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Fall
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By Laura Weber, Texas Parents of Blind Children President, Friendswood, TX
Abstract: As a parent of a blind child, the author shares with other parents numerous blindness specific resources that are available for free.
Key words: Family wisdom, blind, free resources
Raising a child is expensive. Raising a child with special needs is extremely expensive. As the mother of a 5-year-old daughter who is blind due to Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), I found out very quickly that items made for low incidence disabilities such as blindness are often outrageously priced since they can’t be mass marketed. What follows is a brief list of things that I have found that are free. Most of this information is directly from the websites listed. I know that I’m probably only touching the tip of the iceberg on free materials available, and I encourage other parents and professionals to e-mail me other free or low cost items for children who are blind or visually impaired, to be published in a follow-up article. My e-mail address is <laura.weber @ comcast.net>. Good luck on your search to find great materials to educate and entertain your children!
Seedlings Braille Books for Children is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to increasing the opportunity for literacy by providing high quality, low cost Braille books for children.
They have two programs that offer free Braille encyclopedia articles and books for children.
World Book Encyclopedia articles in Braille. A free service for blind students in grades 1-12.
In loving memory of Anna Kirstina Bonde, hundreds of Braille books have been made in her name, which we are giving away free. Online registration is available for this program! You can use our online form to enter your child’s name in the drawing to win one of these free books! Effective January 2006: every child is eligible to win at least one free book per year (please re-register each year, even if you previously received an “Anna” book.)
Seedlings Braille Books for
Children, P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924
(734) 427-8552 or (800) 777-8552,
<info @ seedlings.org>, <http://www.seedlings.org/special.php>
ReadBooks! is a national children’s Braille literacy program to encourage families with blind children to read print/Braille books together. National Braille Press, along with Seedlings Braille Books for Children, is distributing attractive Braille book bags to families with blind and visually impaired children, ages birth to seven, across the country. The distribution process is a collaborative effort with educators and early intervention professionals. Parents may order the book bags themselves, or go through their child’s certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) or DARS Division for Blind Services (DBS) caseworker.
Each bag contains:
888-965-8965, ext. 34 <http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/readbooks/request.html>
Right now all Kernel Books are free* in all formats. Books are available in large print (P), Braille (B), and on cassette (C2 – two-track) or (C4 – four-track), as noted. (* Kernel Books deal is available while supplies last.)
410-659-9314, ext. 2216 (between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time) <materials @ nfb.org> <http://secure.nfb.org/ecommerce/asp/default.asp>
Dots for Tots is a series of multisensory storybooks designed specifically for visually impaired preschoolers as part of both our Special Collection and Partners in Literacy programs. Each kit combines print and basic Braille so parents can help their blind children begin their journey into reading.
Each kit includes:
Two new Dots kits will be offered each catalog season. When you are enrolled in the Special Collection Program you have the option of selecting one Dots kit instead of the three Braille-only book selections. If you are a Partners in Literacy subscriber, one Dots for Tots kit is the equivalent of three Braille-only book orders.
Any visually impaired child who is living in the United States or Canada and is between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible for the Braille Special Collection program. Please note: the Special Collection program is designed for individual children and can only be sent to a child’s home or residential school address. Schools and libraries may participate through our Partners in Literacy program.
To sign up for the Braille Special Collection, go to <http://www.universalmediaservices.org/SpecialPrograms/SpecialCollectionSignUp.htm> or send an e-mail to <ums @ brailleinstitute.org> with your child or student’s name, age, home address, and telephone number. You can also call us directly at (323)906-3104 or toll free at 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553) Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time.
<http://www.universalmediaservices.org/SpecialPrograms/DotsforTots.htm>
The Talking Book Program provides free library services to Texans who are unable to read standard print material due to visual, physical, or reading disabilities—whether permanent or temporary. In FY1999, the program served 22,131 Texans either individually or through institutions (schools, nursing homes, hospitals).
The Talking Book Program is available not only to Texans with visual impairments, but also to those who have physical or learning disabilities that prevent them from using standard print.
Qualified patrons include Texas residents of all ages who:
To begin using our free service, you need to complete an application and have it certified; eligibility requirements are listed above.
