The Maryland Instructional Resource Center (MIRC) is a centralized repository for braille and large print textbooks as well as other educational materials, located on MSB’s campus. MSDE began a partnership with the Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) and local education agency (LEAs) to establish the Maryland Instructional Resource Center (MIRC) for Students with Visual Impairments. This partnership provides textbooks, and educational materials for loan or at discounted rates to “eligible students” (eligible students are defined as those that are blind or visually impaired) throughout Maryland.
American Printing House
The MIRC is responsible for conducting the annual APH Federal Quota Census of legally blind students in public schools across the State of Maryland. It supports eligible students in prekindergarten through 21 enrolled at MSB and in Maryland’s twenty four local school systems by facilitating the ordering, delivery, and sharing of braille and large print textbooks, and supplemental education materials throughout the state.
To access our online web order system go to MIRC on-line ordering.
The MIRC must publish a yearly fee structure for LEA’s for educational materials. To the left is our fee structure for the 2023-2024 school year, which is effective as of July 1, 2023.
Learn More
Learning Braille is a crucial step towards empowering individuals who are blind and low vision. Braille also serves as a foundation for learning other languages and communication systems, further expanding opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Anyone can learn to read braille! Here are a couple or recourses that are great for your braille journey.
Additional Info
For more information on the APH Federal Quota Census go to https://www.aph.org/federal-quota/ or download a copy of these APH resources:
For more information about MIRC contact Sally Shreck, Sallys@mdschblind.org