Braille Literacy Month highlights services and resources available to support Michiganders who are blind or visually impaired

LANSING, Mich. — To recognize the braille reading system’s impact on individuals who are blind or visually impaired and to call attention to the invaluable services and resources that enable Michiganders to learn and enhance their reading skills, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed January as Braille Literacy Month in Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Bureau of Services for Blind Persons facilitates various braille services and resources for Michiganders throughout the state. Their Training Center, located in Kalamazoo, offers courses on braille that are designed to prepare students with the fundamentals of this reading/writing system, including identifying the braille alphabet, braille numbers, common punctuation and reading comprehension. They offer courses in-person and virtually.

“We’re committed to providing personalized solutions that empower blind and visually impaired individuals to achieve independence and thrive in the workplace,” said Mike Pemble, Acting Director of the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. “Whether you’re interested in gaining hands-on skills at our dynamic Training Center, accessing the resources of the Braille and Talking Book Library, or exploring vocational rehabilitation programs, we’re here to help Michiganders unlock their potential.”

In addition to January’s observance of Braille Literacy Month, January 4 also marked the annual celebration of World Braille Day to honor the birthday of Louis Braille, who created the code in 1824. The Braille system enables individuals to read with their fingertips using a system of six raised dots, laid out in a six-pack formation. It also helps individuals who are blind or visually impaired in the workplace and classroom and assists with helping them learn about grammar, spelling and punctuation.

The Bureau of Services for Blind Persons is Michigan’s vocational rehabilitation agency for blind, deafblind and severely visually impaired individuals. Providing workplace readiness training and other vocational rehabilitation services through seven field offices, they empower people who have vision loss to achieve their employment goals. The agency also works with businesses to provide access to individuals who are blind, deafblind and severely visually impaired, opening the doors to career pathways.

The Bureau of Services for Blind Persons provided valuable independent living and workplace readiness skills to 238 Michiganders through its Training Center during fiscal year 2024. The agency also supports blind entrepreneurs offering food services in state and federal buildings.

The Braille and Talking Book Library, located in Lansing, ensures print material is available to all Michiganders unable to use standard print materials. In fiscal year 2024, the library served more than 8,700 patrons, disseminating more than 2,000 braille books and 673,000 audiobooks.

“If you or someone you know is blind or visually impaired and could benefit from our services, don’t hesitate to connect with us,” Pemble said. “Our trained professionals will work with you to assess your needs, set meaningful goals, and embark on a journey toward success and independence.”

For more information about the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons and its services, visit Michigan.gov/BSBP.

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The programs described in this press release are funded as follows: Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) funded 78.7% through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) and 21.3% through State funding; Independent Living Older Blind (ILOB) funded 90% through a grant from the USDOE and 10% through State funding; Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) funded 100 percent through the USDOE VR grant. For the federal fiscal year 2024, federal grant funds were as follows: VR $20,146,385; Pre-ETS reserve included in VR $3,021,958; ILOB $994,565.