Volunteer Braille Services ends decades of services to readers

Volunteer Braille Services (VBS), a Minnesota nonprofit that provided Braille materials for nearly six decades, is closing. The organization's closure follows the earlier suspension of services by BLIND Inc., marking another loss of resources for Minnesotans with visual disabilities.

Founded in the late 1960s, VBS grew out of a 1950s campaign to provide school materials for blind children and relied heavily on volunteers—known as Braillers—who underwent six months of free training. At its peak, VBS trained over 100 volunteers annually, many of whom dedicated roughly 10 hours a week transcribing documents. Materials were produced using Perkins Braillers, the standard Braille-writing machine invented in 1951.

Braille advocates emphasize that despite the availability of alternative reading options, Braille remains important for literacy, education, and employment for people who are blind or have low vision. Leaders in Minnesota's state Braille services noted that VBS's closure will have a ripple effect, particularly for adults and students who relied on its materials.

Over the years, VBS also worked to promote Braille usage statewide and was the only nonprofit offering Braille transcription in Minnesota by 2011. Its legacy highlights the dedication of volunteers and the importance of access to literacy for Minnesotans with visual disabilities.