Audio Book Technology Article
Audio Books For The Visually Impaired
If you are able to hold a book or newspaper in your hand and read, consider yourself fortunate. However, there are people who are blind and unable to enjoy reading a book. Fortunately, there are audio books available to the blind, these books are full text versions and can be read out loud to people. There are opportunities for blind people to have free audio books. The books are meant to be loaned however, some websites charge a small fee for delivery or purchase.
There are more opportunities for the blind with advancement in technologies and in society. The opportunities for free downloads of books and other resources are available for anyone. However, the blind certainly can use and take advantage of the services.
Audio books most generally come in packages and the text is in Braille with cassette tapes or discs. The audio will state what chapter or the exact point in the book, as a reference. This is provided to give assistance or a point of reference to prevent confusion.
There is a great deal of information on the internet and websites such as Librivox and internet archives. These have a status of being public domains so that there is no copyright infringement.
There are agencies specific for the blind. The library is certainly a good resource for the blind as they have audio books available that can be taken out usually for 2-3 weeks or more. The Library of Congress also offers free services. Generally, the resource material is mailed to the blind for free.
The Canadian Institute offers books for the blind. They offer free services to anyone in Canada who is blind. The National Service for the Blind has a free program which offers recorded and books written in Braille as well as magazines and music.
Other great websites designed for the blind include Ash Grove Exchange. They have abridged and unabridged titles. Audio Adventures which has an on line catalog. The Audio Book Company has books in Real Audio format. Audio Versions has over 4,000 fiction titles and other business and professional resources. The website Calibre Books has over 5500 books. Home Readers has catalogs, cook books and other resources for the blind. The website Publishing Mills has a variety of different types of books including biography, humor and science fiction. Other great websites are talking book World, Village Tapes, Womens Press, Suncoast Library, The Wisconsin Media Center, Radio Spirits, Nightingale, Reel Books, Audio Universe, The Growler Adventures and Salon Audio.
The internet is a great resource and it offers a wealth of opportunities for the visually impaired. Most of the books can be downloaded so that they can be listened to on an MP3 Player or an Ipod.
