What's New at NBP

NBP is pleased to announce the winners of the Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation. The Prize was awarded to Emily Wharton for her submission of "Code Master." Honorable mentions were also awarded to two teams for their submissions of "inTACT" and "GraVVITAS." Learn more about the winners.
Posted 2/8/2013

Bob was generous, competent, understated, practical, and diligent. I first met him in the late 80s on a fundraising visit to his office and was immediately impressed with his quiet, gentle demeanor and underlying strength. I asked him for $1000; he gave $1,500 and continued his strong support to the end.

Later he joined the board and for several years contributed significantly of his time and talent to help with our building improvements, landscaping, and internal remodeling. His predilection was definitely for action, not talk. After the first meeting of the building improvements committee that he attended he pulled me aside to say, "We don't need a committee, Bill; I can handle this." And handle it he did! Bringing us not only his time and expertise, but also architects and contractors and training on building development project management.

He could always be trusted to do it right, not just from a workmanship point of view but ethically. When I reported to him that a builder had put in a component a few inches out of specification, a deviation that would have caused some awkwardness but which we could have lived with, he unhesitatingly said, "Tell them to redo it." On the question of our irregular front steps, he considered an architect proposal to add one additional step out on the sidewalk which would require a city permit. I mentioned to him that another major donor, also a real estate developer, had said, "Forget the permit; just put in the step and apologize later." Bob was again unhesitating, saying, "No, no, if we don't get the permit, we don't put in the step."

I learned much from Bob and hold him in high esteem and with much appreciation and fondness. He is in the top echelon of the high quality, substantial men I have known to be worthy of emulation.

Read Bob Elder's Obituary
Posted 1/18/2013

NBP's blog was recently featured on Boston.com. Read the full story.
Posted 2/27/2013

A young boy is promoting braille literacy with the help of his family and Whole Foods Market by "brailling the entire universe"…one grocery store at a time. Joshua Goldenberg is empowering braille readers by introducing braille labels into stores. Visit The Joshua Project Foundation website.
Posted 2/11/2013

To encourage braille literacy, OnlineColleges.net posted '15 Facts to Share During Braille Literacy Month' stating that, "Educating oneself and the rest of the populace about visual impairments, blindness, and the reality of braille marks the best strategy for promoting its prolificacy."

Read their 15 Facts.
Posted 1/25/2013

To celebrate National Braille Literacy Month, BNY Mellon is hosting NBP's Louis Braille exhibit in the lobby of their Everett, MA office. The exhibit, in print and braille, takes viewers through the highlights of Louis's life, the braille production process, and why braille remains important today.
Posted 1/11/2013

Was your New Year's resolution about getting in shape? How about training for a marathon? Thanks to the John Hancock Non-Profit Program, NBP received 4 charity numbers for the 2013 Boston Marathon. We still have 1 open spot. Interested? Contact Joe Quintanilla for more information.

Join NBP on December 19th to 'flip the switch' and light the Prudential tower in NBP colors, as part of the Shops at the Prudential Center's 31 Nights of Light. Come support NBP, spread holiday cheer, and enjoy carols.

NBP is proud to support the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to educate Amazon.com on the need for accessible educational materials for blind children and adults. On December 7, NFB will be presenting letters asking the CEO of Amazon.com to consider accessibility needs in the design of Kindle books. Read a letter from NBP president Brian MacDonald.

NBP president, Brian Mac Donald, is featured in the November issue of the Daisy Planet, the newsletter of the Daisy Consortium.

"I am sighted, and I'm often asked how I got into this field, and if I had a personal connection to 'blindness'. I had never heard of NBP, but I immediately had a flashback to my youth, and my maternal grandmother who was blind and would often sit me on her lap to teach me braille." Read the Daisy Planet article here.

On November 2, 2012, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) set a new course for the future of braille in the United States (U.S.) when it adopted Unified English Braille (UEB). Read more about UEB.

NBP is proud to co-sponsor the Disabilities Job Fair. Employers will be available to discuss job opportunities with prospective candidates. View the job fair press release.

When: November 8th from 10am-1pm
Where: MassChallenge, Inc.
One Marina Park Drive, 14th floor, Boston

Thank you to all the supporters of NBP's gala, A Million Laughs for Literacy, which raised nearly $400,000 to support braille literacy for blind children. Special thanks to comedian, Tom Papa, for keeping us laughing, Eliza Cooper for encouraging us to use all our senses, and Diane Croft for her outstanding publishing career at NBP. View pictures from this fun evening.

National Braille Press is honored to have been selected by John Hancock as one of its partners through its 2013 Boston Marathon - John Hancock Non-Profit Program!

NBP is looking for individuals to run 26.2 miles in the world famous Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Each of NBP's four runners will raise $5,000 in support of literacy for blind children and adults!

Why join the NBP Team?

• Entry in 117th Boston Marathon
• Customized Marathon Training Program
• Online fundraising with a personal web page
• Fundraising and training guide
• Team uniform
• Participation in 2 long runs from Hopkinton with water stops
• Cheering section on Boston Marathon course
• An experience of a life time!

