Fax (202) 467-5085
Website: www.acb.org

American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, New York 10001
Toll Free (800) 232-5463 (Voice and TDD/TTY)
Telephone (212) 502-7660 (Voice and TDD/TTY)
Fax: (212) 502-7777
Website: www.afb.org
Email: afbinfo@afb.net

Braille Authority of North America (BANA)
c/o Eileen Curran
National Braille Press
88 St. Stephen Street
Boston, MA 02115
Telephone (617) 266-6160 (TDD/TTY)
Website: www.brailleauthority.org
Email: ecurran@nbp.org

International Braille Research Center
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Telephone (410) 659-9314
Fax (410) 685-5653
Website: www.braille.org

Lighthouse International
111 East 59th Street
New York, New York 10022
Toll Free (800) 829-0500
Telephone (212) 821-9200
Website: www.lighthouse.org
Email: info@lighthouse.org

National Braille Association
3 Townline Circle
Rochester, New York 14623-2513
Telephone (716) 427-8260
Fax (716) 427-0263
Website: www.nationalbraille.org
Email: nbaoffice@compuserve.com

National Council of Private Agencies for the Blind
8770 Manchester Road
St. Louis, MO 63069
Telephone (314) 968-9000

National Council of State Agencies for the Blind
1213 29th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Telephone (202) 333-5841
Fax (202) 333-5881

National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Telephone (410) 659-9314
Fax (410) 685-5653
Website: www.nfb.org
Email: nfb@nfb.org

A braille transcriber working at a Perkins brailler.

National Industries for the Blind
1901 North Beauregard Street, Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22311-1727
Telephone (703) 998-0770
Fax (703) 671-9053
Website: www.nib.org
Email: info@nib.org

National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library of Congress
1291 Taylor Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
Telephone (202) 707-5100
Telephone (202) 707-0744
Fax (202) 707-0712
Website: www.lcweb.loc.gov/nls
Email: nls@loc.gov

Vision World Wide
5707 Brockton Drive, Suite 302
Indianapolis, IN 46220-5481
Toll Free (800) 431-1739
Telephone (317) 254-1332
Fax (317) 251-6588
Website: www.visionww.org
Email: info@visionww.org

Information Compiled by Nancy Lacewell
American Printing House for the Blind, Summer 2003

Braille Transcription: Getting Started