Change Makers: A Podcast from APH
Change Makers: A Podcast from APH
How it's Made: Braille Books
On this Change Makers episode, learn how braille books are made. Hear about the process that goes into every book that is made from start to finish. After that, learn what’s new with the Reach and Match products.
On this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)
- Michael Haynes, Manager, Accessible Tests and Textbooks Department
- Jane Thompson, Director, Accessible Tests and Textbook Department
- Sally Hart, Accessible Textbook Tactile Graphics Editor
- Jonathan Carson, Braille and Accessible Media Editor III
- Mandy Lau, Founder & Director, Reach & Match®
Additional Links
<silence> Welcome to Change Makers , a podcast from APH. We're talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here's your host.
Sara Brown:Hello and welcome to Changemakers. I'm APH's Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And on this episode, we are learning more about how Braille books are made. This was actually a suggestion on our social media channel. So we're going to hear about the process that goes into every book that is made from start to finish, and after that, we'll learn what's new with Reach and Match Products up. First, learn how a Braille book comes to be with a's manager of the accessible texts and textbooks. Michael Haynes. Hello Michael, and welcome to Change Makers.
Michael Haynes:Oh , thanks for having me.
Sara Brown:Before we get into the questions, would you like to introduce yourself and let us know what it is that you do here at APH?
Michael Haynes:Sure. Uh, I am Michael Haynes. I am the manager of the Accessible Tests and Textbooks department here at APH. I've been in this department , uh, for, well , uh, I'm coming up on 20 years. Not quite. Uh, I started out , uh, working with large print textbooks as a , uh, editor, and then moved up to the coordinator position in large print. And for three years now I've been manager of this whole department overall textbooks and tests.
Sara Brown:Okay. And we're talking about how a braille book literally comes to be. So can you just give us the overview of how a braille book is created? I mean, does it, does it come from an email, somebody putting in a notice that we need this certain textbook? How does that start?
Michael Haynes:Yeah. Uh, you're really on the right track there. Uh, what happens is , uh, with , in nearly all cases, we get in a request via a, what we have is , uh, we have an online order form that , uh, our customers can use to request a new title , uh, first and foremost, you know , before they make that request. And we do the same in-House. Uh , even after request is made , uh, we check our Louis catalog online, you know, it's a database that contains the, all the titles that have been done in accessible format, large print, braille , uh, audio, et cetera . And we look it up there to make sure that it has not been already done by another vendor, because you probably know braille is a very expensive process, so we don't like to duplicate efforts. So we make sure that , uh, APH has not done it before, and if we have, then they just process their request as a , you know, a reprint of something we already have. Uh , so we make sure, sure, that A, we've not done it and b, that no other vendor has done it in the desired code that they need. So if they need UEB Nemeth versus UEB Math Science , um, if it's already available in the code they need by us or another vendor, then we just have them order that. If it's not available, then that's when we will accept the request and then we will start processing that request. At that point , uh, they just turn in their paperwork indicating all the necessary specs, you know, contracted versus uncontracted , uh, single double cited , et cetera , which UEB code they want used for the book, whether it's , uh, especially if it's math, you know, whether it's UB Neneth or UB math science. Uh , so we gather all of that information. That's when we start processing it, you know, we have our own order entry process, and then we're basically going to obtain , uh, print copies of the book. So we can create the book, you know, in the exact layout that it is in the original. And in most cases, we can get electronic files through the NIMAC. We try to get the , uh, electronic file that makes the setup of the book much easier. Um , they can pull those electronic files directly to start creating rail easily. And then what we do is we bid these books out to various outsourcers. Uh , we have a competitive bid, and then , uh, whoever wins that bid, we'll award that to them, and then they can begin the transcription process with those materials that we obtain . So that's the initial setup anyway, of how we get a process started.
Sara Brown:When a book has is completed, where does it go next? What happens after that?
Michael Haynes:If you're talking about the actual, just the editing and formatting part, you know, the completion of the files, it goes up onto the server, and then production will pull what they need. Graphics , uh, the tactical graphics run on the rollin . They'll pull out the, they'll pull up the files for the embossed braille BRS to be run on the embossers , et cetera . And of course, once production finishes their portion, you know , once the book the , uh, embossed hard copy of the braille book is completed , uh, it is basically then shipped out directly to the customer or resource center or teacher that , uh, that ordered it in the first place.
