Cub Scout handbooks are now available in Braille versions

The cover of the two-volume Braille edition of the Wolf Handbook.

There’s room for everyone in Scouting, especially Scouts who are blind or visually impaired.

That’s why the Boy Scouts of America has released Braille versions of all four Cub Scout handbooks: Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos.

Now every Cub Scout can follow each chapter of his or her Cub Scouting journey.

Families order the handbooks directly from the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute (details below).

The cost, while higher than the non-Braille versions, includes only the actual cost of producing the books. The BSA paid for the transcription, and shipping is free.

An inside spread of the Braille edition of the Wolf Handbook.

How much do the Braille Cub Scout handbooks cost?

Some Braille transcription services charge 75 cents per page or more. That would mean a cost of $226.50 for the 302-page Tiger Handbook or $397.50 for the 530-page Webelos Handbook.

Thankfully, the actual cost of these Cub Scout handbooks is a fraction of that.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Tiger Handbook (two volumes): $50
  • Wolf Handbook (two volumes): $56
  • Bear Handbook (two volumes): $56
  • Webelos Handbook (four volumes): $96

A close-up of Braille text inside the Wolf Handbook for Cub Scouts.

How does a family or Cub Scout leader order a Braille Cub Scout handbook?

Customers order directly from the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute.

Call 316-265-9692 during business hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday.

You may also email info@kbti.org.

What about the Scouts BSA Handbook?

The Scouts BSA Handbook (14th edition) also will be transcribed.

It will be ready when Scouts BSA, the new name for the BSA’s Boy Scout program, launches in February 2019.

What about Boys’ Life magazine?

The official magazine of the BSA is available in Braille at no charge through the National Library Service.

What other resources are available for Scouts with special needs?

Be sure to pick up your March-April 2019 edition of Scouting magazine for a cover story about a troop for deaf and blind Scouts. Senior Writer Aaron Derr learned how the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind started its own pack and troop to serve these Scouts.


Photos by W. Garth Dowling/BSA


About Bryan Wendell 3281 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.