Do you know a child who struggles to read conventionally printed material? Are you looking for a way to share and cultivate a love of reading through an alternative format?
The Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL) of Northern California offers free talking (audio) books and playback equipment, as well as magazines, newspapers, and braille books. Materials are delivered by U.S. mail or downloaded directly to a smartphone or tablet.
Who is eligible? Anyone who is blind, low vision, or who has a physical disability or a print disability that prevents reading conventionally printed material. To start services, BTBL offers a simple application available on our website. Simply fill out the application, have it signed by a certifying authority, and return to BTBL.
Anyone who is blind, low vision, or who has a physical disability or a print disability that prevents reading conventionally printed material. To start services, BTBL offers a simple application available on our website. Simply fill out the application, have it signed by a certifying authority, and return to BTBL.
Who qualifies as a certifying authority? Chances are, you do! Any of the following qualify: doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, ophthalmologist, optometrist, psychologist, registered nurse, therapist, and professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or welfare agencies (such as an educator, a social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, certified reading specialist, school psychologist, superintendent, librarian, or school librarian.)
BTBL enthusiastically welcomes juvenile readers. We offer access to a Kid’s Zone catalog through our parent organization, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, where you can search specifically for books at a preschool through Young Adult level. (For textbooks, please visit Learning Ally, a national non-profit that provides audio textbooks to students: https://learningally.org). BTBL also publishes a “For Younger Readers” catalog and supplies suggested reading lists on our website. Readers of all ages are welcome to participate in an annual Summer Reading Program with cool prizes.
Teachers, librarians, and other professional educational staff are encouraged to assist students with using the service. You can help students to download materials via BARD Mobile, an app which provides access to downloadable audio books and electronic braille. There is no limit on downloads, no need to remember to “return” books, and downloads are virtually instantaneous and available 24/7.
BTBL materials can be used in both the classroom and the school library. Teachers and teacher librarians with eligible students may apply for an institutional account. With an institutional account, books may be sent directly to a certified student in care of the classroom or library, or the classroom or library may request to have books sent to be used by eligible students. Whether a student needs an accessible version of a book for assigned class reading, or you’re looking for a selection of recreational reading materials for eligible students who browse in your school library, you can use your institutional account to ensure that eligible students have equitable access to reading materials.
Interested in learning more? Residents of Northern California, contact the Braille and Talking Book Library of Northern California at: http://btbl.ca.gov Residents of Southern California, please contact the Braille Institute at: https://brailleinstitute.org/books-for-visually-impaired
No comments:
Post a Comment