Sara Brown:And before I let you go, is there anything else you'd like to talk about when it comes to the process of creating textbooks?
Michael Haynes:Yeah , depending on the subject and the , uh, size of the original book, you know, it can, it's a very , uh, complex, it's, it's a, it's a costly process, but you know, in the end, you know, this is, this is what we do. It's really at the heart of what, you know, APH is really about, you know , providing materials to students. And, you know, we've been doing it for a long time. It's evolved with technology and, you know, we're hoping that as technology improves, you know, to help us do things even better and more quickly. But it , again, we don't, we don't wanna rush it. We don't, we want it done correctly too. You know, we don't wanna rush through it to where we do a , you know, a a less than quality job. So, you know, that that's really the gist of it. You know, it's a , it's a very , uh, very well-defined process, but it, it does have its own challenges. But I think we , uh, you know, we, we definitely meet the, the challenge, you know, when it's, when it's brought to us.
Sara Brown:Well, all right , Michael, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.
Michael Haynes:Absolutely. You're welcome.
Sara Brown:Now we're talking to the people who are making sure the graphics and the braille text is correct. I've have APH's, Sally Hart, Jane Thompson, and Jonathan Carson here. Hello everyone, and welcome to Change Makers.
Sally Hart:Hello.
Sara Brown:So the the first question I always like to ask is, is can I get everybody just to introduce themselves and let us know what it is that you do at APH?
Sally Hart:Sure. My name is Sally Hart. I am a tactile graphic designer, and I work in the accessible textbooks department here at APH.
Jonathan Carson:Hi, I am John Carson . I, I actually edit the braille textbooks at APH.
Jane Thompson:Hi, I'm Jane Thompson, and I am the director of the accessible Test Textbooks and Braille Improvement Departments at the American Printing House for the Blind. And I've been doing that for over 25 years.
Sara Brown:Now. Everybody on this podcast has such interesting roles in the creation of a textbook. Can you talk about the process of getting books translated with your department in part of this transcription process?
Jane Thompson:Uh, so when APH receives a textbook order, one that has never been transcribed before, it comes to our department. And when it comes to our department, we look at the braille textbook and we edit the braille and we edit the images or what will soon be tactical graphics. And then we outsource the braille transcription to transcribers all across the country. And then when those books come back, Sally, Jonathan , among other editors on our team, they review those books, they quality control those books to make sure they're exactly what APH expects the high quality that APH expects. And then we package it up nicely and send it to production so that they may emboss bind and ship those textbooks.
Sara Brown:And you see, so you, Sally and Jonathan , you're looking at graphics, you're looking at braille, just sort of proofing what happens when you see that the graphic isn't right or the, the braille is not right?
Sally Hart:Well, as Jane mentioned , um, the first objective before the textbook ever goes out to , um, our outsource is for me to look at the images. I write them editing notes, so I can point out those oddities, those tricky graphics. And , um, I just try to work with those outsources beforehand to make sure that they understand our specifications. But these outsources, they've, they've been vet vetted to work with us, so they should be returning high quality . Um, and everything depends on the book itself, but I'm looking for things to be clear. I'm looking for things to be simplified, and I'm making sure that they follow APH specifications as well as following the guidelines for tactile graphics that we have that we go by.
Jonathan Carson:Following on what Sally said, it has been put out there that we are actually Project Managers, and that each textbook is its own project. And our approach is, it's a structural approach of the textbook as a whole. Um, you know, we're assigned the print textbook. The first thing we , we we do is go through the entire print book looking for any , any spots, you know, or that might, you know , they're weird or esoteric or , um, those parts that aren't actually covered in braille formats. We're , we're actually pretty lucky in that we see transcriptions from all across the country every day. So we have , we have a wealth of prior examples from which to draw. So we'll use that past knowledge and our own experience from literally hundreds of textbooks to find the standard or best practice for any layout. We'll then write and send those detailed notes to those transcription teams that Jane mentioned, to make sure that all the correct formats and codes are followed and, and that the format are consistent throughout the entirety of the textbook. Some of these textbooks actually run as high as a hundred braille volumes for any one book. And a , a braille volume is, is from a 125 to 180 braille pages , um, big projects, and we do it daily.
