Top Six Blind Reading Resources
RFB&D, NLS, and APH Spell Literacy for Vsually Impaired Students
Sep 9, 2008
These resources include audio, braille, e-text, and large print books produced by numerous nonprofits and government organizations.
Too often, such materials are procured on behalf of students, who rarely gain a comprehensive view of available reading solutions and options.
Top Resources For Blind and Visually Impaired Readers
The first step is learning about the main organizations that provide reading resources extensive enough for blind persons to use throughout their lifetime. These include:
- American Foundation for the Blind
- American Printing House for the Blind
- National Association for Visually Handicapped
- National Federation of the Blind
- National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
- Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
Makers of Braille and Talking Books
In addition to recording books for the National Library Service, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) maintains the M. C. Migel Library, the world’s largest collection of blindness-related materials, and the Helen Keller Archive. AFB Press’s Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness is the field’s most influential publication and its Directory of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in the United States and Canada is its most comprehensive resource.
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the main source for braille and large-print textbooks, with an inventory of 2,000 braille titles, 6,000 in large print. Schools generally purchase these textbooks for special education students. APH’s greatest resource is Louis, its online database that lists the holdings of over 200 organizations that provide materials for blind readers. APH also offers on-demand large-print book production.
The National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped offers over 60,000 books in braille and audiobooks (Talking Books) as well as consumer and specialty magazines, music, and playback equipment through a network of state libraries. Its website features a comprehensive online catalog which contains entire NLS and RFB&D collections and editions of Talking Book Topics and Braille Book Review featuring the latest titles in each format. Membership is free to those with documented reading disabilities.
Champions of Blind and Low-Vision Literacy
The National Association for Visually Handicapped maintains the 9,000-volume Robert L. Fastie Memorial large-print library, accessible free by mail to anyone in the United States. Commercial publishers donate most of the books (which include fiction, nonfiction, and reference), many of which were published using NAVH’s large-type design standards. The library also contains extensive materials on vision loss.
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the leading proponent of braille literacy. It offers over a thousand pieces of free literature on all aspects of blindness and accessibility (e.g. the Americans with Disabilities Act in all formats). The NFB runs the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, the world’s largest collection of blind reading technology, and maintains Newsline for the Blind, with audio access via telephone to major periodicals.
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic has the world's largest library (over 37,000 titles) of digitally recorded textbooks (available on CD or audio download) for all education levels. Over 7,000 RFB&D volunteers record books at 29 studios across the United States. RFB&D also sells playback equipment and accessories, and provides custom recoding services, annually awards academic scholarships, and conducts bibliographic searches for members free of charge.
Once major resources are incorporated, readers can explore ancillary producers of texts in their preferred formats (audio, braille, large print, web, etc.) to create a resource list through which one triages reading tasks.
