This page focuses on resources for congregations who have persons who are blind and who generally use Braille for reading.  See also our page on Vision Resources for persons who have visual impairments but still have partial sight.

Persons who are blind, especially those who become blind later in life and therefore do not read in Braille often benefit from increased audio services.  For personal use, audio books on tapes of CDs are very helpful and fairly readily available.  It may be helpful to have Bibles and/or other religious books in the congregation's library for this kind of personal use.

In the worship service, it is important that the leadership be aware of persons who are blind or who have serious visual impairments by not relying solely on the printed word.  Announcements can be made orally and important worship material can be made available in Braille.

The following items explain a little about Braille and suggest starting points for resources in Braille. 

Introduction to Braille

What is Braille?
A simple explanation of the various braille systems.  Grade 2 Braille is most commonly used today since it uses a system of abbreviations which reduces the physical size of braille publications.

Wikipedia article on Braille

The Braille Superstore's list of Bibles in Braille.

Braille Bibles International

Hymnals in Braille

Hymnals in Braille are expensive to produce and there seem to be only a few of the larger Protestant Christian denominations that have done so.  When they are available, they tend to come in a multi-volume set of binders and require that someone take the hymns used for a particular Sunday out of the binder and provide them to the person who is blind, returning them to the binders when the service is over.  Prices seem to start around $500. 

Sample Denominational Hymnals

United Methodist Hymnal Braille Edition Loose Leaf Binders

Lutheran Blind Mission

The Psalter Hymnal from the Christian Reformed Church

Southern Baptist news article on braille and large-print hymnal editions.

The Faith We Sing Braille Edition Three Volume Set.  Another Methodist hymnal.

Other Resources for Securing Hymnals

Helping Hands Braille Ministries (HHBM)
A news item from HHBM in January 2006 as well as an article in a state Baptist publication indicate that HHBM is able to transcribe and provide Braille hymnals. 

St. Luke's Braillists
A ministry of Christ Church, Waukegan, Illinois, which has been printing Braille Hymnals and sending them to churches and individuals for over twenty years.  They claim to be "the only source of Braille Hymnals in North America."

Braille signs

Braille lettering should be included on all new room signage and considered for addition to any existing signage. Possible vendors include Signs by Design and Erie Custom Signs.

Other Resources for Blindness

International Christian Braille Mission, Inc.