Visual Aid Volunteers, Inc.
Providing Braille and Accessible Materials for the Visually Impaired for Over 50 Years
Meet Our Key Team Members
Melissa Klepper
Executive Director
Melissa Klepper joined the VAV team in 2010. She received her National Library Service (NLS) Literary Certification in 2007, Textbook Format Certification from the National Braille Association (NBA) in 2009, and Unified English Braille (UEB) Certification in 2015. She gained experience working as a braille transcriber, project coordinator, and quality assurance clerk before being appointed Executive Director in 2013. Her duties involve implementing policy developed with the Board of Directors such as staffing, budgeting, planning, training, marketing, production scheduling, etc. Ms. Klepper also coordinates the Quality Control Process and serves as a reviewer.
Ms. Klepper is a dedicated advocate of the National Braille Association and currently serves on the NBA Board of Directors. She is currently the Chair on the NBA Tactile Graphics Committee and the former Chair of the Computer Assisted Transcription Committee. Ms. Klepper served on the Textbook formatting Committee from 2010-2019 and was an associate writer of the NBA Braille Formats Exam. Melissa is dedicated to ensuring that all braille materials produced by the VAV team meet the high standards of quality established by the organization.
Cindy Harris Associate Director
Cindy Harris, the Associate Director, was hired in 2004 after graduating from a braille class held at VAV. She is responsible for day-to-day operational duties including financial administration, organizational planning, purchasing, etc. As a certified braillist, she serves as an integral part of the braille production team acting as Editor and Quality Control Clerk. Additionally, she fulfills the roles of both the Volunteer and Proofreading Coordinator. She was NLS Literary Certified in 2006, NBA Textbook Format Certificated in 2014, UEB Literary Certified in 2015, and UEB Technical certified through CNIB in 2018. She is currently working through the NLS course An Introduction to Braille Mathematics Using UEB and the Nemeth Code published by the NLS and LOC in preparation of the upcoming release of the UEB with Nemeth Certification Exam.
In addition to her work at VAV, Mrs. Harris is a life-time member of the National Braille Association and has served on the NBA Textbook Format Testing Committee for three years. She has presented workshops at several of NBA Professional Development Conferences as a Tactile Graphic Specialist.
Beverly North
Quality Control
Beverly North has been producing braille for over 10 years. She earned her NLS Literary Braille Certification in 2006. In 2009, Mrs. North received certification in Mathematics Braille from the Library of Congress. As a certified braille transcriber, she spent most of her years specializing in the Nemeth Braille Code. However, that has not prevented her from serving as a mentor to those learning the basic rules of braille transcription. In addition to her duties as a braille transcriber, Mrs. North serves as a reviewer in the Quality Control Process. She is responsible for ensuring that all braille materials produced by the VAV team meet the high standards of quality established by the organization.