Sara Brown:Yeah, these are big projects. Now do you all work on just one project at a time, or are you working on multiple projects at the same time,
Jane Thompson:Or , I'll take that one. Uh , our editors and we have a team of six editors, three textbook editors or braille editors, and three graphic editors, and they can work on as many as 40 textbooks at a time. This is our busy textbook season right now. And currently, I would say they ha are juggling , uh, probably about 30 textbooks each. And , um, that, that's a lot of work. And because they're multiple subjects, multiple grade levels, so they're constantly juggling many projects at one time.
Sara Brown:Wow. So do you all just know random facts from all the science books and health books and math books you all have had to proof and look at over time?
Sally Hart:<laugh> , uh, Sara, I don't know about random facts, but after you look at so many tactile graphic, you know, the , the print images, you see the same image kind of over and over and over. But the tricky part, and the tricky part for outsources as well as for the editors is they'll be tweaked just a little bit. And even if they're not tweaked, that same image that might have been in a different textbook could be used in this textbook for a different reason. So one of the main objectives of my job to make a quality textbook is to make sure that the surrounding information, what's meant to be displayed by the author ever put that image in there , is the information, what we're highlighting and not omitting for the student.
Sara Brown:Wow. This is really interesting just to learn about this sort of profession. How did you all get into this world and how did you learn your skills?
Sally Hart:Well, I have always been a visual learner. I've loved looking at maps, and I drew a million floor plans when I was a kid. And as an adult, I was unhappy with what I was pursuing. I thought maybe medical transcription would be the way to go. It's not, at least not for me. <laugh>, the vision field wasn't something I thought much about until my grandpa was diagnosed with macular degeneration. So all the pieces started to fall, and I was connected with APH and it just seemed like a natural process. I've been happy doing it.
Jonathan Carson:With me. Uh , it actually started in 2015 when a , a big change was actually announced in the braille world when they switched from , uh, they changed the entire braille code , basically from eBay AE to UEB Braille. Um, before that point, braille was actually different from country to country. It was a mess. Uh, they changed this to actually make the braille, you know, using all English speaking countries the same. I mean, it was a giant deal, APH and decided to , uh, bring in fresh teams , uh, training in this new braille code , uh, so we could hit the ground running with the best serve of the customers who are of course our students. And I, I was not a part of the field before this. I was hired given roughly six months of very intensive training and received my first cert and , uh, from the Library of Congress. Uh, upon completion, our training team was actually one of the first in the country to actually get these certs from the Library of Congress , uh, in , in January of 2016, the first month they were actually released. After that I started transcribing APH in all subjects before filing movement over to my current position , uh, in at t where I edit the bureau textbooks.
Jane Thompson:And John is right when the world went from eBay, which is what we called it, English Braille , uh, to UEB, it allowed the, the English speaking countries to share braille. We could never do that before. So we could transcribe a textbook and it , it cost thousands and thousands of dollars, but it could only be used in the U.S. Now anyone who wants to order a textbook that is transcribed in the UEB code, anybody can buy it anywhere in the world that has English speaking countries. That's huge because we just moved braille from being very siloed to be shared across the world.
Sara Brown:You know, that sounds just efficient, more efficient too. Now, my last question I wanna ask you all, is there anything you would like to share or let our listeners know about transcription, the production of braille textbooks? Anything you all would like to let our listeners know?
Jane Thompson:Well , what I would like for the listeners to know is that many people think braille is a software program, that you hit a button and it's transcribed and it's translated into braille and they emboss it and they ship it. That is not the case. There are binders and binders of rules and formatting and ectographic guidelines that must be followed for the student to have a good, usable educational tool. It's not just a flick of a switch. And many people think that, and that's what I would like for a lot of people to walk away with. It does take experience, education certifications, and the really willingness to be detail oriented so that our students get the highest quality materials possible.
