Braille Access Center | Washington State School for the Blind

Washington State Braille Services Team

Providing transcription services since 1996, the Braille Services Team is a collaborative partnership between the Washington State School for the Blind/Ogden Resource Center, Correctional Industries and the Washington Corrections Center for Women.

Braille Services Brochure **New**
Contact: Jennifer Merry or Kandi Lukowski
(360)947-3340 or (360)947-3344
braille@wssb.wa.gov

Governor’s Award for Quality and Performance
Braille Transcription Project
Department of Corrections, Department of Printing, School for the Blind, Tacoma Community College

Demand for Braille products far outstrips the available transcription resources in the School for the Blind, and in the community. The Department of Corrections, Department of Printing, and the School for the Blind piloted and then adopted a transcription program that uses inmate labor at Purdy to transcribe materials into Braille. Using inmates has allowed the state to leverage the transcription dollars available – as a result, the number of pages being transcribed has grown by 2000%. Many of the women who have been released are now gainfully employed in their own transcription businesses. In addition, by using inmates for the routine items, the professional transcribers are freed up to tackle more complicated documents.

See BAC’s largest project ever here!

Our Staff

Jennifer Merry – Program Manager
Kandi Lukowski – Braille Program Specialist and Coordinator
Adrienne Lattin – Braille Proofreader
Collette Pierce - Braille Transcriber
Justin Raner – Warehouse Operator
Ian Goodrich – Warehouse Operator

Mission Statement

The Braille Access Center is a fee for service agency providing quality, accurate braille to customers in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act.

History

The Braille Access Center began in October of 1992 as an awareness of, and a concern with, the need for more easily accessible braille in Washington State. In a remarkably short time a partnership was developed between the Washington State School for the Blind and the Department of Printing. We were producing braille by August of 1993. In 1995 we were awarded the Quality of Access Opportunity Award by the American Foundation for the Blind. In April 1997 our partnership grew to include the Braille Project at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Governor Gary Locke acknowledged the Braille Project for its service in his 1998 Governing For Results publication. In November 2002 the Braille Access Center and its partners received the Governor’s Award for Quality and Performance.

What We Do

At the Braille Access Center we believe in flexibility, quality, and accountability. Our customers include government, nonprofit agencies, businesses, hospitals, churches, and the community at large. We produce textbooks, workshop materials, newsletters, flyers, bills, the list is endless. We’ll try to put anything a customer needs into Braille. You can send your materials to us electronically, by disk, or hard copy. We produce high-quality materials. Everything transcribed is done by certified individuals and then proofread carefully, more than once when necessary. Contact us when you need Braille transcribed accurately and on time.