Resources for parents

Sources of Braille Books and Resources

The following are links to online stores where you can purchase braille books, games, clothing, greeting cards and just about any other braille-related item available.

Beulah Reimer Legacy (BRL)
Offers print/braille children's picture books at an affordable cost. These books are brailled with clear plastic strips which are placed on top of the printed text.

Seedlings Braille Books for Children
Seedlings has over 1200 low-cost books for children in braille, including print/braille books for younger children. They also run several programs, including the "Book Angel Program" where registered children can receive two free braille books per year, and an "Adopt-A-Reader" program that provides sponsored children with funding to purchase braille books of their own:

Future Aids - The Braille Superstore
Thousands of braille books for children, teens, and adults, as well as toys, games, kitchen aids, software, and other products.

National Braille Press
A producer of braille books for children and adults (including print/braille board books for very young children). They also run several programs, including a children's braille book club and a ReadBooks! book bag for preschool-aged children designed to foster early literacy.

Braille Institute - Special Collection
This program, run by the Braille Institute, offers free books to children who are blind or visually impaired throughout the year, with the goal of increasing literacy and love of reading by enabling children to build their own home braille library.

Braille It
This family-run, Canadian business offers a variety of services including braille transcription, training in assistive technology, and other blindness-related services.

CNIB WebStore
The CNIB WebStore offers a wide variety of products for Canadians who are blind or visually impaired, including many braille-related products such as cookbooks, calendars, and tools for reading and writing braille.

CNIB Library
The CNIB Library offers 80,000 titles in accessible formats including braille. The library includes a digital service that allows users to download braille and audio books directly to portable devices. The service is free to all Canadians who are blind or visually impaired.

L'Institut Nazareth et Louis Braille - Comptoir des ventes

National Federation of the Blind Independence Market
A resource for blindness-related products, including an extensive collection of NFB literature of interest to individuals who are blind and their families.

Perkins School for the Blind eStore
Perkins Products sells a wide variety of blindness-related products, including a large collection of products related to braille and literacy, such as the popular Perkins Brailler braillewriter.

Royal National Institute of Blind People Online Shop
The RNIB online shop carries a variety of products for people who are blind and visually impaired, including many braille- and literacy-related products.

Bookshare
Bookshare is an online digital library with over 110,000 books available to download in accessible formats (such as DAISY, braille, or audio) to Canadians who have print disabilities. Users must register and provide proof of disability before being able to access this service.

Books for Parents

The following are books in print format written for parents of children who are, or will be, braille readers.

Fun with Braille
This book, available through the American Printing House for the Blind, contains many fun and entertaining practise activities for both children and adults who are learning contracted braille.

Drawing with your Perkins brailler
Written by Perkins Braille Talking Book Library Director Kim Charlson, this book contains step-by-step directions for creating 36 different drawings including basic shapes, various animals, and pictures with holiday and transportation themes. The actual braille pictures are included to show what the drawings will look like when completed.

Just Enough to Know Better - A Braille Primer for Parents
This book, sold through National Braille Press and written by Eileen Curran, teaches parents just enough braille to know better and to help their braille-reading child. The book contains exercises with real, tactile braille for practice.