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June 2002
The following is a sample list of web resources compiled for the AFB Solutions Forum. Some web addresses may change after publication of this tool kit.
The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) - the organization to which Helen Keller devoted her life - is to eliminate the inequities faced by the ten million Americans who are blind or visually impaired. AFB fulfills this mission by addressing the most critical issues facing this growing population: literacy, employment, access to technology, and independent living (aging).
Headquartered in New York City, AFB maintains offices in Chicago and Dallas, a National Literacy Center in Atlanta, a National Employment Center in San Francisco, a governmental relations office in Washington, DC, and a Technology and Employment Center in Huntington, WV.
AFB's web site includes:
Provides consultation/technical assistance and materials regarding employment of blind & visually impaired individuals, information and referral on all aspects of blindness and maintains a job bank for current job postings.
Provides media, tools and materials needed for education and independence for blind and visually impaired persons. Services include: consultation/technical assistance, literacy programs, education materials, media production, professional training and products for sale.
Promotes professional excellence through support of those who provide services to people with visual impairments. Services include: Continuing education opportunities for professionals, monthly publication of jobs, keeping membership informed about news in the field of education and rehabilitation.
AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field - fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, children's literature, textbooks, reference works, Bibles and other religious books, and scientific, medical, technical, professional and scholarly books and journals. They also publish audio and video tapes, computer software, loose-leaf services, electronic products and services including online databases, CD-ROM and a range of educational materials including classroom periodicals, maps, globes, filmstrips, and testing materials.
for information about the materials center within a particular state. Has statewide responsibility for the delivery of large print, braille and/or taped textbooks to school-aged students with visual impairments.
A family centered agency which serves children with visual impairments from birth to school age.
Provides services and programs for families, professionals, and the community to meet the needs of infant and preschool children who are blind or visually impaired.
Works to make braille simpler and more universal, promotes and facilitates the use, teaching, and production of braille, and provides information and referral to resources involving braille standards.
Provides special media and technical assistance to educators, transcribers, and administrators who serve students with disabilities in California public schools.
Assists teachers and parents in finding accessible electronic learning materials for students with disabilities. Expands educational opportunities through the development and use of computer technology.
Provides information on instructional strategies for students with disabilities.
Serves as an information clearinghouse and advocate for areas of interest relating to residential schools for blind and visually impaired persons.
The DAISY Consortium works to improve access to information for blind and visually impaired people establishing international standards for the next generation of "Digital Talking Books."
Provides innovative materials for students, teachers, and parents.
Manufactures and distributes software for translating print to braille in over 30 languages.
The Braille Department transcribes textbooks and other materials using literary, Nemeth, music, and foreign language braille codes. The Braille Department uses seven braille embossers and has a reproduction capacity of 4,200 pages/hour, 15 hours a day.
Provides academic, personal enrichment, and compensatory/rehabilitation education through free home study courses, including braille reading and writing.
Provides information on homeschooling special needs children.
A public service organization providing library service to Internet users.
Nonprofit organization offers counseling and support to families of blind children.
Provides a free library program of braille and recorded materials.
A starting point to access information on the World Wide Web related to the fields of low vision and blindness.
Assists parents of visually impaired children through information and resources, providing support and training, networking, outreach programs and advocating for educational needs.
Provides continuing education to those who prepare braille, and to provide braille materials to persons who are visually impaired.
Provides information about literature in alternate formats. Produces materials in braille, cassette tape and large print. Offers braille services to other organizations.
Research and development facility dedicated to the issues of media information technology for people with disabilities.
A national organization providing public education about blindness, information and referral services, scholarships, publications, adaptive equipment for the blind, advocacy and support services, development and evaluation of technology, and information about employment.
Provides information on disability related issues. The special focus is on children and youths, birth to 22.
Provides parents and professionals with healthcare information, resources and referrals.
Educational facility that provides education programs to support the education of children who are blind or visually impaired and emotionally and learning disabled. The web site provides resources to support educational programming.
A community college who, in partnership with the American Foundation for the Blind and the Texas Education Agency, is developing a new career (Braille Textbook Transcriber) through a series of college courses.
A private nonprofit media enterprise committed to lifelong learning, through web sites providing extensive resources for education services. Look for TeacherSource.
Provides and promotes the effective use of accessible educational materials so that all people will have equal access to the printed word.
Braille Services at Region IV ESC, Houston, Texas, has 26 years of experience in providing high quality text and graphics in braille textbooks and tests for braille readers throughout the country.
Provides information to educators, professionals, parents, consumers, and students in the field of special education.
Produces materials in alternate formats (braille). Types of content: Textbooks, commercial materials, menus, etc.
Monitors & provides funding and technical assistance to Texas Regional Service Centers serving blind/visually impaired students. Provides instructional materials for these students.
Offers elementary through secondary education for children with visual impairments, summer school programs, short-term placement, vocational evaluation for public school students, an early childhood outreach program statewide, and publishes education-related curricula specific to students with visual impairments.
Resources and information for parenting and teaching a child with visual impairments.
Video description provides descriptive narration of key visual elements - making television programs, feature films, home videos and other visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. Key visual elements are those which viewers with visual impairments would ordinarily miss, such as actions, costumes, gestures, facial expressions, scene changes and on-screen text. Inserted within the natural pauses in dialogue, audio descriptions of important visual details help to engage viewers who are visually impaired with the story.
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