If you need more information or an application, please call us toll free at 1-800-252-9605, or in the Austin area at 512-463-5458. Write to us at P.O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927, or send an e-mail message to us at: <tbp.services @ tsl.state.tx.us>.
Like a public library, we have 80,000 thousand titles available in a wide variety of categories, including classics, romances, science fiction, mysteries, westerns, children’s selections, and more. Our books, however, are provided in different formats, mainly on cassette, but also in Braille and large print.
In addition, we have magazines in special formats. You may choose from more than 80 different magazines: Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, Guideposts, and Texas Monthly, to name a few. Plus, we have a special collection of books by Texas authors, books about Texas, and books in Spanish.
Best of all, our books are delivered right to your door. All of the items are sent and returned through the mail free of charge. Make your selections from a variety of catalogs or let one of our reader consultants assist you. You may contact us by phone, mail, or e-mail.
We provide special playback equipment that is needed to listen to our recorded books and magazines. The equipment is on loan to you for as long as you use our service.
Machines may also be purchased from other sources. For information on purchasing machines, call the Disability Information and Referral Center toll free at 1-800-252-9605, or in the Austin area at 512-463-5458, or go to the NLS fact sheet “Sources for Purchase of Cassette Players and Player-Recorders Compatible with Recorded Materials Produced by the National Library Service (NLS)” at <http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/factsheets/sources.html>.
Talking Book Program, TX State Library & Archives Commission
PO Box 12927, Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas), 512-463-5458 (in Austin), 512-936-0685 (fax)
Email: <tbp.services @ tsl.state.tx.us>
<www.tsl.state.tx.us/tbp/engbrochure.html>
Slate Pals is a pen pal program for blind youth sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.
Pen pal programs are lots of fun. They help students find new friends all over the country—sometimes all over the world. Students who would never have a chance of getting to know each other can become pen pal friends by writing letters to each other. Of course, they don’t know each other at first. Pen pal programs take applications from students and use them to find pen pal matches. After a match is made, the students gets the name and address of their new pen pal. It is then up to the students to begin writing letters to each other.
Slate Pals is a pen pal program for blind Braille reading students who want to write Braille letters to other students. It is called a Slate Pal program because slates are a handy, cheap, and easy way of writing Braille, just as pens are a handy, cheap, and easy way of writing print. (If you haven’t learned how to use a slate and stylus yet, ask your teacher or your parents about it. It’s fun to do and easy to learn.) All kinds of kids of all ages sign up for the Slate Pal program. Sometimes blind kids from foreign countries want a Slate Pal. Sometimes sighted kids who want to learn Braille write and ask for a blind Slate Pal. But most are kids who just want to write to someone their own age. It’s especially neat to write letters—and get letters—in Braille. It’s also great to have someone to talk to about things that only another blind kid can understand.
If you would like to be a Slate Pal just fill out the Slate Pal Profile you can find on the web at this address: <http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NOPBC_Slate_Pals.asp?SnID=2>. There is no cost, but be ready to wait several weeks while a match is found. Once a match is made, each applicant will get a copy of his or her new Slate Pal’s Profile. The rest is then up to you!
Debbie Kent Stein, 5817 North Nina Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60631
Phone: 773-631-1093, E-mail: <dkent5817 @ att.net>
<http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NOPBC_Slate_Pals.asp?SnID=2>
Hadley has a course for you if you are:
The Hadley School for the Blind offers more than 90 distance education courses to eligible students completely free of charge. From “Braille Literacy 1” to “Birdsong Tutor,” you can select from a wide variety of Hadley courses. You can study in the comfort of your own home at a time convenient for you. Course materials arrive in the mail or online, and for students in the U.S. and Canada, instructors are just a toll-free call away.
The Family Education Program focuses on independent living, technology, advocacy, and adjustment to blindness issues. While some of the courses were written for adults who are blind or severely visually impaired, they also contain important information for a family member. Other courses have been developed specifically for family members. The first five courses are listed in a recommended sequence for parents of young children. The remaining courses may be of interest to all Family Education Program students.
Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, Illinois 60093 - 2554
Phone: (847) 446 – 8111, Toll Free: (800) 323 - 4238
Email: <info @ hadley.edu>, <www.hadley-school.org>
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Last Revision: December 11, 2007