FYI – I have no affiliation with any of the services recommended below. I just love them all and have benefitted from them, so wish to share them with you!
It’s not exactly a secret that I love books. It seems like I’m constantly running out of shelf space to house the newest books we’ve collected. Once E was born, I knew I wanted her (and later her brother, R) to love books as much as I do. So, when E was little, and we weren’t sure which kind of reader she would be – print, large print, Braille, or a combination? – I knew that we needed to start collecting Braille books as well as print books.
My all-time favorite picture of my kids, enjoying a book together!
I was overjoyed to find out that there are many sources of Braille books for children – and that many of those sources include free books for visually impaired and blind children! (After all, the only thing better than a new book is a new FREE book, right?!?)
Does my low vision child need Braille books?
As it turns out, E’s vision has improved enough that she is primarily a print reader. However, we are still teaching her Braille for a couple of reasons:
- Her vision may deteriorate as she gets older, as this is a significant risk with aniridia.
- Visual fatigue becomes a significant issue as the reading load grows heavier. Braille would give her eyes a break.
- Studies have shown that over 70% of legally blind adults are not employed full-time as adults. However, in one study, only 44% of those that read Braille were unemployed. Here’s a direct quote regarding that study:
“In a comparison between two groups of blind people, one consisting of Braille readers and the other of print readers, the study revealed that those who were taught Braille from the beginning had higher employment rates, were better educated and more financially self-sufficient, and spent more time engaged in leisure and other reading than the print users (Ryles, 1996).”These facts have stuck with me, so I have wanted E to learn Braille to ensure that we aren’t limiting her future opportunities.
E reading a Braille book with her TVI when she was super little!
Why Collect Braille Books at Home?
You may be thinking, “But our school system says our child won’t need to learn Braille. He can read large print instead.” Or “Our child’s vision is stable and won’t need Braille.” Or “But I don’t know Braille, so I can’t help my child read a Braille book!” My recommendation would be to look into these free resources anyway!
Here’s a few reasons:
- Many of these free books (especially for young children) are print-braille-and-picture books, which means that they have the same print and pictures as typical print books, but they have a Braille overlay added. As such, everybody in the family can enjoy them.
- Some of the books are print/Braille books, so they don’t have pictures. However, many of those have tactile drawings added to them, and often the print is a much larger print than in typical print/Braille/picture books, making it easier when your low vision child is reading the print.
- Exposure to Braille will absolutely not hurt your child (or even a normally sighted child!) and may help them later on.
- Some of these resources provide basic introduction to Braille for sighted people, so you could learn at least the basics with your child.
- Most importantly, the biggest predictor of a child’s academic success has been scientifically studied – and the answer is simply the presence of books in the home! According to multiple articles, “regardless of nationality, level of education, or their parents economic status, children who grew up with books in their homes reached a higher level of education than those who did not”. And the more books they have, the greater the benefit! Given that a low vision child has additional obstacles to overcome, it seems to reason that providing them with as many books as possible can only benefit them!
Free Resources for Braille Books
Seedlings’ Book Angel Project and Adopt-a-Reader Program
Seedlings is one of my absolute favorite sources for Braille books. Through their Book Angel Project, visually impaired children in the US can sign up for three free books EVERY YEAR. All you need to do it go to their website, choose four books that you are interested in for your child, and they will send you three of those books at some point in the coming months! Sometimes they offer yet another free book to any VI child in the state of Michigan at Christmastime.
Seedlings also has an Adopt-a-Reader program for VI children in Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio. You simply fill out this form, attach a picture of your child, and send it back to Seedlings via email or snail mail. As soon as they can match you with one of their donors, you will receive a $100 certificate to purchase Seedlings books for your child.
Although we’re talking free books here, you should also know that you can purchase Braille books through Seedlings for a cost similar to purchasing the same print book. So if you’re looking for Braille book resources, this is definitely the first place to start!
National Braille Press ReadBooks! Program
National Braille Press, along with Seedlings, distributes free braille book bags to families with blind and visually impaired children, ages birth to seven, across the U.S. and Canada. Each bag contains a print/braille children’s book, a braille primer for parents, a tactile toy, info about braille literacy, and more! All you have to do is fill out the form on their website. This book bag is a wonderful way for you to learn a little about Braille, as well as your child!
Again, I know we’re talking about free books here, but…I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Children’s Braille Book Club from National Braille Press. This is not free, but the cost is very reasonable, and there are different options you can choose – either having a book mailed to you once a month for year, or for six months, or you can receive a flyer telling you about the book each month. We participated in this for 2 years, and it was wonderful – many of our absolute favorite books came from this program. Since they are all print/braille/picture books, everybody can enjoy them!
Dolly Parton Imagination Library Braille Tales Print/Braille Program
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) has partnered with American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH) to make many of the wonderful books in her program available in braille and audio format so that young blind and visually impaired children can also benefit from these wonderful children’s books.
By enrolling in the Braille Tales Print/Braille Book Program, participating families receive six free print/braille books each year until the child reaches his/her 6th birthday. APH selects the titles from the current year’s DPIL booklist—those most appropriate for a child with a visual impairment. Print/braille versions are mailed directly to the child’s family. Books are limited and enrollment is on a first come/first serve basis. Apply now for free print/braille books!
Thanks to the APH/Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Partnership and the support of Penguin Group USA, the Accessible Books website also offers a growing collection of audio files of Imagination Library books available as free downloads.
I know that we’re talking free Braille books here, but I would again be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I LOVE Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for print books. This program is amazing – it will send a free book every month to children under the age of 6, if you are located in an area that has a local sponsor that supports the program.
