Resources for Vision

The Louisiana Instructional Materials Center (LIMC) serves as a vital resource for visually impaired students, providing expertly curated educational materials and adaptive technologies to support their learning needs. The LIMC specializes in producing and distributing accessible formats of instructional materials, including braille, large print, and digital resources.

By equipping students, educators, and families with these essential tools, the center ensures that visually impaired learners have equitable access to the curriculum and can thrive alongside their sighted peers. Additionally, the LIMC offers training and support to teachers and administrators, fostering an inclusive educational environment that empowers visually impaired students to achieve their full potential.

Through its commitment to innovation and accessibility, the Louisiana Instructional Materials Center plays a crucial role in enhancing educational opportunities and promoting independence for students with visual impairments throughout the state.

The Braille Challenge, an initiative by the Braille Institute, is an annual competition to promote literacy among visually impaired students across North America. This unique event challenges participants in various age categories through a series of engaging tests that assess their Braille reading and writing skills. By fostering a spirit of friendly competition, the Braille Challenge encourages students to enhance their Braille proficiency and raises awareness about Braille literacy’s importance in the blind community.

Students are celebrated not just for their achievements but for their determination and talent, reinforcing the value of Braille as a vital tool for education and personal empowerment. The event also provides a platform for participants to connect with peers and mentors, fostering a sense of community and support among young blind individuals.

Louisiana hosts the Braille Challenge at two locations: Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired (LSVI) in Baton Rouge and Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB) in Ruston.

Narjis is a 6th grader from the New Orleans area. She loves reading and spending time with her family. Narjis was the overall winner in 2021 and 2022.

Braille prison programs have emerged as vital initiatives for both the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals and the support of the visually impaired community. These programs train inmates in braille transcription and production, allowing them to produce essential educational and literary materials for those who are blind or have low vision.

The impact of these programs extends beyond the prison walls; by creating a skilled workforce, they address the significant shortage of braille resources while simultaneously fostering a sense of purpose and responsibility among participants. Inmates gain valuable job skills and work experience, which can aid in their reintegration into society, while the increase in braille production helps to meet the growing demand for accessible materials, ultimately contributing to greater inclusivity and support for individuals with visual impairments.

Louisiana is proud to have a braille program at Angola. We have 5 NLS Certification and 1 Proofreading Certification. They are transcribing the changes in the ELA Guidebooks and textbooks that LEAs are requesting.