Jonathan Carson:And I thought out there , alongside that, the braille is a very demanding job. The transcriber is being asked to, is essentially recode an entire textbook from scratch. And it , and what is a different language, and it's not, it's not an easy prospect , uh, especially when you take into account that each textbook is different. You know, some are very easy. Other ones though , uh, because of what we call the busyness of the text, you know, they have tables, sidebars, visual fluff, stuff like that. It's very daunting. And one part of our goal is not, you know, the amount of braille produced, but the quality of the braille produced. But the most important aspect of my job is that we approach the text from the perspective of the reader. Our mission, you could say, is to make each textbook just that small bit better, more clear find and fix another typo or a mis formatted item, or just improve an unclear layout. It's to remove any other potential frustrations from that braille readers experience. It's what the student deserves. And it's certainly a very rewarding experience for me, and it makes my job very worthwhile.
Sally Hart:Well, I think Jane and uh , John really have have covered and have expressed, you know , our , our love for our job and that there are no quick fixes or magic buttons , um, and that we like being able to help our students. I mean, that, that's why we do this job. That's who we work for.
Sara Brown:You know, Jane, reflecting on what you just said, I feel like over time what I've learned just with living is the easier something looks probably the more convoluted, complicated it actually is. Things that look so simple are actually very difficult in demanding in the back , in the behind the scenes. And that's exactly what it sounds like. There's a lot of rules, there's a lot of regulations just to keep up the high standards and you all nail it every time.
Jane Thompson:Well, thank you for that <laugh> . Yes . And we do appreciate that because what people don't understand is that APH does textbooks for kindergarten through high school. And so we may do a math book for a first grader, and we may do a trigonometry book for a senior high school student. It's very different. It could be world maps, it could be anything. So the, the knowledge that our team has just goes the gamut. It really does. And we're real proud of 'em .
Sara Brown:Yes, we are. Well, Sally, Jonathan and Jane, thank you all so much for coming on and sharing a little bit about what you do. I appreciate that. So thank you so much for coming on and talking to me on Change Makers.
Sally Hart:Absolutely. Thanks for having us.
Jane Thompson:Our pleasure.
Jonathan Carson:Thank you very much.
Sara Brown:Now I'm shifting gears to talk about some new and exciting products. I have founder and director of the Reach and Match learning kits. Mandy Lau here to tell us what's new. Hello Mandy and welcome to Change Makers.
Mandy Lau:Hello Sara. Thanks for having me.
Sara Brown:Okay. So would you like to introduce yourself and share what it is that you do?
Mandy Lau:Yeah , sure. Hi everyone. I'm Mandy Lau, based in Melbourne, Australia. I'm the founder and designer of the Reach and Match Learning Kit and Innovative educational tool. Specially decided to support the development of blind children and our kids promote inclusive education through engaging multisensory activities and integrated braille features, helping children of all abilities to learn and thrive together.
Sara Brown:Great. Welcome on the show. We're so glad to have you. Reach and Match has a really long history. Can you share how it got its start?
Mandy Lau:Yeah, sure. Yes, it , it is a really long story. I began my research in 2010 because I realized there were limited resources available to help my children to learn braille. Um , braille is essential for independence, employment, empowerment, and freedom. However, there are very few play resources designed specifically for blind children. And most existing ones are simply equipment or books. While sighted children have plenty of visual stimulation to explore, blind children often have fewer opportunities. And another problem I found was that children with and without disabilities were not interacting much with each other. The lack of interaction can impact their social and emotional development. Therefore, I was motivated to create a resources that only , uh, not only aids the braille learning, learning, but also promotes inclusive play, encouraging , uh, all children they can develop their social emotional skills together. And therefore I collaborate with the educators and therapists to develop this program which focused on the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of blind children. And this led to the creation of the Reach and Match Learning Kids. And it becomes available to, in fostering an inclusive environment where blind and sighted children can learn and grow together.
Sara Brown:And with this long storied history, it's a super popular product, but what can Reach and Match do and what makes it so special?
