A cost-effective program designed especially for teachers and librarians to help them build a library of Braille materials.

What is Partners in Literacy?

Why should I join?

How does it work?

What's in the collection?

How do I join?

Based on our popular Braille Special Collection Program , our Partners in Literacy Program is designed especially to meet the needs of professionals working with blind and visually impaired children. Now, teachers, school district administrators and librarians have a cost-effective way to build a contemporary, diverse library of materials for braille-reading students of all ages—even when they are on a tight budget!

A participant in the program may order up to 25 braille books a year from our On-line Special Collection Catalog for a modest annual fee. We will accept new subscriptions throughout the year, but all must be renewed once a year in February.

Please note: The Partners discount only applies to titles listed in the seasonal Special Collection Catalog. Orders from our full catalog of 1,200 children's books are invoiced separately at the list price.

Let's face it: braille materials have not been as available or as affordable as we would all like. While our cost to produce a braille-only picture book might be just $7, longer chapter books can be six volumes or more and run more than $50. When you become a Partner, everyone benefits. The more copies of each title we run at once, the lower the individual cost per book. The modest annual fee offsets our cost for materials, allowing us to add more books to our subscription programs and offer longer books for older readers at the bulk rate.

Our Online Special Collections Catalog is posted on our Web site three times a year. 30 to 35 books are available for order until the posted deadline. In the course of a year, we offer more than 100 new titles, both fiction and nonfiction. Two to three Dots for Tots kits and one Tactales kit are also available each season. Remember to check this site for the latest catalog, which is updated three times a year.

As a Partner you may order as many books as you like, including multiple copies of one title, up to a total of 25. Partners choose their books by e-mail.

Partners also benefit by being the first to be informed of special offers and overflow inventory made available to them free of charge. We often receive books donated that we braille and make available in limited quantities.

Our overall collection is one of the most extensive available, with more than 1,200 titles already transcribed that we can circulate through our Online Special Collection Catalog. They include many classic children's stories and many of the titles schools assign as required reading. Many are Newbery Award winners, and we include popular series old and new. Most titles are fiction, but we are beginning to offer more nonfiction, how-to books and biographies appropriate for school reports. Click here for this season's list of 30 available titles.

Please note: Books listed in our regular Children's Catalog are NOT part of the Partners in Literacy Program.

Fill out the downloadable Partners in Literacy Program Application Form and mail it with a check for $150 (made out to Universal Media Services) to the following address:

Universal Media Services
c/o Braille Institute of America
741 North Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Attn: Partners in Literacy Program

Please note: You will need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and download PDF documents. You can download this FREE software by clicking on the icon below:

After your application to the program has been received, we will send you an e-mail confirmation and instructions on how to begin ordering books.

If you have further questions about the program, please do not hesitate to call us at (323) 906-3104 or send an e-mail to Jacky Garcia at: jgarcia@brailleinstitute.org

Phone hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm (PST)
You may also e-mail us at: ums@brailleinstitute.org