Accessibility Resource Guide

Accessibility Resource GuidePlayaway Device

Accessible Resources at FLLS | Other Accessible Lending LibrariesLocal Resources | Helpful Links

Accessible Resources at FLLS Libraries

Collections at member libraries in the Finger Lakes Library System include many materials for people with special needs of all ages. View the brochures below to learn more or scroll down.

All of the materials listed below can be requested through catalog.flls.org and picked up at any local library (exception: Talking Book machines must be requested via email or phone):

Large Print Books:

Over 30,000 large print items are available in our system. To find titles in the catalog, limit or narrow the search to “large print” format.

Audiobooks:

Recorded books are available in several formats:

  • CDs
  • Playaways – These are pocket-sized, all-in-one players used with headphones.
  • Digital Books – To download free audiobooks, visit our OverDrive catalog.

To find titles in the catalog, limit or narrow the search to “audio book” format.

Accessible eBooks:

Do you have trouble using printed materials? If you need adjustable type size, you can also download eBooks at our OverDrive catalog. For help browsing your library’s OverDrive website with a screen reader, visit OverDrive Help.

Descriptive Videos:

These are special editions of feature films designed for low-vision viewers, available through The Media Access Group at WGBH. They include a special audio narration to describe key visual elements. To search the catalog for titles in our collection, search for the subject “Descriptive videos for the visually impaired”.

Helpful Descriptive Video Links

Braille Resources:

Our collection includes a Read-to-Me Braille Kit and a small selection of Braille picture books. These can be requested through the library catalog and picked up at any member library. To search the catalog for these titles, search for the subject “Blind–Books and reading–Juvenile fiction”. For adult titles and a wider selection of children’s materials, please contact the New York State Talking Books and Braille Library.

Helpful Braille Links

Children’s Sign Language Resources:

Baby Sign Language Kits available through the library catalog and can be requested for pick up at any member library.

Talking Books and Braille Library:

This state program lends audiobooks and braille items by mail to people who can’t use print materials. Machines and application forms are available directly from FLLS. Visit our Outreach Services webpage or Talking Books and Braille Library for more information.

Other Accessible Lending Libraries

Bookshare – This online library offers thousands of digital books and periodicals in accessible formats to people who cannot use standard print materials, including Braille, large print and synthetic speech.

Choice Magazine Listening – If you qualify for the NYS Talking Books and Braille Library, then you are also eligible to receive recorded tapes of many current magazine and newspaper articles for free. Content is drawn from publications such as Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report. To subscribe, fill out an online application, or contact FLLS staff for a paper application.

Described and Captioned Media Program – This program provides provides free loans of captioned and described educational media to K-12 students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. Members can watch streaming media content online, or can request postage-paid DVDs by mail. Membership is free to qualified students, family members, teachers and other professionals. U.S. Department of Education–funded.

Open Library – This organization offers 1 million+ books in DAISY format for people with print disabilities, including many contemporary titles. The books can be freely downloaded to devices that translate the text and read it aloud. To access these books, a United States resident with print disabilities just has to register with the Library of Congress’s National Library Service (NLS): 1-800-424-8567.

Learning Ally – Students can browse the library, order and download audiobooks, and listen/study on PCs and Mac computers, smartphones and tablets running Android or Apple iOS, as well as on specialized assistive technology devices.

Tiflonexos – A digital library of Spanish materials for people who cannot use print materials due to blindness or a physical disability. Membership is free (small donation requested for regular users).

Local Resources

Independent Living Centers (ILCs): Affiliated with ACCES-VR, ILCs provide an array of services that assist New Yorkers with disabilities to live integrated and self-directed lives. ILCs assist with living, learning, and earning and work to remove barriers to full participation in to the local community and beyond. For more information, please click on the ILC in your county:

Challenge Workforce Solutions: This organization, based in Ithaca, NY, helps people with differing abilities find rewarding work.

Links

U.S. Disability Services –  Information and resources about disability programs, services, laws and benefits from the federal government.

Braille and Large Print Calendars – Information for organizations that produce calendars in braille, print/braille, large print or audio.

Blindness and Disability Resources (TBBL) – An excellent list of resources for living with blindness, visual impairment, or other physical disabilities.

DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) – The DAISY Consortium creates digital talking book technology for people with print disabilities and works to ensure that published information is fully accessible to everyone. Watch a short introduction to this exciting technology here: DAISY Makes Reading Easier (YouTube Video). A transcript of the video is also available.

LawHelpNY – Learn about your disability-related legal rights, find free legal information and aid, get information about the courts, and more. Topics include: discrimination help, work programs, and more.

Lighthouse Guild – This nonprofit provides clinical services, education, research, and advocacy for people with low vision and blindness.

NV Access – Empowering lives through non-visual access to technology. The site features a screen reader that can be downloaded for free.

New York State Commission for the Blind – This organization provides vocational rehabilitation and other direct services to legally blind New York State residents, including children, adults, and seniors. They also maintain an excellent online list of resources and links.

Educating Deaf Children – International experts answer your questions about the choices, controversies, and decisions faced by parents and educators of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Provided by the Rochester Institute of Technology.

VisionAware – Help and support for people with vision loss, provided by the American Foundation for the Blind.

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