Inside-Out News Articles

Mercer Student (and Inside-Out Training Coach) Ladji Ruffin Empowers Others Through Braille Business

November 8, 2024

Ladji was involved in an Inside-Out class as a formerly incarcerated student and has served as a coach for Inside-Out’s International Trainings for the past year.

Ladji Ruffin strives to be a servant within the community and support others in their goals. The Mercer University criminal justice leadership major owns his own braille transcription business and runs a program that supports people who are reintegrating into the community after incarceration.

Ruffin, who grew up and lived in Macon before moving to Atlanta in 2015, said he was looking for a new career path and was inspired to learn braille after visiting with students at the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon. He earned his basic braille certification online, followed by an advanced certification in braille for mathematics. From there, he learned how to create tactile graphics and got to work creating his own business.

Eight years ago, Ruffin started Authentic Braille Masters. His company now transcribes more than 70 books a year into braille and has contracts across the US, Canada and the UK. Most of the titles are K-12 and college textbooks, including math and children’s books.

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