Braille Changes Lives

“It changes the lives of our braille readers,” said Susan Quinn of the braille menu lists and meals heating instructions, recently updated by Carolyn’s Braille Services.

Susan is a Social Work Intern with Meals On Wheels, a service of Senior Services of King County. Each week, Meals On Wheels delivers thousands of frozen meals throughout King County to homebound people age 60 or more, thus helping them to eat well and remain independent. Clients telephone in their meal orders, choosing from a list that contains 33 options. Braille readers have that list in braille, a format they can read independently.

The nutritious meals are packaged to be stored in the freezer and heated in a microwave or a conventional oven. Each meal is marked in braille, eliminating guess work for blind clients as to its contents. Heating instructions customized for each meal are also available in braille.

Seattle seniors may use the Mobile Market, a home delivery program where individuals order by phone from a list of groceries and other supplies. That list, too, is in braille.

Meals On Wheels of King County is part of the Meals On Wheels Association of America, the oldest and largest national organization composed of and representing community-based Senior Nutrition Programs in the 50 U.S. states and Territories.

There are approximately 5,000 local Senior Nutrition Programs in the United States. Each day, these programs provide one million meals to qualifying seniors. Meals may be served at community locations like senior centers or delivered directly to the homes of seniors with limited mobility. Many programs provide both services.

Contact information for Meals On Wheels Association of America:
Phone: 703.548.5558
E-mail: mowaa@mowaa.org

Contact information for Meals On Wheels of King County:
Phone: 206-448-5767 or 1-888-308-6325
E-mail: mowdl@seniorservices.org