Reading
There is no reason why someone loosing their vision cannot continue enjoying books and magazines. There are large print books, books on cassette tape and computer disk. Even digital books you can download and read on your computer. Braille books work well for blind children, who have learned the code at an early age. Adults can learn Braille, but they usually do not develop the speed to enjoy reading books with it.
Access to Normal Sized Print – Modern technology has made it possible to access normal pint. People with some remaining vision can use: closed circuit televisions, and large print computer software. People with very little to no remaining vision can use: scanners with optical character recognition software, and text to speech software. For people that read Braille there is software to convert text to Braille, which can be read on a refreshable Braille display, or printed out using a Braille embosser. For more information on this technology, check my Adaptive Technology Page.
Blindness and Low Vision Related Services
These companies and organizations produce: books on tape, large print books, and Braille books.
- National Library Service for the Blind – A free lending library run by the Library of Congress for people that can not see to read normal sized print. The books are on cassette tape. They provide a special cassette recorder that is needed to play the books. This Library also has the world's largest collection of Braille books.
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International Association of Audio Information Services – is an
organization of reading services. Radio reading service listeners hear news,
features, sports, business, opinions, advertisements and other material from
newspapers, books and magazines.
Phone: 800-280-5325 - Recording for The Blind & Dyslexic – is recognized as the nation's leading educational lending library of academic and professional textbooks on audio tape from elementary through post-graduate and professional levels.
- Bibles for the Blind and Visually Handicapped International – can help a blind person find a Bible in braille, large print or on cassette.
- The Electronic Braille Book Library – contains over 1,000 titles; the largest collection of electronic Braille (e-Braille) books in the world. You will need a refreshable Braille display for your computer or a Braille note taker to read these books. hard-copy can be made using a Braille Embosser.
- The American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. – They manufacture braille, large type, recorded, and computer disk publications, and an assortment of educational and daily living aids.
- National Braille Press – They are a nonprofit Braille printing and publishing house. They offer: self-help books, computer access books, cookbooks.
- Braille Plus has been in continuous operation for the sole purpose of providing alternate format documents to print-disabled individuals since August 1992.
- Children's Braille Book Club. – National Braille Press
- LRS - Library Reproduction Service – Provider of large print reproductions to schools and other education providers across the US and Canada.
- Seedlings Braille Books for Children – They offer high quality, low-cost Braille books for children, with over 560 Braille books for children ages 1 to 14. Some of the titles are available in twin vision (braille and print).
- Access 20/20 – hundreds of Practical and Innovative braille products for use at home and work
- Large Print Book Shop – Over 2,000 titles from all imaginable categories, including Classic Literature, Novels, Humor, Mysteries, Inspirational Books, Westerns, and Non-Fiction.
Free Downloads
These are virtual libraries run over the Internet. They offer thousands of e-books.
- Project Gutenberg E-Books – Here you can find thousands of novels, non-fiction works, and other writings in the public domain.
- Ebook Library at the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia – over 1,800 publicly-available ebooks.
- The On-Line Books Page – They have over 16,000 E-Books that are freely readable over the Internet.
General Public
These companies sell books on tape, e-books, books on CD and (MP3) books. They sell to the public so you do not need a special cassette player to read their taped books.
- Audible.com – makes it possible for you to download and listen to audio books, lectures, public radio programs, newspapers and more on your computer. They are one of the several companies offering digital books on the Internet.
- Audio Books – 1000s of audio books - abridged, unabridged, and dramatized on cassette, CD, and MP3.
- Books On Tape – They offer unabridged readings of bestsellers for rent or sale over 5,000 titles.
- Taped Editions – They carry audio books of both individual consumers and libraries.