Eileen Curran at the 2009 NBP Gala

Eileen Curran, VP for Education Services at NBP, began her career as a braille teacher in the '80s. She came to work at NBP in 1985, as its first blind braille transcriber. She was promoted three times, first as technology development manager, then operations manager, and finally as head of Education Services.

Now, almost twenty-five years later, Curran is returning to the classroom. She will be leaving NBP at the end of July to work at the Carroll Center for the Blind as a teacher of blind children. She served as Chair, and a host of other positions, on the board of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). Some of her most significant accomplishments include the authoring of Just Enough to Know Better, a braille primer for parents of blind children, and the inception and growth of Education Services, producing the highest quality textbooks and tests in the country.

We consider her greatest traits to include her tireless advocacy for braille, her endearing sense of humor, and her commitment to NBP's mission for almost a quarter-century. Best of luck, Eileen, back in the classroom!

Members of the National Braille Press team, The Braille Bombers,
pose for a picture during post-race activities.

Over 600 runners and walkers took part in the 2010 Vision 5K on June 20. Families and participants celebrated Father's Day at this unique event, which included a post-race barbeque, live music, and a kids' area complete with clown, balloon animals, and an obstacle course.

Men's Overall and Visually Impaired Division champion, Moises Beristain Gutierrez summed up the purpose of the race in an interview after his victory, "I feel like I'm an ambassador to the visually impaired community. It doesn't matter if your vision is impaired - you can still do things that are very important, like this race. It is possible to run in a race - and win it."

National Braille Press would like to thank all of our sponsors, volunteers, participants, and members of the Braille Bombers team. To learn more about the race including this year's results visit www.Vision5K.org.

The evening also included several special presentations. The first recognized outgoing board members - Louis Goldish, Paul McLaughlin, Scott McGrath, Bob O'Brien, and Marcy Scott - who collectively represent over 95 years of service to NBP. Jeff Chang received the Marco Polo Award for his work with CBI to build bridges with the China Braille Press. Finally, the 2010 Volunteer Awards were presented to: Judith Krimski for her beautiful design work and support of NBP's marketing efforts; Albano Berberi for his work as a braille literacy advocate; and Adobe Systems for their continued support and participation in volunteer projects.

President Brian Mac Donald presents Jeff Chang with the Marco Polo Award

On June 15, National Braille Press held our Annual Meeting where Board Chair Paul Parravano and President Brian Mac Donald presented updates about the past year including the importance of braille and our endeavors with the Center for Braille Innovation (CBI). The night ended with an original musical performance by braille advocate Ashley Bernard and volunteer awardee Albano Berberi from Ashley's Braille Rocks project through Pledge Music.

The evening also included several special presentations. The first recognized outgoing board members - Louis Goldish, Paul McLaughlin, Scott McGrath, Bob O'Brien, and Marcy Scott - who collectively represent over 95 years of service to NBP. Jeff Chang received the Marco Polo Award for his work with CBI to build bridges with the China Braille Press. Finally, the 2010 Volunteer Awards were presented to: Judith Krimski for her beautiful design work and support of NBP's marketing efforts; Albano Berberi for his work as a braille literacy advocate; and Adobe Systems for their continued support and participation in volunteer projects.

Braille reader and advocate Ashley Bernard is promoting braille literacy in a new way. Ashley writes, "I am a blind musician trying to spread my love of braille literacy through lyrics and music. Ever since I was young, I"ve always enjoyed music, from singing, performing and eventually writing songs of my own." Ashley is pursuing her music career and making her songs available through Pledgemusic.com.

Ashley Bernard

Pledge Music is a website "where artists and fans work together with charities to make music for change." By pledging, you will help Ashley release her first CD and raise money for National Braille Press, which she has designated as her charity of choice. National Braille Press was featured as the 'Pledge Music Charity of the Month' in the May Newsletter. To learn more about Ashley's project or pledge your support, visit Ashley's page at Pledgemusic.com.

National Braille Press is hosting its spring Community Volunteer Day this month. Join us on Saturday May 22nd to learn about NBP and help assemble print/braille board books for children.

When: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Where: National Braille Press
            88 Saint Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115
            Click here for directions
Who: Everyone!
        Children 12 years and older accompanied by an adult are welcome.

National Braille Press wants your input! Access to information in the digital age is vital for all people, especially for blind people, who traditionally have had many barriers to information access. NBP believes that it is critically important for blind people to have accessible, affordable technology for staying connected. As a result, our Center for Braille Innovation has been working on a new refreshable braille display PDA.

How can you help? By submitting ideas for the name of the device. Help us name our new refreshable braille display PDA by participating in our contest on Facebook. Simply post your idea on the "What's in a name?" Facebook event page.

Read the complete Official Naming Contest Rules. Contest ends April 30, 2010, 11:59 pm EST.