MICHIGAN BRAILLE TRANSCRIBING FUND
S E R V I C I N G B R A I L L E R E A D E R S S I N C E 19 6 2
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SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST
There are 57,000 legally blind
children in the U.S.
• Less than 10% of legally blind
children read braille
• More than 40% read neither
braille nor large print
• 85% of blind people who use
braille are employed
The success of MBTF
was made possible
through the combined
efforts of Lions of
Districts 11-B1 and
11-C2, Jackson County
Intermediate School
District, and the
Michigan Department
of Corrections.
Interpoint Embosser embosses
braille on both sides of paper
simultaneously.
3500 N. Elm Road · Jackson, MI 49201· (517) 780-5096 · FAX (734) 668-1094
The Voice Heard Perishes—The Letter Written Remains
“Depriving a
blind child of
braille is like
taking pencil
and paper
from a
sighted child.”
—Francelia Wonders
STARTED In 1962 prisoners at the
State Prison of Southern Michigan began
spending eight hours a day producing
brailled material for blind students and
adults nationwide and abroad. What began
as a volunteer effort by a few prisoners has
grown into a non-profit corporation now
known in the industry as Michigan Braille
Transcribing Fund (MBTF). MBTF has
grown into a prominent braille production
facility. The success of MBTF was made
possible through the combined efforts of
Lions of Districts 11-B1 and 11-C2, Jack-
son County Intermediate School District,
and the Michigan Department of Correc-
tions. Guided by its Board of Directors,
MBTF’s Director and Assistant Director,
supervise a staff of thirty-five prisoners.
At its inception the program was origi-
nally established to provide Michigan stu-
dents with brailled materials. The prolifera-
tion of MBTF has enabled our certified
braillists the latitude to participate in the
“hard to braille” projects: municipal bus
schedules, to corporate manuals, menus,
and textbooks requiring large amounts of
drawings.
TOTAL EFFORT Housed behind
prison walls, the MBTF facility encom-
passes a complete training program and
braille production center (now located
within the Cotton Correctional Facility.)
Under the tutelage of prisoner instructors,
MBTF braille transcription trainees undergo
a certification process prescribed by the Li-
brary of Congress. While the program is
often mistaken as a volunteer effort, prison-
ers are paid a wage that is commensurate
with their professionalism and productivity.
Much of the success of MBTF is a result of
(l-r) Warden Bruce Curtis, MBTF Director Francelia
Wonders, and MBTF Asst. Director Cindy Olmstead.
our certified braillists utilizing the latest tech-
nology and embracing the philosophy of life-
long learning.
THE PROCESS Transcribing textbooks
into braille is similar to translating a foreign
language to English. To protect against errors
and omissions, most of the transcriptions are
sent to blind proofreaders. Several proof-
readers are contracted with MBTF to proofread
the brailled materials. When materials have
been proofread, the corrections are made to the
master copy, then copies of masters are pre-
pared for distribution.
New software programs have enhanced
the braille transcribing process. Technology is
constantly improving the methods by which
the transcriber encodes textbooks and instruc-
tional materials into braille formats as pre-
scribed by the braille authorities. Computer
technology has shortened the production time
from beginning to completion of a textbook.
While most of the tedious work is done by
computers, the manual procedures are the
mainstay of the experienced transcriber.
LOW COST...HIGH DEMAND Nation-
wide, barely two-thirds of the demand for
brailled material is met. MBTF targets and
specializes in the “hard to do Braille,” such as
math, science, geography, spelling and social
studies. Despite the inability of the braille
industry to meet this demand, MBTF provides
materials very inexpensively in terms of the
market price in the private sector. A finished
page from MBTF typically sells for about
thirty cents compared to market prices of sev-
eral dollars per page.
The major factors behind the reasonable
prices at MBTF is the low cost of labor, high
productivity, and non-profit status; which en-
able us to defray shipping expenses by util-
izing the Free Matter for the Blind postage
service provided by the U.S Postal Service.
(right) STATE OF MICHIGAN SPECIAL
THE VALUE OF THE BRAILLE TRIBUTE A special tribute to Francelia
PROGRAM Unspoken benefits often ac- Wonders for her tireless commitment to the
crue to the MBTF staff. Men who other- visually impaired during her distinguished
tenure at MBTF, presented by Michigan
wise have little choice but to waste idle Senator Phillip Hoffman. (l-r) MBTF
years achieving little and contributing President Paul Frederick, MBTF Director
nothing to society—discovered a correla- Francelia Wonders, and Michigan Senator
tion of helping others and helping them- Phillip Hoffman.
selves. The efforts of these men are two-
fold—the men benefit through synergy and
society gains individuals who have devel-
oped marketable skills, and a sense of
community that is embodied in their pro-
ductivity and altruistic attitude.
Perhaps only the blind can fully realize
the value of this program. Blind persons
who are braille literate possess a fundamen-
tal requisite to find purpose and achieve (left) Francelia Wonders and
efficacy in their lives. Blind children de- Cindy Olmstead celebrating 40
prived of braille will ultimately be deprived years of braille transcribing
of fulfillment of security and success in service.
life. As a result of MBTF’s efforts more
children now have greater access to brailled
books that are otherwise cost prohibited at
commercial rates.
The mission of MBTF remains the
same, to provide affordable quality braille,
with emphasis being focused on quality.
(above left) Francelia Wonders, Director, channels prisoner labor into a valuable service for the blind
MBTF continues to welcome your com- "Originally my goals were to improve the quality of braille and expedite its delivery. Training
ments and suggestions. The braille reader braillists is now my priority. " (above right) Cindy Olmstead, Assistant Director, utilizes her
is our priority. MBTF produces books with background in finance to enable Director Wonders to devote her attention to the braille aspect of
the braille reader in mind. MBTF's operations. "Given the environment in which MBTF is located, the dedication and the
professionalism displayed by the staff is impressive."

(left) Our braille/large

print pocket calendars
have become a favorite
of all ages. Thousands
are distributed free
every year. (right)
During peak production
season, each
thermoform operator
reproduces 2,500
braille pages daily.

(left) Every square inch

of our new building is
filled to capacity.
(right) Despite the
influx of computer
technology, the reliable
Perkins Braille Writer
remains an important
industry tool.
Mathematics, with its
numerous raised line
drawings and complex
graphs, is best
reproduced on the
Perkins Braille Writer.

3500 N. Elm Road · Jackson, MI 49201· (517) 780-5096 · FAX (734) 668-1094