Access For Sight Impaired Consumers
Books, Magazines & Newsletters
Many of the organizations and associated links within the "Audio Format>" section offer recordings in various formats - mainly the .mp3 file format. Users of the iPhone or iPod Touch will appreciate the MP3 to iPod/iPhone Audio Book Converterwhich converts any number of MP3 files into one big iPod Audio Book File. This enables you to use the advanced audio book functionality of your iPhone or iPod. These devices will remember the last position you were listening to in your audio book. So you can always start listening from the exact point from where you left off,
even if you were listening to music or another audio book in the meantime.
Books - Audio Format
- Audible.com ), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, on the Internet. Audible specializes in the spoken experience, providing digital audio editions of books, newspapers and magazines, original programming, and TV and radio subscriptions. Content from Audible is downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady® computer-based and wireless mobile devices. Audible has over 60,000 audio programs from more than 600 content providers that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes® Store.
- Audio Books For Free offers material which enables you to listen to their mp3 audio books on your computer, mobile phone, PDA, PSP, your portable CD-MP3 players, MP3 players, DVD players or even on your iPod or iPhone. Every audio book is produced and recorded by professional actors/narrators and experienced directors. No computerised text-to-voice convertions have been used.
- chapters.indigo is operated by Indigo Books and Music Inc., this site is a leading Canadian destination for shoppers seeking books, videos and DVDs. The online catalog includes an extensive listing of abridged and unabridged audio books that are available for purchase.
- The CNIB Library for the Blind is one of the world’s largest libraries for people with a print disability. They offer access to thousands of titles in braille, printbraille and audio books; descriptive videos; newspapers, and magazines; as well as telephone, reference and online services. For more information visit CNIB Library for the Blind or call their toll-free number at 1-800-563-2642.
- DAISY scriptures are available in both audio or e-text formats at no charge. The collection includes the King James Bible or the Koran.
- Through agreements between its eighteen member libraries in British Columbia, InterLINK< makes it possible for you to use any of their 78 branch locations in British Columbia without charge. Library service is not limited to where you live in BC. You have free access to library service when and where you need it. Whenever you are shopping, working,
studying or visiting you can use an InterLINK library - FREE! A good, alternative source for audio books in MP3 format, music CD's and descriptive videos!
- LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. Copyright gives an individual or corporation exclusive rights on a text, for a limited period of time. This means no one else can reproduce the text or make derivative works (such as audio recordings) while the copyright is in force. Copyrights are granted for a limited time, and eventually they expire, and the text enters the “public domain.” LibriVox records only texts that are in the public domain (in the USA and all their recordings are public domain (definitely in the USA, and perhaps in Canada and other countries as well. Their collection includes books, poems, and short stories with over 600 titles. Their site offers seven different languages.
- LearnOutLoud is your one-stop destination for audio and video learning. Browse over 20,000 educational audio books, MP3 downloads, podcasts, and videos. Registration is required to purchase titles but it is not necessary for titles in the free collection.
- Naxos Audio Books Download Shop is an excellent source for the purchase of audio titles. Their collection includes classics, contemporary fiction, poetry and non-fiction titles, narrated by outstanding classical actors and experienced
radio voices.
- Perkins School for the Blind offers a Braille and audio Book library.
- ReadHowYouWant offers a large collection of titles; many current bestsellers in a variety of accessible formats including audio (DAISY) or Braille formats. In addition to the
large collection of public domain titles, they have a diverse collection of books from their Publishing Partners available for sale as well.
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Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic< has been providing services for nearly half a century. RFB&D is a national nonprofit organization that serves people who cannot read standard print because of a visual, perceptual or other physical disability.
- Simply Audio Books helps its members make more of their time and money by providing the best online audio book rental service anywhere, as well as offering books on tape and
CD for sale and download. They provide book lovers with simple and affordable ways to enjoy the books they want to read.
- Victor Stream users will be pleased to learn that Humanware has kindly compiled a page of digital books, music and pod-casts for the Victor Stream< as well as information about DAISY libraries. Here you will find sections for English, French, and German download sources as well as links to DAISY libraries.
Books - Braille Format
- American Printing House for the Blind produces textbooks, educational materials and other publications such as dictionaries and cookbooks for individuals who are blind or sight impaired.
- The Braille Bookstore - offers a range of Braille book titles for purchase by people of all ages. They have over a thousand books in Braille available for all ages and interests. Just tell them how old the reader is you're shopping for, and they'll go from there . They also have a variety of products and training materials for learning uncontracted and contracted Braille.
- The International Electronic Braille Book Library, is a project of the International Braille Research Centre. Their collection currently contains over 1,000 titles; the largest collection of electronic Braille (e-Braille) books in the world; everything from the writings of Aristotle to the latest books on success and personal achievement. Their collection includes books by many authors from different nations and cultures.
