Organization Name: Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund
Address: 3500 N. Elm Rd, Jackson, MI 49201
Phone Number: 517-783-2201
Fax Number: 517-783-5295
Email: tyler.colton@mi-braille.org
Website: http://www.mi-braille.org
President: Francelia Wonders
Service Description: All your braille needs
Mission Statement: To produce the best braille materials essential for the educational needs and pursuit of independence for the blind and visually impaired
Membership: N/A
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
Area Served: Worldwide
Hours of Operation/Schedule: Monday-Friday (6:#0am-2:30pm Eastern Time)
Services Offered: Braille textbooks, quick braille (menus, bus routes, election ballets)
Events: Annual Dinner
Conferences: Francelia Wonders, Ralph Hoffman, Cindy Olmstead, Tyler Colton
Fundraiser's: Parade of Checks

The success of MBTF was made possible through the combined efforts of Lions of Districts 11-B1 and 11-C2, Jackson County INtermediate School District, and the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Started in 1962 prisoners at the State Prison of Southern Michigan began spending eight hours a day producing brailled material for blind students and adults nationwide and abroad. What began as a volunteer effort by a few prisoners has grown into a non-profit corporation now known in the industry as Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund (MBTF). Over the course of 40 years, MBTF has developed into the largest braille production facility in the nation, and a leader in the braille industry. TOTAl EFFORT now located at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility after being moved from the State Prison of Southern Michigan in 1998, the MBTF facility encompasses a complete training program and braille production center. Under the tutelage of prisoner instructors, MBTF braille transcription trainees undergo a rigorous certification process prescribed by the U.S. Library of Congress. While the program is often mistaken as a volunteer effort, prisoners are paid a wage that is commensurate with their professionalism and productivity. Much of the success of MBTF is a result of our certified braille transcribers utilizing the latest technology and embracing the philosophy of life-long learning.