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Louis Braille was born January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, France. An injury to his eye at age three resulted in total loss of vision. When he was ten, he entered the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, the world’s first school for blind children. There he would live, study, and later teach. When Louis was fifteen, he developed an ingenious system of reading and writing by means of raised dots. Two years later he adapted -
his method to musical notation. Mr. Braille accepted a full-time teaching position at the Institute when he was nineteen. He was a kind, compassionate teacher and an accomplished musician. He gave his life in selfless service to his pupils, to his friends, and to the perfection of his raised dot method, which is known today as Braille. Louis Braille died at age forty-three, confident that his mission on earth was completed.
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ASB's Braille Division


ASB is proud to offer a complete, full-scale braille production department on-site at our Walnut Street headquarters in Philadelphia.

We house one of only five such facilities in the United States, where we have the capability to produce everything from a single document to hundreds of copies of books and magazines.

Our Braille Transcribers require Library of Congress Certification and spend a year in training. Additionally, computers and specialized software allow us to increase both speed and accuracy, so that in the past year alone we were able to braille and proofread over 94,000 pages…and press, collate and bind over 11,000,000 braille pages.

Our Braille Department consists of two services: Production Braille, which offers large-scale output, and Custom Braille, where we have the ability to braille everything from a single utility bill to school textbooks to restaurant menus.

ASB is dedicated to offering the highest level of quality in braille production

 
Varghese Abraham working with Heidleburg presses
 

PRODUCTION BRAILLE (Back to top)

Our full-scale facility accepts private contracts to set, press, proofread, collate and bind books and magazines that will eventually find their way to homes and libraries across the country. We braille fiction and non-fiction books and reference materials, and have also brailled a variety of magazines, including religious publications, quarterlies and newsletters.

For more information regarding Production Braille, contact Dolores Ferrara-Godzieba at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CUSTOM BRAILLE (Back to top)

ASB's Braille Division has the ability to produce small orders whenever necessary. This can include almost anything that's available in printed format. We've brailled single editions of novels and other books, school textbooks, individual bank statements, restaurant menus, hospital reports and records, museum guides, music and some foreign language transcriptions.

We're happy to provide cost quotes to anyone interested in custom braille.

For more information, or to request a cost-quote, contact Dolores Ferrara-Godzieba at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS:

By law, most institutions are required to provide braille transcriptions of many printed materials to any blind or visually impaired individual who specifically requests brailled materials. These include, but are not limited to, such items as bank statements, utility bills, medical records, menus and museum guides. While we do not provide such transcriptions directly to individuals, we contract with the institutions that are required to provide them.

If you or someone you know requires a braille transcription, be sure to ask the issuing institution. You cannot be denied.

Further information regarding your rights can be found in the Chafee Amendment.