Promoting Independence through Vision Rehabilitation
Literature Resources
This page contains information on producers and distributors of recorded, braille, and large print materials of interest to the blind and visually impaired. We are also trying to compile resources for electronic texts available over the Internet. If you like to read, you've come to the right page.

Table of Contents

Sources for Borrowing or Purchasing Materials in Special Media

  • Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic is the premier source of recorded textbooks for the visually impaired. They have traditionally produced their texts on audio cassette tapes, but they are branching out into new digital media as well.
  • International Electronic Braille Book Library. This site, a service of the National Federation of the Blind's International Braille Research Center, offers over 1000 electronic text titles free for the downloading. These titles are provided in grade 2 braille, rather than plain ASCII text. They are suitable for embossing directly on a braille embosser or for reading on a paperless braille device like a VersaBraille or a Braille Lite. Because these titles are stored in a special format specifically for the visually impaired, they fall under the exemptions of recent copyright legislation providing for the production and distribution of copyrighted material in special formats.
  • The American Printing House for the Blind. The American Printing House for the Blind is one of the leading braille producers in the United States. APH is also a producer of talking books, consumer products, and other materials related to visual impairment and blindness.
  • National Braille Press. National Braille Press is a nonprofit braille printing and publishing house established in 1927. They produce braille books for sale as well as offering a transcription service and a children's braille book club.
  • Seedlings Braille Books for Children. Seedlings Braille Books for Children is a nonprofit corporation producing low cost braille books for children from preschool through about junior high school reading levels. Seedlings sells its books at prices roughly the same as the cost for the standard print editions.
  • The Braille Superstore sells Braille, cassette and print/Braille books for all age categories. In addition, they offer other products for visually impaired persons.
  • Audible.com caters to those who like listening to books "on the go." They offer assorted literature for sale to be downloaded in a audio format for iPods and MP3 players.

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,
Library of Congress

Internet Audio Services for Literature

  • Assistive Media offers audio recordings of periodical literature via the Internet in RealAudio format.

General Internet Resources on Literature Available Over the Internet

  • Read How You Want offers books in a wide range of large-type formats for people who require different formats like Braille and DAISY. Their print formats are optimized for readability so that readers can choose the format that suits them best.
  • The Internet Public Library. This is a truly extensive source of all manner of literary materials all freely browsable on-line.
  • Michigan Electronic Library This project of the Library of Michigan and the University of Michigan, University Library, provides access to a wide variety of literature available over the Internet.
  • National Academies Press. The NAP is an educational publisher with a great number of its books available online. The amount of information available online may well make the NAP site worth exploring.
  • The International Digital Publishing Forum supports The Open eBook Forum is an organization for stakeholders interested in electronic books. OEBF members include publishers such as Random House, technology companies like Microsoft, and other organizations who are eager for industry standards that can make electronic books a mainstream publishing success. This forum includes some household names in publishing for the blind and visually impaired like the American Foundation for the Blind and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
  • Project Gutenberg is an effort to make as much literature as possible freely available as text files over the Internet within the limits of copyright restrictions.

Digital Talking Book Research