By Frank Welte

The Braille Revival League of California, BRLC, is working to help blind and visually impaired Californians to benefit from braille, one of the most empowering tools available to us. We want braille to be more widely available, and we want more people to use it. We are working toward this goal in several ways.

BRLC is partnering with the CCB's San Francisco Chapter and with the San Francisco Talking Book Library to present an annual Hurray for Braille Celebration that commemorates the life of Louis Braille. This year's event will take place at the SF Public Library's Main Branch on Saturday, February 2 from 11 AM to 2 PM. We will set up tables where library patrons can see various examples of braille, Braille writing equipment (both low and high tech) and tactile graphics. The tables will be staffed by braille users who can demonstrate braille, answer questions and distribute braille alphabet cards and cards with visitor names embossed on them. We will also conduct a braille story reading in the Children's Library. In conjunction with the braille Celebration, BRLC has donated braille children's books to the SF Talking Book Library, and we look forward to continuing this practice.

For many years, BRLC has contributed to the National Braille Challenge, a braille competition administered by the Braille Institute. Also, BRLC members have served as enthusiastic volunteers at the Northern California Braille Challenge, and we hope to do the same in Southern California.

Braille has been around for nearly two centuries, and it is still important today. Do you want to help to make braille available to more people in more places? Do you want to learn how braille can enhance the quality of your life? If so, we invite you to join BRLC to make California the braille capitol of America. For more information or to join BRLC, contact its Treasurer, Frank Welte at frank.a.welte@gmail.com, or call 510-541-1442.