HOUSTON – Local moms Cheri Hutcherson and Lauren Thurman, along with their families, are participants in this year’s Braille Across America. The annual event supports National Braille Press and their efforts to promote braille literacy and inclusion for everyone -- including Cheri’s 13 year old son, Will, who is blind. Since publishers don’t automatically publish braille copies of books, including textbooks, organizations like the National Braille Press play a critical role in getting braille copies produced.
“It’s really important that we get braille to everybody in an equitable way and it (costs) three times more to produce braille than regular print, so that is why we are doing Braille Across America,” says Lauren Thurman, who works as a Customer Relations Manager for National Braille Press.
During the Braille Across America challenge, individual participants and teams are tasked with walking, running or biking 26.2 miles, the same distance as a marathon, all while raising awareness -- and money -- to help empower blind people by ensuring they have access to the braille reading material they need. For Cheri’s son Will, braille has played an important role in his development.
“Parenting Will has been really awesome for our family, I think we’ve all evolved as human beings,” says Cheri, who describes her son as a very bright 13 year old who has developed a lot of confidence and independence during his first year as a teenager. “Having all the access to the adaptive braille is super, super important and it’s helped Will to thrive in many ways,” she added.
Established in 1927, National Braille Press is a national non-profit braille publisher and producer of braille products all over the U.S. and in 19 countries around the world.
Watch the video above to learn more about NBP’s mission, their annual Braille Across America challenge, and how braille is empowering blind and visually impaired adults and children to live full, enriched lives.