Mandy Lau:Uh , Reach and Match , um, is an award-winning program designed to make learning accessible and fun for all children, especially those who are blind or have low vision and other disabilities. What sets it part is, is hands on physical approach, which is essential for early childhood development. And we have this wonderful double sized sensory mats and braille alphabet tiles that create a multisensory learning experience so children can engage it , uh, with , uh, touch sound and sites making it really inclusive. And one of the great things about our program is that it offers over 40 different activities that can be done individually or in groups. So it's user friendly and can be adapted to meet different sensory needs. So every child can participate and benefit and make it ideal for teachers who need to provide , uh, personalized support in various settings. And on the other hand, children not just learning about the literacy and numeracy, but they also learn about body skills orientation, concept collaboration, and supporting each other in essence, which I me takes the complexities of inclusive education and turns into something tangible, fun and interactive learning experience.
Sara Brown:And you , you're preparing to launch reach and match light and reach and match number tiles, which are great tools for the TBI. Can you talk about how this will benefit them?
Mandy Lau:Yeah, sure. The , the Reach and Match Light is a smaller version of the Reach and Match Learning Kits decided in response to the COVID-19 pandemic because that time caused significant service shortages and educational setbacks for children with disabilities. We wanted to ensure that these children would not be left behind. And that's the reason we tailor these tools for , uh, for teachers of the , uh, recent recently impaired. And the Reach and Match Light is decided to be lightweight and portable, making it really easy for TVI's to carry and use it in different settings, rather in classroom therapy session or at home. And activities can be customized to meet individual learning needs, not just in the class, but families can play together, including siblings as well. And the Reach and Match number tiles are designed to support early math concepts through tactile learning. The tiles are available in both UEB and Nemeth versions ensure children can receive early exposure to braille numbers and there are number of games that they can play with the number tiles such as matching, counting , simple addition suggestion games and making math enjoyable and hands on . And because the tiles have both braille and print , so that allow children with visual impairments to learn math alongside their site peers.
Sara Brown:And can you share some insights about your international development partnerships and the impact that they've made?
Mandy Lau:Yeah , sure. Our , um, international partnerships have significantly amplified our impact to create positive change and empower children with disabilities worldwide. Our partners include suggest NF safer children and World Witch . For example, we collaborate with UNICEF in Papua New Guinea to support children with disabilities as part of their education in emergency response and recovery plan due to the COVID-19. And this initiative ensure that these children continuously receive quality education despite the pandemic's challenges. And another projects we partner with at <INAUDIBLE> in Thailand to work with the rural communities in nine regions to improve the school readiness for children. And this partnership has helped to enhance the educational opportunities and preparedness for these young learners in these areas. So through our collaboration, we have provided training resources to teachers worldwide and this work has support thousands of children with and without disabilities ensure the access or education quality education, and also support their emotional wellbeing
Sara Brown:And Reach and Match Light and Reach and Match Number Tiles. When will those products be available for purchase?
Mandy Lau:Good questions. The Reach and Match Number Tiles , uh, will be available at APH around August. And for the Reach and Match Light we'll need more time and we expect it to be available in the last quarter of this year.
Sara Brown:In my final question, I always like to ask, is there anything else you would like to share or, or , um, discuss with our listeners?
Mandy Lau:Hmm . I would , I would like to share some , uh, exciting opportunities with you. Um , I'm currently undertaking the WESTPA Social Change Fellowship, which I focus on inclusive education . And this fellowship will actually provide me with an opportunity to receive the US later this year. And I'm thinking to take this opportunity to offer training to teachers in the us . So if you are a TVI or A ONM specialist using Reach and match and interest in the training, I would love to hear your feedback or any suggestions you can feel free to email me at Mandy do@mh.com , which is M-A-N-D-Y-L-A-U at R-E-A-C-H-A-N-D-M-A TC H dot Com. And I'm really also really excited to share that I will be , uh, presenting the reach match at the ICEV conference, which is the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment , um, in this November. And it is a significant platform to discuss and promote inclusive education for children with vision impairment. So I'm really looking forward to it.
Sara Brown:Mandy, thank you so much for coming on today and talking to me on Change Makers.
Mandy Lau:My pleasure. Thanks Sara for having me.
Sara Brown:I've put Mandy's email address in our show notes for anyone wanting to connect with her. Also, if you have a podcast idea or follow up question, let me know by sending an email to changemakers@ap.org. And as always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.