MI HR0314

Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund (MBTF), which began in 1962 at the State Prison of Southern Michigan as a volunteer effort by prisoners.

Recognizes the MBTF's expansion from providing brailled materials to blind students to handling complex projects including municipal bus schedules, corporate manuals, menus, and textbooks with extensive drawings.

Acknowledges benefits to incarcerated staff who develop marketable braille transcribing skills and gain a sense of community contribution while participating in the program.

Notes the MBTF is the oldest prison braille program in the United States and produced over four million of five million pages surveyed across 20 state and 3 federal prisons with braille programs.

Honors all contributors to the MBTF's success and its preeminence in the braille transcribing industry.