Debra Bonde

As a volunteer Braille transcriber, Debra Bonde realized that there was a lack of Braille material for children, and the little that was available was expensive. From this realization, Debra founded Seedlings Braille Books for Children. Seedlings is dedicated to increasing literacy and providing high quality, low cost Braille books to children.

In 1985, Debra produced 221 books, out of a small office in her basement. In 2006, 22,000 books and articles were produced – this time, in a more permanent office space. Along with Seedlings, Debra has added special projects that address literacy needs for blind children. The Rose project provides free encyclopedia articles in Braille; and The Gift of Reading distributes free holiday books to blind children. In memory of one of her children, Anna, who passed away suddenly, Debra developed Anna’s Book Angel Project, which distributes free books to children worldwide. To learn more about Seedlings, visit www.seedlings.org.