The Braille Box

The Braille Box Initiative is a program created to provide easy to access manipulatives, lessons and materials that can be used by a teacher, parent or concerned party to assist a blind or visually impaired student with the introduction of the braille alphabet (grade 1 and 2 literary code). 

Currently, 27K students are identified in the United States as visually impaired or blind. Due to many factors, including teacher shortage, fewer than 10% of these students are ever introduced to braille.

At the onset of the pandemic, teachers scrambled to adapt their classroom lessons to online delivery. Evision Academy Programs had spent the previous six years learning to navigate the ups and downs of online teaching.

We believe that TVIs, parents and school staff who work with visually impaired learners will benefit from the braille box lessons and materials because of the increased need for remote learning but also to provide a much needed curriculum to increase literacy rates for low vision students.

We believe the Braille Box provides an informed solution that is unlike any other curriculum or supplemental product available today.

The solution we have created is called The Braille Box. The Braille Box is actually an instructional supplemental kit that consists of 7 different boxes. Each box introduces a different segment of the literary braille code by providing an engaging book, study cards and a "braille board". 

In response to initial research and using the contents of Box 1 with teachers and students, we realized that a need also existed for a class portal, lessons, computerized games and assessments that complement the manipulatives by creating a fully functional program that teachers, parents or other staff can use to introduce and/or review the components of the literary braille code.

The Braille Box will provide an impact to visually impaired learners, teachers and parents nationwide, possibly even worldwide, as braille instruction is needed and in short supply almost everywhere.

The Braille Box Initiative team is led by Angela Hilson, M.Ed., a 22 year braille teacher with experience working for K-12 districts in 4 states. Mrs. Hilson believes in creativity in instruction. Curriculum design is her passion. Having been a product of public school education in a large urban district, it has always been a personal mission to affect change. Mrs. Hilson has managed to advocate for her students in every school district in which she has served. Spending most of her career in an urban district, largely funded by Title I dollars, she watched as the need for services for a few was often overshadowed by the desire to serve the most. As a voice for what was often a small group of students, she championed the assertion that they mattered too. We must provide the highest quality education and access to literacy to all students - even the smallest group.

As our solution transforms from a prototype to a pilot product and to eventual growth, we are applying to Solve to continue our mission. This coming school year is pivotal for us as we take our existing prototype and champion it to districts, parents and students. While we do need the financial infusion to continue to weather the growth, we also need the reach and relationship building that would come from a partnership with Solve and others connected in educational areas to poise our solution for growth so that we are able to help as many students as possible.

Braille Instruction and teaching has seen very little change throughout the years. Because it is such a closed niche, rarely are changes offered or utilized.

We believe that all students who identify as visually impaired by state and federal definition should be introduced to braille.

Braille is proven to increase confidence and literacy rates for visually impaired learners setting them on a path to be more productive adults in society.

The Braille Box would be catalytic in the sense that it would change the way TVIs, braille teachers and related providers view braille instruction. 

Currently, braille is only taught to a few students in most districts, usually those who are completely blind. The Braille Box aims to provide this critical knowledge to all visually impaired learners. We believe we could affect literacy and graduation rates for these students. Braille knowledge is a proven determining factor of the career success and quality of work life for visually impaired adults. 

It is our largest goal that The Braille Box be offered to Title I schools that do not have a visually limited teacher on staff currently.

The Braille Box will be offered to 100% of the state or federally recognized visually impaired students in 20% of the school districts that Evision Academy Programs is contracted to serve.

The Braille Box will collect data from assessments in digital student records with a hypothesis that 50% of the students who have utilized the Braille Box Curriculum, manipulatives, games and assessments will be able to recognize and identify 50% of the literary braille code after showing mastery level scores related to the contents of all 7 boxes.

Reduced Inequalities. More students in Title I districts are able to be introduced/exposed to the literary braille code.

Our theory of change is that introduction to braille will provide higher literacy levels and improved confidence among visually impaired learners. Additionally, the Braille Box program specifically will make it easier for visually impaired students to review braille combinations and patterns with their parents and other parties. We believe the improved confidence and ability to read independently will spark higher employability, increased ability to navigate academic work successfully and more students moving towards advanced degrees and secondary school options.

Our solution uses traditional technologies in our braille board, our study cards and our tactile and illustrated introductory braille books. We also utilize software through our Braille Box student portal. This portal allows students, parents and teachers to access games, assessments, audio/videos, as well as the virtual classroom and lessons.

As a black woman, I am encouraged by the requests for statements of diversity. I have worked as one of few blacks in my field of special education for my entire career.

As for Evision Academy, we welcome anyone to our team regardless of race, sex or any other means of classification. All people are people. Our equitable environment welcomes everyone.

We provide value to visually impaired children, their families and teachers by bringing a curriculum to the market that responds to the identified visually impaired student who attends a public school, charter school, private school or learns in a home school setting. We are attempting to reach the large majority of VI students who stay in their assigned school or districts. The students we are reaching are being taught near their homes. Most of these students are served by itinerant teachers if they are receiving services. Itinerant teachers often have large caseloads which makes the introduction of braille to all students almost impossible. Often, parents want their children to receive braille instruction but unfortunately, it rarely is a possibility. The Braille Box and Supplemental Curriculum provides an answer to this need.

Organizational Support: The sales of the Braille Box kit are funded either with contract with the government (states and districts) or through charitable sponsorship and donations. The work is to promote and increase the rate of braille literacy. That work is sustained, encouraged and funded with the Braille Box and by concerned parties or entities.

We received a grant from New Schools Venture Fund that funded the creation of our first box which became our prototype.