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Resource List of Advocacy, Books, and More
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH)
PO Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Phone: 502-895-2405 or 1-800-223-1839
Fax: 502-899-2274
APH promotes the independence of persons who are blind and visually impaired by providing special media, tools and materials needed for education and life.
APH offers a wide variety of products and services. It manufactures Braille, large type, recorded, computer disk, and tactile graphic publications. APH manufactures a wide variety of educational aids, tools and supplies, including Braille writing and embossing equipment; computer software and hardware; educational games; low vision aids; Braille and large-type paper; binders; and notebooks. Catalogs are available in print and on cassette. APH also offers a variety of services to assist consumers and professionals in the field of vision, such as Louis -a database that lists materials available in accessible media from organizations across North America.
Vision Foundation
818 Mount Auburn Street
Watertown, MA 02172
Phone: 617-926-4232
Coping with Sight Loss: The Vision Resource Book
This book answers questions about sight loss and discusses careers, job opportunities, financial benefits, money-saving services, legal rights, readings aids, hobbies, sports and recreation. It is updated annually and is available in large-print and cassette form. It also lists national toll-free numbers of organizations and directories.
Higher Education Coordinating Board
PO Box 43430
Olympia, WA 98504-3430
The Higher Education Book: Washington Post Secondary Opportunities
The book is published every two years and details nearly all of Washington's public and private colleges. Contact the Higher Education Coordinating Board if you would like to purchase the Higher Education Book. Cost is approximately $5-7.
Peterson Guide
A well-known book that lists institutions across the country and details many facts about each university or college. It can usually be found in a university or college library.
Career Fitness Program
A good reference by Sukiennik, Bendat, and Ruffman concerning many of the general issues related to getting ready for college. It is published by Prentice Hall and can usually be found in the campus library or at the Academic Counseling Center.
National Alliance of Blind Students (NABS)
1155 15th Street Northwest
Suite 1004
Washington DC 20005
Phone: 1-800-424-8666
NABS is a unique, national student organization administered by and for students who are blind and visually impaired and their advocates. It is primarily a membership organization for persons who are blind and are presently enrolled in a post secondary program of study and/or training to prepare for a career.
The benefits of membership include: friendships with students who have similar interests and concerns; attendance at informative annual seminars and workshops; subscription to "The Student Advocate," a quarterly newsletter that addresses scholarships, computer equipment, internships and much more; access to career information; contacts with professionals in careers paralleling your own interests; and membership with the American Council of the Blind, including a subscription to the monthly magazine, "The Braille Forum."
National Library Service- "Talking Books"
While in college, you may be required to read or review some form of current literature. Your state or regional National Library Service (NLS) may be your best resource. The NLS system is part of the National Library of Congress, has offices in each state, and is free to users who are physically or visually impaired to the extent that they cannot read print. In Washington, the NLS office is the Seattle Talking Books office. The Seattle office can be reached for information or an application by calling 1-800-542-0866.
Generally, the Talking Book Library is for literature or recreational reading, and the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D- see below) is for textbooks or technical manuals. If you need a literary text, and RFB&D does not have it or it is currently unavailable, it is a good idea to check with the Talking Book Library.
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
One agency that every student with a visual impairment should check on in is Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D). Their main program offers blind and visually impaired students as many audio versions of post-secondary texts as possible. Other services include E-textbooks (texts on computer disk), topical bibliographies, and research assistance via textbook searches and retrieval.
To get information or apply for services, call the toll-free number 1-800-221-4792. RFB&D now has a one-time application fee of $55. They can mail you an accessible format version of their application and information packet.
US Department of Education
The Department of Education has just released a CD for visually impaired students, entitled "The Student Aid Audio Guide." The CD gives scholarship sources for people with visual impairments. It also describes the financial aid process. It is helpful for students who prefer listening to information.
Call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800- 433-3243 to request a CD or get more information.
Also, the Department of Education offers a Braille guide to completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Braille copies of the resource manual, "Funding Your Education." If you have general questions on federal student aid, you may call the Federal Student Aid Information Center tool-free at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). Counselors are available at that number and will be happy to assist you. If you have questions about Braille materials, you may call Dave Rives of the Office of Student Financial Assistant at 202- 708-9175.
Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL)
2021 9th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121-2783
Phone: 206-615-0400 or 1-800-542-0866
Email: wtbbl@wtbbl.org
http://www.spl.org/wtbbl/wtbbl.html
WTBBL houses a varied collection of books and magazines on cassette. Special cassette players and record players needed to play these materials are provided free of charge to registered users. Its Braille book collection includes a special children's collection of books that combine print and Braille, so that blind and sighted readers may share their reading enjoyment. Large print books are available for registered readers who cannot easily read conventional size print.
Evergreen Taping and Brailling Services
Provides locally-taped and Brailled books by Pacific Northwest authors or about the Pacific Northwest, children's books, and special interest subjects not available elsewhere.
Evergreen Radio Reading Service
Current information such as newspapers, grocery ads, shopping news, magazines, and other special news is provided for those in Puget Sound and most of Eastern Washington who cannot easily read regular print.
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