Nonprofit Spotlight: Seedlings Braille Books for Children

By Angie Arlington

eedlings Braille Books for Children is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to increasing the opportunity for literacy and education by providing high quality, free and low cost braille books for children. “From the beginning of Seedlings’ history, our work and mission have been based on a belief in the value, dignity, and equal rights of all people. We are particularly dedicated to leveling the playing field in terms of access to books and literacy for children with vision loss. We pledge to highlight and promote books that foster understanding, and to research and add more diverse educational titles,” explains Grants Manager, Barrie Brown.

Seedlings Braille Books for Children

In 1984 when Debra Bonde founded Seedlings, braille materials were scarce and expensive. Her goals were to increase the availability and lower the cost of braille books for children in order to promote their literacy skills and the love of reading. In 1985, the first year of book production, Debra made 221 books in her basement office. By 1990, Seedlings was producing 5,000 books per year, which precipitated its move out of Debra’s basement and into the Bentley Center in Livonia, Michigan, and eventually to their present location on Farmington Road in Livonia. In 2023, with a small staff, and a group of loyal volunteers, Seedlings produced over 48,000 braille books and articles (68% of which were given away for free). Having special needs is already an expense on many parents and families.

On top of that, braille materials can be costly and time consuming to produce which can be an access barrier for families.This causes many children with visual impairment to follow behind their peers in education, literacy, and independence. Seedlings aims to alleviate these burdens so that any child can learn.

Seedlings’ braille materials have opened up new worlds for thousands of children. Seedlings Braille Books for Children is keeping visually impaired children in the mainstream of popular literature and is reaching braille readers in all 50 states and over 75 foreign countries. Seedlings contributes to literacy by providing children with vision loss equal opportunity to develop the love of reading.

Braille books are provided at each level of development, from toddler board books to classic literature for older children. Just as sighted children learn to read as they are exposed to the printed word, so do visually impaired children who are exposed to the tactile page at an early age. New titles are added every year as highly skilled volunteer braille transcribers spend countless hours translating print books into braille and preparing them for production. Exposure to popular, high quality braille literature throughout childhood increases the likelihood of children developing into able braille readers.

As a non-profit organization, Seedlings gives away over half of their books and sells the rest for a fraction of what it costs to make them. Support is very broad based and comes from individuals, philanthropic groups, corporations, and private foundations. Seedlings is not a United Way agency and receives no government grants. Thanks to hundreds of generous donors and dedicated, hard-working volunteers, the price of Seedlings’ books remains far below actual production costs, averaging only $10 per book.

“As our mission is dedicated to increasing the opportunity for literacy and education by providing high quality, free and low cost braille books for children, our services are mainly provided to assist with accessibility and affordable resources for young children faced with visualimpairment, blindness, or low vision. While most of our events fundraise for our objective of producing more braille books, we offer many free programs which are useful to emerging braille readers.”

The Book Angel Program (BAP)!

Through this program, over 100,000 free braille books have been sent to children since 2002! Each child (birth-21) with vision loss in the U.S. and Canada can now receive 1 order of 5 free braille books per calendar year.

The TVIP Program!

Certified Teachers of Visually Impaired Students in the U.S. may request 1 order of 5 free braille books from Seedlings per calendar year! Since 2019, this program has sent over 21,000 books to teachers!

The Braille for Beginners Program (B4B)!

Through the B4B program, hundreds of print-braille-and-picture books have been placed into the hands of toddlers and preschoolers ages birth-3 with vision loss at Early Intervention Programs across the U.S.

The Adopt-a-Reader Program

HOW TO SUPPORT

There are many ways you can help! Seedlings is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Your donations help to subsidize braille book production, keeping Seedlings’ books affordable. Your support is greatly appreciated!

General Donations: Every $10 donation places a braille book in the hands of a child with vision loss!

Memorial Donations and Tributes in Honor of Friends & Family: The perfect opportunity to commemorate any occasion with a unique gift For each $10 donation, a braille book will be inscribed in the honoree’s name. A notification of your gift will be sent to your honoree(s) or their family.

Sponsor the Launch of a New Title: Seedlings has over 1,100 titles in its catalog, but there is much more to be done! A $1,000 contribution enables the launch of a brand new title in Unified English Braille.

Securities: Make a bigger impact by donating long-term appreciated securities, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, directly to Seedlings.

Planned and Estate Giving:

Commonly donated through a will, estate plan, or charitable bequest, planned gifts can have a major impact on Seedlings’ longevity.