Supplemental Support Services and Resources

Accessible Materials in Audio

  • Bookshare: Bookshare provides accessible books and periodicals for people with print disabilities including people with visual impairments, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. Free for students. Subscription required for non-students.
  • LibriVox: Free public domain audiobooks
  • Learning Ally: Accessible materials for individuals with visual and learning disabilities.
  • Project Gutenberg Open Audiobook Collection: Almost 5,000 titles from 2023, via a Project Gutenberg collaboration with Microsoft and MIT. These use neural text-to-speech technology for more natural-sounding computer-generated audio books.
  • Project Gutenberg - Human narration: Audiobooks with human narration.
  • Project Gutenberg - Computer generated: Computer generated audiobooks.
  • Internet Archive: Source for accessible titles from a wide range of collections.
  • Christian Classics Ethereal Library: Offers several free e-versions, including volunteer-read audio, of classic works of the Christian church, with links to other commercial versions as well.
  • JBI International: “Committed to increasing accessibility and inclusion by creating, publishing, and distributing to individual patrons and partner organizations Jewish-interest materials in audio, braille, and large print.”
  • Xavier Society for the Blind: “Xavier Society provides free religious, spiritual, and inspirational reading materials in braille, large print and audio to blind and visually impaired individuals worldwide.”
  • American Printing House for the Blind: Braille and large print, tactile graphics, audio magazines, APHont typeface designed for low vision. Also, guidelines for producing accessible media.
  • Choice Magazine Listening A free quarterly magazine anthology on digital cartridge (or download from BARD) that consists of 12 hours of unabridged articles, stories, and poems chosen by three editors from over 120 periodicals and literary journals. The selections are professionally recorded and mailed as free matter to eligible subscribers every three months.

Accessible Materials in Braille

  • American Printing House for the Blind: Braille and large print, tactile graphics, audio magazines, APHont typeface designed for low vision. Also, guidelines for producing accessible media.
  • JBI International: “Committed to increasing accessibility and inclusion by creating, publishing, and distributing to individual patrons and partner organizations Jewish-interest materials in audio, braille, and large print.”
  • Xavier Society for the Blind: “Xavier Society provides free religious, spiritual, and inspirational reading materials in braille, large print and audio to blind and visually impaired individuals worldwide.”

Accessible Materials in Large Print

  • American Printing House for the Blind: Braille and large print, tactile graphics, audio magazines, APHont typeface designed for low vision. Also, guidelines for producing accessible media.
  • JBI International: “Committed to increasing accessibility and inclusion by creating, publishing, and distributing to individual patrons and partner organizations Jewish-interest materials in audio, braille, and large print.”
  • Xavier Society for the Blind: “Xavier Society provides free religious, spiritual, and inspirational reading materials in braille, large print and audio to blind and visually impaired individuals worldwide.”

Service Animals

  • National Association of Guide Dog Users: Division of the National Federation of the Blind. Provides assistance to the guide dog community.
  • The Seeing Eye: “A philanthropic organization whose mission is: To enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye® dogs.”
  • Guide Dogs for the Blind: “As the largest guide dog school in North America, more than 16,000 guide dog teams have graduated from GDB from across the U.S. and Canada since our founding in 1942. All of the services are provided free of charge, including personalized training and extensive post-graduation support, plus financial assistance for veterinary care, if needed.”
  • Guide Dogs of America\ Tender Loving Canines: “We breed, raise, and train guide dogs for individuals who are blind/visually impaired and service dogs for veterans and children with autism. We also place facility dogs with professionals in hospitals, schools, and courtrooms. Our highly skilled canines become trusted companions that increase people’s confidence, mobility, and independence. All programs and services, including transportation, personalized training, room/board, and postgraduate support, are provided at no cost to the recipient.”
  • Guide Dog Foundation: “In 1946, when the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind was founded, its mission was simple: to provide guide dogs and training – free of charge – to people who were blind or have low vision.”
  • Assistance Dogs International: “Assistance Dogs International, Inc. (ADI) is a worldwide coalition of non-profit programs that train and place Assistance Dogs. Founded in 1986 from a group of seven small programs, ADI has become the leading authority in the Assistance Dog industry.”
  • Canine Companions for Independence: “We provide service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings. Since our founding in 1975, our dogs and all follow-up services are provided at no cost to our clients.”

Veterans

  • Department of Veteran Affairs: Blind Rehabilitation Services (BRS): “The mission of Blind Rehabilitation Service (BRS) is to assist eligible Veterans and active duty Service members with a visual impairment in developing the skills needed for personal independence and successful reintegration into the community and family environment.”
  • Blinded Veterans Association: “BVA serves as ambassadors and mentors for all veterans and their families coping with sight loss.”

Disability Resources

  • Disaboom: “​Disaboom is a Disability Resource Website and is the premier online community dedicated to improving the way individuals with disabilities or functional limitations live their lives.”
supplemental_support_services.txt · Last modified: 2025/05/28 09:02 by pa1a