Wireless Reading Device
By Alicia Waters | February 17, 2009
Amazon will soon make available the latest generation of Kindle, a wireless reading device. What makes Kindle 2 of interest to persons with visual and reading disabilities is the Read-to-Me feature. With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle claims to be able to read every book, blog, magazine, newspaper, and personal documents out loud. Other features include male and female voices which can be sped up or slowed down to suit preferences. For those reading large print, text can be adjusted to 6 adjustable font sizes.
This blog is not an endorsement of any product, just information sharing.
The words in this posting, Kindle 2, have a link to another webpage.
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President Lincoln Books
By Alicia Waters | February 16, 2009
It’s President’s Day. Looking for a book about President Lincoln? Order the following titles now and they are likely to be sent next day.
Lincoln on Democracy RC32490
Lincoln’s Men RC49400
Lincoln’s War RC58574
Lincoln: a Life of Purpose and Power RC065350
Two Roads to Sumter RC27729
We are Lincoln Men RC57829
Books available in lesser quantity are –
Lincoln RC44059
April 1865 RC52027
Assassination Vacation RC61591
For book descriptions and to order online, visit OPAC, the Talking Books Online Public Access Catalog.
The word, OPAC, in this posting has a link to another webpage.
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RFB&D Free AudioAccess Memberships
By Alicia Waters | February 6, 2009
Beginning on January 26, 2009 through January 25, 2010, any student with a qualified learning or print disability in the U. S. can sign up for 12 months of free access to RFB&D’s CV Starr Learning Through Listening Library of more than 46,000 textbooks and literature titles, via Internet download. The offer, in celebration of RFB&D’s 60th anniversary, is made possible by the generous contributions of donors and major funding from the U. S. Department of Education. To sign up, select Registration on the RFB&D website; to learn more about downloading chose AudioAccess.
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Romantic Stories
By Alicia Waters | February 5, 2009
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here is a sampling of romantic and spicy romantic stories available from Talking Books Plus Library. The titles and authors listed below include the RC number and the number of copies available as of this posting.
Real Deal by Fern Michaels RC059912 18 copies
Echoes by Danielle Steel RC058832 4 copies
Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards RC062580 18 copies
Two Alone by Sandra Brown RC041126 64 copies
Dark Rider by Iris Johansen RC041032 58 copies
All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann RC065925 21 copies
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips RC052086 12 copies
Dockside by Susan Wiggs RC065271 13 copies.
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Native American Titles
By Alicia Waters | January 28, 2009
NLS added 28 titles to its Native American collection, which includes folklore, history, mythology, fiction and works by Native American authors. The collection includes Juvenile, Teen, and Adult books in cassette and braille format. These titles will be published in the Braille Book Review or Talking Book Topics. Some titles are in process. The NLS Kids Zone web site features a Native American section. The Talking Books Plus Library has the list of the 28 titles by reader level.
The words, NLS Kids Zone, in this posting has a link to another webpage.
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Screen-access Training Tool
By Alicia Waters | January 28, 2009
JAWS is a computer based tool developed for people whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content. It reads aloud what’s on the PC screen. JAWS Tandem is a recent screen-reading software enhancement whose big feature is training. It allows 2 users in different locations to simultaneously listen to the same computerized voice on an Internet site. The target user can ask questions of the other user. To avoid a phone call, questions can be asked over Skype. Presently, JAWS Tandem is geared to help blind people who are familiar with screen-access technology help other blind people learn to use screen-access. The Tandem application has been released with JAWS 10. For more information about JAWS and its enhancements, visit Freedom Scientific.
The words in this posting, Freedom Scientific, have a link to another webpage.
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2008 Nominations for Network Library Award
By Alicia Waters | January 28, 2009
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) is calling for nominations for the 2008 Network Library of the Year Award. The awards commend excellence, innovation, and special achievement in providing library service to blind and physically handicapped individuals in a calendar year. NLS network regional (talking book) libraries may be nominated for the award. Nominations are accepted February 2 to March 13, 2009. Nominations are considered March 17 to April 17, 2009. Each award recipient receives $1,000, a plaque, a certificate for the network library. Nomination documentation must be in accessible electronic format so that blind selection panel members can access them. Send all nominations by e-mail or by expedited delivery service (FedEx or UPS) to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH), Library of Congress, 1291 Taylor Street NW, Washington, DC 20542-4960; Attn: Chief, Network Division. Do not send nominations through the U.S. Postal Service. If your submission has not been confirmed by March 17, 2009, please contact Carolyn Hoover Sung at (202) 707-9300. NLS provides more information about the nomination process and a link to the submission form.
The words in this posting, NLS, nomination process and submission form, have links to other webpages.
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Books to Movies coming in 2009
By Alicia Waters | January 13, 2009
The following talking books are coming to the movies in 2009. –
January
Not Easily Broken by T.D. Jakes (RC064822)
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (RC057116).
February
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (RC054845)
He’s Just Not That Into You (RC059020)
March
Watchmen (RC059463)
May
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (RC051799).
July
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (RC060262).
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Reading Across RI Kick Off
By Alicia Waters | January 13, 2009
The Reading Across RI “Launch” Conference kicks-off Saturday, January 31, 2009 at Bryant Univeristy. The Keynote Speaker, Ron Carlson, is author of this year’s book, Five Skies (RC065452). The conference is open to all readers across the State. Read more about this year’s book discussion program, a project of the Center for the Book at Reading Across RI website. At this site, the resource lists include RC numbers for titles available in talking book format from the RI Talking Books Plus Library.
The words in this posting, Reading Across RI, have a link to another webpage.
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Google Engineer Helps Visually Impaired
By Alicia Waters | January 13, 2009
T.V.Raman, a blind computer scientist and engineer at Google, “is a leading thinker on accessibility issues”, says Paul Schroeder from the American Foundation for the Blind. He designs and alters technology by asking the question, “How should something work when the user is not looking at the screen?” He developed a search engine that encourages preferences to Web sites that work well with screen readers. The service includes a screen magnifier that enlarges individual search results. In a team effort, Mr Raman and Mr. Chen, a sighted engineer at Google, developed keyboard shortcuts for users to navigate quickly through Google’s search results. They also made email and blog readers suitable for screen-reading software. Their latest effort has been in the realm of touch-screen phones. For more information, read the full article, For the Blind, Technolgy Does What A Guide Dog Can’t by Miguel Helft published in the New York Times, January 3, 2009.
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