RGD Partners With Blind Society To Print Braille Certificates

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has partnered with the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB) to facilitate the printing of Braille certificates.

Through this innovative collaboration, the JSB will handle the Braille printing process, thereby generating economic activity within the visually impaired community.

During a recent interview, the Department’s former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy Keeper of Records, Charlton McFarlane, pointed out that one of the primary challenges faced with making the essential documents available in Braille was the absence of a Braille printer at the RGD.

“We entrenched the partnership further by including in the arrangement, that the Braille printing be done by the Jamaica Society for the Blind, allowing for further economic activity to be brought to the members of that community,” McFarlane shared.

Quality assurance also emerged as another crucial aspect of this endeavour, as ensuring the accuracy of the printed Braille text on certificates was paramount.

To address this issue, the former CEO said that after printing, each Braille certificate undergoes meticulous scrutiny using Baille character recognition software to ensure accuracy.

Since issuing the first officially printed Braille birth certificate on May 1, the initiative has yielded nothing but positive feedback.

“The members of the visually impaired community are very appreciative of it because for them this means a new level of independence. They also now have a certain level of dignity in being able to read their own document without relying on someone else for assistance,” McFarlane said.