Braille machine repair is available at only two places in the West - Soledad and Vacaville state prisons. During the holidays, many inmates make gifts for needy children. Trained in prison, this inmate clown performs for youngsters at a community festival. Under the direction of Corrections staff, inmates at the Soledad, Vacaville and San Quentin prisons record and distribute books for the blind. If a requested book is not available in the prison's extensive library, an inmate will record it on tapes supplied by the requestor.
Priority goes to textbooks for children.
Braille Machine Repair. Corrections provides the only braille machine repair service west of the Mississippi. Schools for the blind and individuals from throughout the world send their machines to Soledad or Vacaville to be cleaned, repaired and serviced by trained inmates. At Soledad and San Quentin, inmates analyze donated eyeglasses for prescription strength then organize them for distribution. . Upon request, Soledad inmates will transcribe class notes and type short stories for visually handicapped students on a large print typewriter.