New York State Library

NYSED / OCE / NYSL / Talking Book and Braille Library / Disability Resources

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Disability Resources

The following links are provided as resources for information related to blindness, visual impairment, or other physical disabilities that result in an inability to read printed matter. These resources are not maintained by the New York State Library and the Library has no control over their content or availablity.

• Federal
• New York State
• Resources & Services
• For Educators and Parents
• Organizations
• Internet / E-Text

Federal Government Resources

• National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS): A division of the Library of Congress, NLS administers a free library program of braille and recorded materials, which are circulated to eligible borrowers through a network of cooperating libraries such as the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library.
  • Search the National Library Service catalog: This Web-based form allows you to search the NLS catalog for braille and audio books that are currently available and/or in production. To order materials found in this catalog, contact the cooperating network library from which you receive your library service. For collections other than NLS, contact the holding agency directly. (Note: Links are provided on the page for Voyager and Text interfaces to the NLS catalog.)
  • NLS Kids Zone - Kids Catalog: Find audio, braille, and print/braille books for preschool through grade 8 in the NLS catalog.
  • Talking Book Topics: A bimonthly newsletter that lists recorded magazines and books that have recently been added to the NLS collection.
  • Braille Book Review: A bimonthly newsletter that lists braille magazines and books that have recently been added to the NLS collection. Available in HTML or plain text.
  • Web Braille - "Web-Braille is an Internet, web-based service that provides, in an electronic format, many braille books, some music scores, and all braille magazines produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)."
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Home Page: The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, programs and services provided by state and local governments, goods and services provided by private companies, and in commercial facilities. This site is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, which provides technical assistance and enforcement for ADA.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: This site provides information on VA programs, veterans benefits, VA facilities worldwide, and VA medical automation software.

New York State Resources

• Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID): Part of the NYS Education Department, VESID oversees special education services for students in public and private schools, provides vocational rehabilitation services (e.g. vocational assessment, vocational counseling, and job training and placement), and administers 15 Early Childhood Direction Centers and 38 Independent Living Centers.
• The New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH): Part of the NYS Department of Family Services, CBVH provides rehabilitation services to individuals who are legally blind and reside in New York State.
• New York State Department of Motor Vehicles: Access the New York State Driver's Manual in MP3 Audio Format (available in English and Spanish). NOTE: You must have audio software that can play MP3 files.
• NYS Office for the Aging: This Web site has provides information to older New Yorkers, their families, and those concerned about providing opportunities and services to enrich the lives of older people and support their independence.
• NYS Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities: The Commission now includes NYS Office of Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. It is an independent, New York State government agency charged with improving the quality of life for New Yorkers with disabilities and protecting their rights .
• Cornucopia of Disability Information: Based at the University of Buffalo, this site serves as a community resource for consumers and professionals by providing disability information in a wide variety of areas. The site provides information on topics such as education, government documents, computer access, legal issues, aging, assistive technology, and universal design for local (Buffalo and western NY), state, national and international audiences.
• New York State Government Information Locator Service: A point of access to information services provided by New York State Government agencies, the State Legislature and the Judiciary.
  

Resources and Services

• American Printing House for the Blind: This organization promotes independence of blind and visually impaired people by providing special media, tools and materials needed for education and life. Also on this site: APH: Louis Database of Accessible Materials: Louis is a database that provides users with a centralized source of information about accessible media materials, including more than 145,000 titles of books, music, and educational materials for people who are blind or visually impaired. There are several search options, including one that is "streamlined for speech users."
• The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) features a New York State Resources page. An Organizations Database lists national organizations in a searchable database.
• Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D): RFB&D provides educational materials on tape for people with print disabilities. Their collection includes over 77,000 taped textbooks (for students in kindergarten through post-graduate studies), reference books and professional materials. There is an annual fee to use the service.
• Radio Reading Services: This page lists radio stations throughout New York State that broadcast programs for blind and print-disabled people. Programs generally include readings of local and national newspapers, magazines, and sometimes books.
• HotBraille: You can compose a message on the HotBraille Web site and they will transcribe your message in Braille and send it to the address you provide, using a "Free Matter for the Blind" stamp. HotBraille's service is free to users.
• Braille Plus, Inc.: Braille Plus is a fee-based service that will convert print documents to alternative formats, including braille, large print, audio tape or electronic format.
• Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI): A resource for information about adaptive computer technology, particularly as it relates to education (K-12 schools, colleges, libraries and the workplace).
• National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities: NICHCY is a national information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. Their special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22).
• The New York Institute for Special Education (NYISE): NYISE is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian educational facility which provides quality programs for children who are blind or visually disabled, children who are emotionally and learning disabled, and preschoolers who are developmentally delayed.
• New York State Disability vote project - "One of its primary purposes is to ensure that all of our citizens have the opportunity to vote privately and independently, including citizens with disabilities.
  
• HEATH Resource Center (Higher Education and the Handicapped): A national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities.
• Lions Clubs International: The International Association of Lions Clubs, one of the largest service organization in the world, raises funds for charitable giving with a major focus on sight conservation. Lions programs range from purchasing eyeglass for a child who's parents can't afford them to multimillion dollar programs to cure blindness on a worldwide scale.
• Project ACTION Accessible Traveler's Database: Users can search a database of accessible transit services in the United States.
• Guidedog Foundation for the Blind: A not-for-profit organization that provides guide dogs free of charge to blind people who seek enhanced mobility and independence.
• The Seeing Eye: Its mission is to help blind people achieve greater independence, dignity and self-confidence through the use of Seeing Eye dogs. The Seeing Eye dog guide school, which is located in New Jersey, teaches Seeing Eye dogs to guide blind people; breeds and raises or obtains the dogs by purchase or gift; teaches instructors the science and technique of training dogs as guides for blind people; instructs blind people in the proper use and handling of the dogs; and educates the public about the role of dog guides and the capability of blind people for independent living.