We were fortunate to live in an area like that in Michigan, and we received a bunch of of our favorite children’s books from this program! If you have a child under the age of 6, you owe it to yourself and your children to check the availability in your area and, if available, sign your child up for the program!
American Action Fund Free Braille Books Program:
In 1997 the American Action Fund started this program to provide blind children a free Braille book every month from a popular children’s reading series. The books are for the children to keep and collect for as long as they want them.
The titles published every month are the same titles that are available in bookstores and public libraries everywhere. Since 1997, the program has produced over 318 titles in Braille and given them away to more than 20,000 subscribers.
To enroll, fill out their Free Braille Books online application.
The Braille Institute Braille Special Collection
The Braille Special Collection program is designed to increase braille literacy and foster a love of reading by providing blind and visually impaired children with FREE braille books and storybook kits throughout the year.
Any visually impaired child living in the United States or Canada is eligible to receive books from the Special Collection. (VI teachers or educators may also subscribe to our Special Collection.)
The Braille Special Collection produces a catalog twice a year: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. Subscribers may the following from each catalog:
- A total of 6 braille-only books from the Fiction and General Interest sections, or;
- 2 Dots for Tots® kits and 3 braille-only books, or;
- 1 TOP DOT® kit and 1 Dots for Tots® kit and 3 braille-only books
The books are completely free of charge for any blind/visually impaired child or VI teacher by signing up for the Special Collection. For more information or to subscribe to this service, email specialcollection@brailleinstitute.org.
We particularly loved the TOP DOT kits and the Dots for Tots kits, especially when E was younger. They send interesting manipulatives to go with books, as well as a lot of tactile graphics. I highly recommend this service!
The Xavier Society for the Blind: A Funny Alphabet Book
E loved this Funny Alphabet Book!
The Xavier Society for the Blind produces a fantastic large print/braille alphabet book full of fun tactile pictures called the Funny Alphabet book. The books are made by the New York State Columbiettes and given free of charge to any child with a visual impairment.
Both of my children thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I was even able to lend it to a class full of blind and low vision kids, who enjoyed it!
All requests for the Funny Alphabet can be sent to info@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org. For each request, they will need the name of the parent, their contact info, birthday of the child and home address to where the Funny Alphabet is to be mailed.
The Xavier Society also provides other materials in braille for people of all ages at no cost, primarily related to the Catholic faith. They have many children’s books, and some even have a print counterpart so a sibling or parent can read along. One of the focal points of their mission is on braille catechetical textbooks for children in religion classes and for adults looking to explore their faith.
They also provide the Propers of the Sunday Mass which are the readings, responses and prayers for the Masses on Sundays, 1st Fridays, 1st Saturdays, special feast days and Solemnities. These are also available in large print and audio for download off their website. They provide many other religious and spiritual books at no cost to their patrons, and their complete catalog can be found by clicking here.
In order to receive their materials, one must be signed up as a patron. This involves a simple, one page application that must be filled out and sent back to them. It can be filled out online and found on their website by clicking here.
NFB Braille Reading Pals
The NFB Braille Reading Pals Club introduces young children and their families to literacy through Braille and fosters positive attitudes about Braille. The Braille Reading Pals club helps families promote early literacy skills, and a love of reading through shared reading of print/Braille books with their blind children.
Braille Reading Pals Club members (ages birth through eight) will receive at no charge:
- A plush reading pal for the child
- One print/Braille book upon application and once per year thereafter
- Quarterly Braille activity sheets with print and Braille instructions
- Braille birthday cards for child participants
- Future Reflections, Special Issue: The Early Years
To sign up for this program, simply fill out this form on the NFB website.
Temple Beth El Braille Bindery
The Temple Beth El Sisterhood Braille Bindery transcribes, embosses and binds books for blind children. TBE’s Braille Bindery offers these books absolutely free in Braille for blind or low-vision children. The books are for the children to keep and collect for as long as they want them.
They mainly do literary Braille – both contracted and uncontracted Braille. They have over 1024 books in their files that they can duplicate and provide. To order books from their catalog, simply fill out the form on their website. Please note that these books are Braille only.
Braille Bibles International
Braille Bibles International believes that every blind individual that desires a Bible should have one. As such, they provide Bibles to people who are blind in Braille, Large Print and Audio formats.
One of the Bibles that they offer is a print-braille-and-picture version of the Beginner’s Bible. This book of Bible stories made especially for families with either a blind child or a blind parent is just like any other, complete with pictures. However, a clear sheet of plastic with Braille on it has been inserted between the pages, so that the stories can be read either in Braille or in print. This children’s Bible is one of the best selling children’s Bibles and contains 94 timeless stories written for children between the ages of 1 and 6. The Beginner’s Bible is contained in 10 hardbound volumes and is available free of any charge.
To receive this children’s Bible (or any of their other available products), fill out the application available on their website, and either mail or email the application along with the requested proof of blindness.
Sharebraille
Do you have a Braille book you’d like to share with others?
Are you interested in receiving a Braille book in the mail?
Sharebraille is a free service of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) designed to provide an outlet for organizations and people who are blind to offer surplus braille books to others who may enjoy them. ShareBraille.org lets you share Braille books all year long.
Join hundreds of Braille readers, teachers, parents, and students in increasing the use of Braille books through ShareBraille.org.
You can continually send and receive Braille books, keeping them in circulation for years to come.
A Love of Books!
One of my goals for my children is for them to learn to love books. I want them to relish the ability to transport themselves to different times and places and to learn a wealth of information, simply by opening a book. Being able to collect books with Braille on them has been a significant benefit to my daughter, and hopefully will be to your children as well!
This is indeed useful information. Thanks for sharing it. Braille Institute also has such amazing audio book collection for the visually impaired. Kindly keep posting such relevant and useful posts.