Literary Braille Transcribing
Course Information
About the course
Eligibility requirements
Equipment required
How the course works
Certification test
How to enroll
Instructional manuals
Contact Information
About the course
Under a contract with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS), the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute offers a course in literary braille transcribing to teach students to transcribe print materials into braille. It is not appropriate for learning braille as a personal reading and writing skill. Students receive a Library of Congress certificate in literary braille transcribing upon successful completion of the course. This certificate qualifies the recipient to transcribe general literary materials and is a prerequisite for other transcribing and proofreading courses. New transcribers are encouraged to gain experience with braille formats for textbooks and technical materials by working with local transcribing groups. After six months' experience, a literary braille transcriber may enroll in a course in mathematics braille transcribing, music braille transcribing, or proofreading. A background in math is helpful in transcribing mathematics. In-depth knowledge of print music is a prerequisite for the course in music braille transcribing.
There is no tuition charge. Necessary instructional materials are provided free by the NFB Jernigan Institute. They include the Instruction Manual, a copy of English Braille, American Edition, 2002 Revison, and Drills Reproduced in Braille. These manuals are also available for download. Students who withdraw from the course are required to return these materials.
Eligibility requirements
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United States citizenship or residency
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High school diploma or equivalent
Equipment required
A 40-cell desk slate, a braillewriter, or a computer with a six-key direct input software program (translation software may NOT be used). See enclosed materials for information about computer programs. Some sources of slates and braillewriters include:
Howe Press
Watertown, MA 02472American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
Braille paper (11 x 11½ inches). Some sources are:
National Federation of the Blind, Independence Market
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206Howe Press
Watertown, MA 02472Star Continuous Cards
32 Bacton Hill Road
Frazer, PA 19355-1026
How the course works
Instructional materials are provided by the NFB Jernigan Institute. Students can take the course through a locally sponsored braille class or through correspondence from the Jernigan Institute. Local classes are conducted by experienced transcribers who hold Library of Congress certification in literary braille. Often local sponsors of braille classes provide writing equipment and paper. For information about local groups that sponsor braille classes, consult the Library of Congress directory Sources of Custom-Produced Books or call NLS at 800-424-8567.
The course includes lessons covering the braille alphabet, braille contractions, and rules for writing braille. Lessons describe the elements of the braille system, give examples, and provide practice drills. At the end of each lesson is an exercise with sentences or short passages testing comprehension and reviewing concepts and rules from earlier lessons. These exercises will be evaluated by local class instructors, or, if studying by correspondence, by the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
Exercises may be submitted in either hard-copy braille or electronic format. The trial manuscript must be submitted in hard-copy braille. Thermoform copies are not acceptable. Computer programs using six-key direct entry may be used in preparing the manuscript.
Instructors will prepare written reports pointing out any errors and citing sections of the instruction manual that should be studied again. If, in the judgment of the instructor, there are too many errors, students will be asked to resubmit the exercise. Students are given three chances to submit an acceptable exercise.
Certification test
The final exercise of the course is a transcription of thirty-five braille pages of material, chosen by the students, usually a portion of a book. Students who prepare manuscripts using a computer must separate and collate the pages. Whether studying with a local class or taking the course by correspondence, students will submit the final manuscript along with the print text to the NFB Jernigan Institute for scoring the manuscript. Candidates scoring 80 points or above will receive the Library of Congress certificate in literary braille transcribing. Students have three opportunities to submit an acceptable trial manuscript.
Students are encouraged to submit exercises on a regular basis (at least monthly) and to submit only one lesson at a time. Students' names will be removed from the program's active file if they are not heard from for twelve months. The course takes approximately twelve to eighteen months to complete, including the trial manuscript.
How to enroll
Applicants can enroll in the course in two ways.
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Complete application online
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Mail a complete print application (Word doc) to:
The National Federation of the Blind
Braille Certification Training Program
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Whether intending to take the course with a local teacher or through correspondence, prospective students must submit this application form before the course begins.
Instructional manuals
Necessary instructional materials are provided free by the
New 5th Edition! - Instructional Manual for Braille Transcribing
This file contains the entire text of the 5th edition of the Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing and includes navigation and cross-reference links for the convenience of the reader. Our thanks are extended to Dennis Helwig of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for creating this enriched version of the file.
5th Edition Complete manual (PDF)
5th Edition Braille-ready manual (zip file)
Drills Reproduced in Braille
5th Edition Drills (PDF version)
5th Edition Drills (Braille-ready version)
4th Edition - Instructional Manual for Braille Transcribing
Complete manual (PDF)
Manual by chapter (PDF, zip file)
Braille-ready manual (zip file)
Drills Reproduced in Braille
Drills (PDF version)
Drills (Braille-ready version)
English Braille, American Edition, 2002 Revision
EBAE (PDF version, zip file)
EBAE (Braille-ready version)
For more information
Contact Jennifer Dunnam, Manager of Braille Programs
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
Phone: (612) 767-5658
E-mail: transcribers@nfb.org
