Braille Institute of America

We invite you to submit nominations for this year’s?Community Hero Awards. This prestigious honor recognizes organizations that significantly improve the lives of individuals who are blind and visually impaired through actions ranging from representation to education and more. Braille Institute’s Community Hero Awards are a key component of our?Mission Magnified strategy.?As we aim to increase our impact tenfold over the next five years, honoring these leading organizations will inspire our partners to take even greater action. In 2024, we honored three organizations for their outstanding work: Mattel, Inc., the National Library Service, and Partners for Pediatric Vision. It’s time to choose this year’s nominations and we need your help!?Deadline to submit nominations is next Friday, April 4. Submit your nomination today! https://lnkd.in/gwcyPHeV

Ready, set, egg hunt! Beeping egg hunt, that is! Join us for this inclusive event this Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Get your baskets ready! It’s almost time to join Braille Institute of America for the City of Pasadena and Rose Bowl Stadium annual Egg Bowl! This year, they have invited Braille Institute families to join the fun with an inclusive and exciting beeping egg hunt experience. The beeping egg hunt for blind and visually impaired children and youth begins promptly at 9:00 AM, so please arrive 30 minutes early to allow time for parking and check in. Please remember to follow the Rose Bowl Stadium’s clear bag policy. Register for FREE using this link: https://lnkd.in/gYvANxkB When: Saturday, March 29th at 8:30 AM Where: 1001 Rose Bowl Dr. Pasadena, CA 91103 Contact us at [email protected] for more info! #BeepingEggHunt?#Pasadena?#Blind?#LowVision #RoseBowl #CityofPasadena #Accessibleegghunt #Beeperegghunt Jim (Dimitri) Kales Sandy Shin Debra Martin Brian Sheridan Gary Jimenez Scott Blanks Maria Valdivia Lisa Jimenez, M.S. Andrew Loccisano William Nelson Joji Taketa

At Braille Institute, our social workers make sure no one falls through the cracks. They work tirelessly to connect people to resources, lead support groups, and help our community rebuild after disasters like the recent wildfires. Today, on World Social Work Day, we celebrate their compassion, dedication, and the difference they make every day. Thank you to our incredible team for supporting our students and clients all year long! Tag a social worker you appreciate in the comments! Image Description: A Braille Institute social worker sits at a light grey table, leading a discussion with a smile. She wears a dark blue Braille Institute jacket. In the foreground of the photo, on the left, a student sits engaged in the group discussion. Towards the bottom left is a text overlay featuring the Braille Institute logo icon and the words "World Social Work Day." #WorldSocialWorkDay

Braille Institute and Orange County Grantmakers invites you to join us for the 5th installment of the Disability Funders Forum. This time we'll be at our Anaheim Center, either in person or virtually. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 25 from 1:30 to 2:30 PM PT. Speakers lineup: ? Jim (Dimitri) Kales, Braille institute (Welcome) ? Taryn Taddeo Palumbo Palumbo, Orange County Grantmakers (Intro) ? Mahyar (Mike) Nejat, Sony ? Laura Rath, Archstone Foundation ? Mercy Siordia, Unihealth Foundation ? Brian Sheridan, Braille Institute (Moderator) Our goals for the forum are share information about available funding opportunities, connect with nonprofit and philanthropic partners on accessibility issues, inspire collaboration among nonprofit organizations, strategize on big picture issues facing the disabled community. Register at https://bit.ly/43OoCTP

As of 2025, there are over sixty regional Braille Challenge events. But we wouldn’t be where we are today without our first ever regional Braille Challenge partner: Carroll Center for the Blind. Learn how Braille Challenge went national in our newest blog: https://bit.ly/4iuYmlS Did you attend the first New England Regional Braille Challenge or the first Braille Challenge Finals? Share with us in the comments!

Assistive technology is reshaping how people with vision loss navigate the world, and we’re excited to be part of the conversation. Find us at our Job Fair booth at this year's CSUN Assistive Technology Conference on Tuesday, March 11 from 11 AM to 1 PM PT. We will also have an exhibitor booth in the Exhibit Hall where our staff will be waiting to answer any of your questions and walk you through our programs and services! Members of our team will also be presenting two separate sessions, both at 2:20 PM PT on Thursday, March 13. You must be a conference registrant to attend: ? Teaching AI Apps to BVI Clients – Braille Institute Assistive Technology Specialists Salvador Perez Quintana & Skylar Covich, Ph.D. ? Creating a Hyper-Accessible Website for VI & Sighted Visitors – Braille Institute VP of Marketing & Communications Sandy Shin & Jeremy Perkins, Director of UX and Design at iFactory Lastly, Braille Institute will be hosting an evening reception on Thursday, March 13 from 6:30 to 8:30pm in the Los Angeles/La Jolla room at the Anaheim Marriott. Join us and mingle with conference attendees and special guests, Sam Seavey, founder and creator of The Blind Life YouTube channel, and Steven Baskis, founder of the Blind Endeavors Foundation. The reception is free and open to the public, conference registration not required. At Braille Institute, we're committed to making both the digital and physical world more accessible for those who are blind or have low vision. Will we see you there??Let us know in the comments! Jim (Dimitri) Kales Scott Blanks Brian Sheridan Lauren Becker Lisa Lepore Shenai Hernandez Karen Mayes

As someone who cares deeply about social and environmental issues, Sydney P. knew she had to act when news spread of the Los Angeles wildfires, but even more so after she learned that many members of the Braille Institute community had been directly impacted. After all, she has been part of the Braille Institute community since she was a toddler, and as a person with low vision, she knew how a fire could be terrifying for someone with vision loss.

Braille Institute of America Your Eyes Work Hard - Are You Taking Care of Them? ???? March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, and it’s a perfect time to ask: How often do you think about your eye health at work? ?? Staring at screens for hours? ?? Working under harsh lighting? ?? Squinting to read small text? Many vision impairments and eye conditions don’t happen overnight - they develop over time. And the best way to protect your sight is prevention. ? Take breaks: The 20-20-20 rule - every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. ? Adjust your screen: Reduce glare, increase contrast, and use larger fonts if needed. ? Stay hydrated & blink more: Dry eyes are common with long screen use. ? Get regular eye exams: Early detection can prevent vision loss. ??? For the BVI community, eye health awareness is crucial. Many conditions that lead to blindness - like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy - can be managed if caught early. No matter your profession, taking care of your eyes should be part of your daily routine. What’s one habit you’ve adopted to protect your eye health at work? ?? Drop it in the comments! #workplaceeyewellnessmonth #bvicommunity #eyehealth #preventionmatters #healthyvision #protectyoursight #brailleinstitute

Exciting to see the Braille Challenge in Cincinnati getting the spotlight! Local news covered the incredible students who competed at Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired, showcasing their braille skills and celebrating literacy. Events like this highlight the importance of braille education and the amazing work being done to support blind and visually impaired youth. Check out the full story! Braille Institute of America Rachel Antoine #BrailleChallenge #BrailleLiteracy #Clovernook #BrailleInstitute #CincinnatiNews