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Honoring Veterans
By Alicia Waters | November 16, 2010
This month, as the nation honors the brave men and women who have risked or given their lives for this country, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, stands ready to provide eligible veterans access to a free library service that promotes independence, wellness and quality of life.
“As an expression of our deepest gratitude, we wish to remind these men and women who have given so much that we are here to serve them,” says Kurt Cylke, NLS director. “For the past decades, NLS has ensured that blind and physically handicapped veterans are able to continue to enjoy their love of reading.” Tom Miller, who was blinded by a land mine in Vietnam in 1967 and is executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), is an appreciative user. “The talking-book program provides a much-needed way for veterans to continue to learn and connect with others and their communities through reading,” he says. “Without question, the NLS program enhances the quality of our lives.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (BVA) estimates that about 158,000 U.S. veterans are visually impaired or blind, and more than one milliion have low vision. According to BVA, 13 percent of wounded U.S. military troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have received a serious eye injury.
Information on eligibility requirements and enrollment procedures for the RI program is available at the Talking Books Plus webpage or 401-574-9310.
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