From: David Andrews 
Subject: Michigan Braille Cuts
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 #: 31815 S17/NBA Transcribers  [IBMSPEC]
     27-Aug-97  06:20:26
 Sb: #31814-Michigan Braille Cuts
 Fm: Warren Figueiredo 73044,2646
 To: David Andrews 72157,3547
And here is a press relase from the NFB of Michigan on the same issue
Prison Evicts Braille Publisher: Blind Students Stranded DEARBORN, Mich.,=
Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials of Jackson Prison in Jackson, Michigan
notified the Michigan Braille Transcribers Inc. that they are to
immediately leave their facility within the prison.  No reason for the
eviction has been determined.  The prison action strands thousands of bli=
nd
students who depend on the service to provide text books.
"This could not come at a worse time," said Allen Harris, President of th=
e
National Federation of the Blind of Michigan.  "With School starting this=
month students will not have time to make alternative arrangements.  Unde=
r
normal circumstances Braille production is a large job for students."
Michigan Braille Transcribers produce approximately 3 million pages of
Braille annually, making them one of the nation's largest producers of
educational Braille materials.  Particularly affected are students in
scientific and engineering courses, since the technical nature of the
materials is difficult to produce without the expertise needed to
transcribe tables and graphs into Braille.
"Stoppage of Braille now is equivalent to having a UPS strike at Christma=
s.
 All of these students are depending on the Prison to produce text books.=
 =
It is already hard to get Braille, I do not know how the kids will deal
with this problem," commented Mary Wurtzel, President of the Lansing
Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan.  "We have
worked with Representative Allen Cropsy to introduce a 'Braille Literacy'=
(HB 4377) bill with bipartisan support, including the American Book
Publishers Association, in the Michigan legislature.  The bill, if passed=
,
would mandate that textbook publishers make their books available in a wa=
y
that the books can be readily translated to Braille.  We have not, yet,
passed the Bill. Representative Sharon Gire, chairman of the House
Education Committee has indicated that we will have hearings this fall.  =
We
expect to pass the Bill by Christmas.  Unfortunately, that will be too la=
te
for this school year."
Department of Corrections Director Kenneth McGinnes was not available for=
comment over the weekend.  Michigan Braille Transcribers Inc. has worked
cooperatively with Jackson Prison for over 30 years to produce Braille
textbooks and other educational Braille materials.  The Program works wel=
l
by training prisoners with long sentences to transcribe print into Braill=
e.
 The task was originally done by hand on mechanical Braillers, but now
utilizes computers to do much of the printing.  Humans must still have
expertise in formatting Braille output.  Ordinary print pages are 80
columns wide, Braille is only 40 columns.  This creates a challenge to
reformat graphs and tables from print to Braille.  Skills learned by
prisoners are useful when they are released.  Braille produced by prisone=
rs
in Jackson Prison is known for its quality.
SOURCE  National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
CO:  National Federation of the Blind of Michigan; Michigan Braille
     Transcribers Inc.
ST:  Michigan
IN:  EDU
SU:
08/25/97 05:02 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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