“When I finish a book I applaud,”Donna Neal, Missouri “No one’s in the room, but I applaud.”Neal’s enthusiasm is not only for the book, but for the chance to read it. Neal is blind.
Blind and physically impaired readers will not be able to grab the latest bestsellers from the nearest bookstore shelves. Accessible books must be available.
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, part of the Library of Congress, is at the forefront of providing braille and audiobooks for readers such as Neal.
“Our primary goal is to ensure that our patrons have the reading materials that they need to increase their quality of life. This is what we’re all about,”Karen Keninger, NLS director — was the first blind person to be elected to that position.
NLS introduced an audio and braille reading program recently. The NLS has provided free audio and braille reading material to people of all ages since more than 80 years. digital talking-bookSystem, which includes an audiobook reader and cartridges. It features high-quality sound and easy navigation between chapters.
Each cartridge can hold a complete copy of the book. This is in contrast to cassettes that require multiple units for long books. Anyone with an internet connection can download audiobooks or magazines via the Braille and Acoustic Reading Download (BARD), NLS’s online delivery system.
NLS patrons are eager to embrace the new technology.
“I think it’s a service that entertains you, it educates you and it delights you,”Neal said. “It will change everything you ever thought about a book in print.”
To delight the most discerning readers, the NLS collection contains bestsellers, classics and biographies as well as romance novels, magazines, and newspapers. The library is free to all residents of the United States and its Territories, as well as American citizens living overseas who have low vision, blindness, or other physical disabilities that make reading regular print difficult. For more information, call 888-NLSREAD or visit www.loc.gov/nls.