Thank you for supporting The Giving Common Challenge! NBP won $10,000 for placing 3rd in overall fundraising with $24,415 raised.

Help NBP win $25,000 to support braille literacy. Take part in the Giving Common Challenge: 8am Wednesday, October 10th through 8pm Thursday, October 11th. Your support allows us to create cherished reading experiences for blind children and adults.

Thanks to all who submitted their favorite storybook in honor of Read a Child a Book You Like Day. The perennial favorite, Dr. Seuss was the most referenced author, with Oh, the Places You'll Go! ending in a 4-way tie for the top spot. Watch a video of a child reading an excerpt from his favorite braille book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

NBP has greatly expanded since starting The Weekly News in 1927 to include original braille works, text books, and even testing materials. Our custom braille services help children and adults across the world, like the kids at Busy Bee Braille School in Bermuda. Read the full article.

NBP is part of the Combined Federal Campaign (charity code: 25435) and the City of Boston Employees Charitable Campaign. If you are a city or federal employee, please consider donating to NBP and encouraging eligible friends and family to donate, too.

NBP staff member, Joe Quintanilla, recently visited Camp Little Rock in Medford, NJ to join Verizon's Meghan Wismer in presenting the campers with copies of Stir It Up! Recipes & Techniques for Young Blind Cooks. Copies of the book were purchased for the camp with donations made by Verizon employees during the annual Verizon Season's Readings program. Read the full press release.

Dr. Nicholas Racheotes, an NBP Trustee since 2008, is Chairman of our Publications Strategic Planning Committee. A braille advocate, historian, and professor at Framingham State University, Racheotes is a significant resource in our efforts to increase braille literacy through publications. Read the full story.

Literacy Champions donate on a monthly basis and provide a steady stream of support that lets NBP continue to keep braille literacy alive. If you would like to become a Literacy Champion, donate now.

NBP hosted a cooking demonstration at Whole Foods Market in Wellesley on July 21st to demonstrate recipes from our Stir it Up! braille cookbook, designed to introduce blind children to the art of cooking. JoAnn Becker, NBP trustee, and 12 year-old Jack McPadden, had fun in the kitchen making Mummy Dogs, Fruit Smoothies, and Ice Cream in a Bag.

Read the recipe list or place an order.

Listed below are the top 15 bestsellers at the recent NFB and ACB conventions, starting with #1:

1. Twenty-One Apps We Can't Live Without
2. Getting Started with the iPhone and iOs5 for Blind Users
3. Just when the caterpillar...
4. That's Not My Teddy
5. iPhone Tactile Screenshot Quick Reference Guide
6. Magnet: Life isn't about waiting...
7. Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
8. Magnet - Awesome Takes Practice
9. Stir It Up! Recipes & Techniques for Young Blind Cooks
10. Love You Forever
11. Tuesday Morning Quotations
12. Sudoku: Easy to Hard
13. Curious George and the Ice Cream Surprise
14. Summer Cocktail Recipes
15. Twenty-six Useful Apps for Blind iPhone Users

Brian Mac Donald's trip to the Google I/O conference yielded some exciting news about the accessibility of Android's new Operating System, Jellybean. Learn more in NBP's July e-news.

Braille Rocks is a two week day camp for blind children or at-risk for visual impairment, ages 4-12. During this action-packed two weeks, kids will learn that braille rocks! They will also learn about:

• Braille Reading and Writing
• Orientation and Mobility
• Nonvisual Skills of Independence
• GAMES and FUN!

Special thanks to Whole Foods Market in Newtonville, MA for supporting NBP and braille literacy with a 5% Day on May 23rd. 5% of the store's sales that day were donated to NBP.

In anticipation of our 85th anniversary, we looked through historic files and found a wonderful letter from Helen Keller to our founder, Francis Ierardi. Read the letter from Helen Keller.

OnlineUniversities.com recently named NBP to the list of "25 Inspiring Literacy Programs Around the World" which was compiled because of their belief that a literate, educated society is a safer, healthier, more prosperous society.
Read the entire list.

Scott Richardson poses with his marathon medal

Congratulations to Chris Cavallerano and Scott Richardson for completing the 116th Boston Marathon in oppressive heat in support of NBP! "The marathon was great, but the conditions were brutal," said Scott Richardson of Medford, NJ. In one of the hottest days on record for the famed Boston Marathon, Chris and Scott were undaunted in their quest to complete 26.2 miles! In mid-eighty degree temperatures, Scott and Chris fought through sweltering heat, cramping, fatigue, and dehydration.

Richardson covered the trek from Hopkinton in 4:44, and Cavallerano covered the 26.2 mile distance in 5:58 while blindfolded. "I ran blindfolded to show that what appears to be impossible is possible with the right support. NBP does great work to make sure that blind children learn how to read and write," said Chris Cavallerano of Wellesley, MA, "I am glad I could bring awareness to this amazing organization."

To date, Cavallerano and Richardson have raised more than $17,000! Thank you to John Hancock's Non-profit Program for providing this wonderful opportunity to NBP and its supporters. If you would like to support our Marathon runners, visit our Crowdrise page.

Chris Cavallerano (r) and fellow Trustee George Maley before the Marathon