Specialties
Braille Institute Coachella Valley Center offers low vision consultations; in-home services; classes, workshops, and events; a library; a Connection Pointe Technology Center; Youth Program; Outreach, and Volunteer opportunities.
Braille Institute is a non-profit organization offering a broad range of free programs, classes and services serving thousands of students of all ages to empower themselves to live more enriching lives with blindness and vision loss. We serve the community from six centers and 220 community outreach locations throughout Southern California, and we lead popular national programs like Braille Challenge and Cane Quest.
History
Established in 1919.
Braille Institute was founded by the efforts of one man, J. Robert (Bob) Atkinson, and has grown tremendously in the decades since. In 1912, Bob, a Montana cowboy, was blinded by an accidental gunshot while visiting family in California. Determined to remain independent, Bob learned to read braille and soon began transcribing books for his personal library. In 1919, impressed by Bob's determination, philanthropists Mary and John Longyear pledged $25,000 over 5 years to help him establish the Universal Braille Press, which would later become Braille Institute of America. During his lifetime, Bob's efforts significantly benefited the blind and visually impaired of Southern California and nationally.
In 1967, services expanded to Orange County. Braille Institute stands alone as the largest service provider of its kind in the county, serving more than 7,000 people each year. Through the generosity of our donors and volunteers, we're able to offer all of our services free of charge.
