The Instructional Resource Center (IRC)
Reaching out to support our community

We're an important part of the community and our programs help support students in every county of the state.

Established in 1991, the IRC is the statewide depository for Braille and large print textbooks for blind and visually impaired students attending public and private schools throughout Maryland. For requested books not currently available in inventory, the IRC handles searching, ordering and shipping of materials, including books on tape, for students statewide.

• The IRC also maintains a Braille production facility to produce needed Braille textbooks that are not available from another source.

•  The vision of the IRC is that students with visual impairments in Maryland receive their instructional materials at the same time as their sighted peers.

• During the 2001-2002 school year, the IRC provided 4,280 books in braille, large print and tape to 393 students in Maryland.

• The IRC's braille production staff completed 161 books, transcribing 24,319 print pages into 44,684 braille pages and 4,645 tactile diagrams. The IRC also produced 329 large print books in the area of reading and literature.

For more information on the IRC, contact: 

Irina Chernyak, Statewide Instructional Resource Center (IRC)

410-444-5000 x715

irinac@mdschblind.org