12/18/2025
Braille Behind Bars: A Powerful Reminder of Why Disability Awareness Matters
At A Touch of Understanding (ATOU), we believe in the transformative power of empathy, responsibility, and the ripple effect of kindness. Today, we’re honored to highlight an extraordinary local program that embodies those very values.
At Folsom Prison, 18 incarcerated men are rebuilding their lives by learning to transcribe textbooks, math, and music into braille for blind and visually impaired children across California and beyond.
Through a partnership with the California Prison Industry Authority, these men commit to hundreds of hours of study, earning certifications from the Library of Congress and the National Braille Association.
This program—recognized nationally as one of the top braille production groups in the country—does more than create accessible materials.
It creates understanding.
It creates accountability.
It creates purpose.
Several participants say the work has helped them take responsibility for past harm, including one inmate who once stole from a blind woman and has spent more than two decades giving back to the community he hurt. Others describe finding deep meaning and personal growth in knowing that each page they produce will empower a child who is blind to learn, grow, and thrive.
“This stuff is going to be in a blind kid’s hands… and with every braille dot we press, that keeps us going.”
This is the heart of inclusion—recognizing the dignity and worth in every person and the power we each hold to make life better for someone else.
From inmates rebuilding their futures to children receiving the tools they need to succeed, this program is a powerful example of what happens when empathy turns into action.
At ATOU, we strive every day to create this same understanding in classrooms across our region. Stories like this remind us that when we embrace compassion and accessibility, lives change—on both sides of the page.
