Braille Photo Credited to lissalou66 on flickr
What: Indiana Vision Expo
When: Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 9:30 a.m – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Indiana Talking Book and Braille, Indiana State Library
The Indiana Vision Expo, brought to you by the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library, brings together vendors and nonprofit agencies from throughout the United States who provide cutting edge adaptive technology, independent living aids, plus service and resource information for all ages. Demonstrations providing instructions for downloading materials from the NLS website will also be available. Demonstrations providinginstructions for downloading materials from the NLS website will also be available.
For additional information please contact Indiana Talking Book and Braille at 317-232-0609 or 1-800-622-4970; email: crose@library.IN.gov
Image of an Eye
WHAT: Indianapolis Vision Awareness Day
WHEN: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Easter Seals Crossroads (5th Floor), 4740 Kingsway Drive, Indianapolis, IN
Low Vision Awareness – Discover the benefits of video magnifiers, computer screen magnification software, technology that reads books, bills and mail aloud, and more!
Blindness Awareness – Learn about technology solutions for the blind: JAWS screen-reading software, the PAC Mate accessible Pocket PC, Braille displays, scanning and reading – and more!
Register for this free training by:
Talking Book Player
The Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) is one of 57 regional libraries that provides FREE alternative reading sources for people with low vision.
The TBBL is a part of the Library of Congress’ National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. They offer large print, braille books, and books on tape to Indiana residents who have difficulty reading standard print. You can even borrow digital talking book players.
TBBL also has a children’s summer reading program, a reference collection on disabilities and services, and publishes a seasonal newsletter that is distributed to over 8,00o agencies and individuals in Indiana.
- Read about eligibility requirements here.
- Do a basic search through the catalog here.
- Read the TBBL newsletter, Indiana Insights, here.
- Check out what types of materials you can borrow, including a list of magazines available, here.
- Get your application here.
Braille is no longer limited to textured pieces of paper. Thanks to Assistive Technology, we now have many options for people with vision loss that enable them to read, write, and use a computer with ease.
Believe it or not, Braille (in its earliest form) was not originally designed for people with vision loss. According to Wikipedia, Napoleon had wanted his soldiers to be able to communicate with one another without speaking or using light. This proved to be too difficult, and the idea was abandoned. Louis Braille later perfected this code in 1821, representing letters with upraised dots to be read using your fingers. In 1837, France published the world’s first Braille textbook.
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