- National Braille Press - Promotes braille literacy by producing braille books and magazines for purchase. They also offer a children's braille book club.
- National Braille Factory - is dedicated to producing the highest quality braille including their unique collection of Braille coloring books for children. Should you need anything transcribed into braille format, contact NATIONAL BRAILLE FACTORY.
- Perkins School for the Blind offers a Braille and audio book library.
- ReadHowYouWant offers a large collection of titles; many current bestsellers in a variety of accessible formats including audio (DAISY) or Braille formats. In addition to the
large collection of public domain titles, they have a diverse collection of books from their Publishing Partners available for sale as well.
- Seedlings Braille Books for Children - has over 700 low-cost children's books available for purchase.
- TravelBraille has started a new series called 'Literature for Young Readers'. There is a limited number of titles available however they may just have the title you are looking for.
Books - E-text Format
- Bookshare.org requires certification of a reading disability and an annual subscription fee, but provides the most comprehensive list of electronic reading material in existence.
- WebRing of e-books contains a site offering e-books on-line or downloads. The eBooks! Ring is open to digital literature writers, publishers &
readers of all age groups and interests.
- BookLocker is your Online Bookstore For The Unique, eclectic and Different. It offers thousands of downloadable e-text books in .pdf format.
- DAISY scriptures are available in both audio or e-text formats at no charge. The collection includes the King James Bible or the Koran.
- The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format. Founded in 1996 and located in San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in its collections, and provides specialized services for adaptive reading and information access for people who are blind, sight-impaired or for those who may have other disabilities.
- The Project Gutenberg philosophy is to make information, books and other material available to the general public. It is the Internet's oldest producer of FREE electronic books (eBooks or eTexts).
- Hard Shell Word Factory is a royalty paying publisher of works by established and new authors. Their material is for sale in electronic format (ebooks), and publish in multiple
formats for the new E-reader and hand-held devices.
Magazines & Newsletters
- Blind Cool Tech Podcast offers hundreds of self-produced podcasts from contributing individuals on a myriad of topics. The vast array of subjects covered range from accessible technology assessments, "how to's" on numerous blindness related issues, computer hints and tricks and so on. Despite the fact some of these podcasts are
of lesser quality, a subscription to this site is well worth consideration.
- A free subscription to the Braille Monitor, the magazine of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is available via email. To subscribe to the Braille Monitor, send an E-mail message with:
SUBSCRIBE BRL-MONITOR firstname lastname
in the BODY of your message, substituting your complete name for "firstname" and "lastname".
- The CNIB Library for the Blind offers an extensive collection of monthly magazines, either available to subscribers on-line or compiled in audio format on a CD and delivered directly to your home.
- Dialogue Magazine was established in 1961 and is published bi-monthly by Blindskills, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Salem, Oregon. DIALOGUE is an international news magazine edited for individuals who are experiencing vision loss or are blind, and their friends and families. It reviews low vision aids and devices, provides tips and techniques for coping with vision loss, reports personal experiences of people living successfully with vision impairment at home, in school, on the job and in the community, interviews professionals working in the field of blindness and low vision, and is designed to inform, instruct and entertain in the discussion of blindness issues. DIALOGUE publishes articles, personal essays, interviews, news and resources on all aspects of coping with vision loss.
- If you are an enthusiastic Google user, you may wish to subscribe to the Google Friends newsletter. You can keep up-to-date with each monthly edition which provides important announcements of new features and other information regarding the Google search engine and other Google features.
- The Microsoft Accessibility Update is a free e-mail newsletter that provides information about accessibility including accessibility options in Microsoft products. This newsletter is sent to subscribers in the first week of the month and is also published on the Microsoft Accessibility Web site.
To subscribe to the MicroSoft Access newsletter, send an E-mail message with the word SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line. You can also subscribe through Microsoft's Web Site where you can also manage all your Microsoft communication preferences.
- Newsreel is an exciting monthly audio magazine available on both audio cassette tape and in digital mp3 format. Produced by and for persons who are blind
or sight-impaired, Newsreel contains news, supportive articles, information and entertainment.
- Audyssey is a new electronic magazine dedicated to computer games which are, either by intention or pure accident, accessible to people who are blind or sight-impaired. To receive editions of Audyssey by email, simply subscribe to audyssey magazine and type:
subscribe audyssey
in the subject line. Simply ask to be added to the Audyssey distribution list, and each new
issue of the magazine will be automatically sent to you. Please note that this is a personal address, so kindly remember that a person, not a machine, will be receiving and processing your subscription request.
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