Resources for Educators and Parents

• LD Online: Learning Disabilities Information and Resources - "the interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and other professionals." The monthly newsletter, LD Online Report, has useful information for all of these groups.
  
• Suggested Reading Lists:
  • NYS Summer Reading Program Lists
  • 3 Apples Book Award - A New York State Children's Choice Award
  • Juvenile Poetry Available from the National Library Service
• Braille Bug - New from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). "Visit AFB's new kids' channel, created to teach sighted children about braille and to encourage literacy among all children. Kids, parents, and teachers who visit can play braille games, learn about Louis Braille and Helen Keller, and even send a secret message to a friend. (Designed for children in grades three through six. )
  
• Funding Beyond High School: Audio Highlights - This site "will introduce you to critical information for you to consider as you prepare for education after high school. It will also introduce you to other resources—Web sites and Braille and print publications—resources that provide more details relating to each topic.." See also Student Aid on the Web.
  
• Free Braille Books Program - from the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults.
• Home Education Magazine's Homeschooling Information and Resource Pages
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Events & Programs: Programs for Visitors with Disabilities
• NNCC Eight Ways Parents Can Promote Reading at Home - from the National Network for Childcare (NNCC)
• Special Education in New York State for Children Ages 3–21, A Parent’s Guide - from the New York State Education Department, Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID).
• Videos Available for Loan - A small number of videos are available for loan from our library.  Teachers may borrow them to use in a classroom setting or when working with students on units about diversity or blindness/visual impairments.
• EdVideo Online - from WMHT - A "digital video service, free to all New York State K-12 and Adult Literacy teachers and their students! ... You can use EdVideo Online  to stream, download, create lessons, and quizzes plus access PBS programs and podcasts."
• World Book Encyclopedia Articles in Braille - Available through the Rose Project from Seedlings Braille Books for Children, the encyclopedia articles service is offered free of charge for blind students in grades 1-12.

Organizations

• American Council of the Blind: This site provides general information about the Council, including recent issues of its monthly publication, The Braille Forum.
• American Foundation for the Blind (AFB): The AFB is a national resource for people who are blind or visually impaired, the organizations that serve them, and the general public. The AFB focuses on nonmedical aspects of blindness and visual impairment, including developing and disseminating information, identifying issues that are critical to those who are blind or visually impaired, and educating policy makers and the general public.
• Canadian National Institute for the Blind: A Canadian organization that helps blind, visually impaired, and deafblind Canadians survive - and thrive - in a sighted world.
• LD Online: Learning Disabilities Information and Resources - "the interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and other professionals." The monthly newsletter, LD Online Report, has useful information for all of these groups.
• Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA): A national, non-profit, volunteer organization, LDA is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all individuals with learning disabilities and their families, to alleviating the restricting effects of learning disabilities, and to supporting endeavors to determine the causes of learning disabilities. LDA seeks to accomplish these goals through advocacy, education, research and service, and through collaborative efforts.
• National Federation of the Blind (NFB): This organization has two goals: to help blind people achieve self-confidence and self-respect, and to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression of people who are blind. NFB provides public education about blindness, information and referral services, scholarships, literature and publications about blindness, aids and appliances and other adaptive equipment for the blind, advocacy services and protection of civil rights, Job Opportunities for the Blind, development and evaluation of technology, and support for blind persons and their families. Also includes Newsline, a free service to those who cannot read regular newsprint.
• National Association for the Visually Handicapped (NAVH): NAVH is a non-profit health agency that is solely dedicated to providing assistance to the visually impaired.
  

Internet and E-Text Resources

• Bookshare.org: This is a "web-based system supplying accessible books in digital formats designed for people with disabilities. These digital formats are the NISO/DAISY XML-based format for the next generation of talking books, and the BRF format for Braille devices and printers. Access to copyrighted books from Bookshare.org is limited to people with bona fide print disabilities and the schools and nonprofit organizations serving them.
• Disability Resources Monthly: A guide to disability resources on the Internet.
• Electronic Texts: Selected Sites: A sampling of the e-text resources on the World Wide Web. This link is part of the New York State Library's Internet Bibliographies.
• HELP Read: This speech reader, created by the Hawaii Education Literacy Project (HELP), can be downloaded for free. It can read Web pages, MS Word documents and text files.
• The Poetry Archive: A searchable collection of recordings of poets reading their work. There are links to educational
  resources, including those for teachers seeking to utilize the contents of the site in their classroom and for those looking for a brief introduction to reading poetry.
• SETI-Search: An accessible, "speech friendly" interface to several popular search engines.
• TV-now - Powered by TV Guide, this site offers television listings, customizable for your local area, that can be read or downloaded.
• Wired for Books - This site contains audio files of over 100 famous author interviews, conducted by Don Swaim for CBS Radio in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. There are also some audio files of poems, stories and other works of literature. (In RealAudio format.)

Last Updated: April 14, 2009