Blind Planet

Jim Zemlin of the Linux foundation wrote a very good post on this year being the year of the Linux desktop breakthrough. One thing he did only mention marginally, but which I think is just as important for certain users/markets, is the fact that there is now a wide range of accessibility solutions available for at least the GNOME desktop, which either come directly with the distribution such as the Orca screen reader for the visually impaired, or are easily installable. Screen reading, which includes support for a huge variety of braille displays, magnification, on-screen keyboard solutions, alternative input device support are all available as open-source now and open up the Linux desktop alternative to virtually every potential user.

And there’s more when it comes to the mobile platform. The Mozilla Foundation funded a feasibility study last year to migrate the communication layer for the assistive technology service provider interface (AT-SPI) from using Corba to using DBus, which is a key part in getting screen reading support on the mobile Linux platform. Nokia is now funding the actual migration work. I’ll blog more about the mobile prospective from an accessibility standpoint in the near future.

TO MY DREAMER

by Mark Marcus
My Dreamer:

The gift I gave you and will give to you again and again was born from the warmth and sincerity of my love

Fancy it and, alas, fancy me; for you are my one true sweet, sly, silly, sultry and seasoned dreamer of old.  

Let my gift embrace your dreams and let its fire ignite the flight that will ferry your thoughts to where they wish to go.

Ease your mind into the mist of my gift, close your eyes, and think of me.

Rest your dark essence upon my immortal hopes and primordial desires; and dream.  Dream of who you are, who I am, and what we will become, together. 

Until we met, I dared not ponder the wonders of the universe nor peer too closely into the shadows of my soul; but then you came unto me and I, to you, and the candles of my own dreams began to glow.

Accept my gift, my beloved dreamer and trust that, as one, we shall never let the dream, the one and only beautiful dream, erode.

Most Sincerely,

Mark Marcus
(August, 2008)

I read this article about the new community housing options offered in Illinois, as a response to the younger disability community, and there's a certain irony in it.

For, as much of America now rejects the thought of pre-planned life and the assumptions that brought about suburbia, this vision for people with disabilities is so pre-fabricated and separated from everyone but "people who are experiencing the same things."

Although some of the amenities seem thoughtful and inventive, I wonder how possible it is to avoid an institutional vibe. Although many of us find the disability experience to be full of trade-offs that nobody told us about while we were sitting in the independent-living center, and we may occasionally feel that the ideal of prosperous, self-directed independence promoted at ILC's is just a pretty mirage dangling out of our reach, as the realities can be quite different. Even now, my own life feels like a compromise between what I always hoped for and what I can get. Sometimes I miss living in a place with a recreation budget, but I never got to make my own decisions there, and was pretty much always treated as a dangerous, unstable, rabble-rouser.

In such an instance, I could understand the appeal of a life designed to make things not so hard. But there are some things even the most amenity-rich community cannot provide. What if you want more from life than hanging out in some facility's computer lab? In some ways, people act as if disabled people are in perpetual day camp, if we are not scrambling for necessities.

. It seems regressive to stick people in some apartment and and tell them "Your neighbor is disabled, too. You should have a lot to talk about."

It reminds me of meeting my parents' friends' daughters as a kid. Those relationships generally never lasted, right?
If that's really the sort of thing someone wants, I can't go as far as to object. But I do wonder if they aren't selling themselves short.

--Erika Jahneke

This game looks a lot like Jenga, but it's actually called The Giant Outdoor Building Block Game. I'm totally intrigued by this giant-sized version. I know how satisfying it is to see a normal-sized Jenga tower come crashing down so this version that starts out at 20 inches tall must be even more impressive when it topples. What a great idea for children who can't manipulate small pieces because of a disability. Blind children may find this easier to work with than the smaller version as well.

This outdoor version of a classic tower building game is more than twice the size of the traditional model, and will test your manual dexterity as you attempt to remove blocks one at a time without collapsing the tower. When all 56 pieces are stacked, the tower reaches 20" high, with the giant blocks and outdoor elements ensuring a more challenging game of structural integrity than the original. Made from pine, the wooden pieces are durable enough for outdoor use yet light enough to be easily maneuvered by children eight years and up. 20" H x 8" W x 12" L. (29 2/3 lbs.)

Click this link to purchase The Giant Outdoor Building Block Game from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Build Your Own Building Blocks

Now, if you're one of those crafty types, here's a way to a "do it yourself" building block game. I got this tip from a preschool teacher and I thought it would be great for teachers of the blind or visually impaired. She said that she was always being told to watch her budget. She created building blocks of various sizes from paper bags.

Begin by laying the paper bag flat and folding the top over about 6 or 7 inches. Crease the bag on the fold. Open the paper bag to it's full capacity, and fill it with newspaper or crumpled paper. Once it is filled, fold the bag on the crease line and tape or staple the bag shut.

These are fun to build with, and when they do topple over, nobody gets hurt! What a cool way to recycle.

If you're really feeling creative, I've got something even more challenging. At FoldSchool, brainchild of a Swiss-based architect, you can get a number of free, downloadable instructions for cardboard furniture for kids. It's virtually free stuff to furnish their rooms, but even better, it's a perfect crafty project to share with someone little in your life. Foster design, playfulness and skills that don't require batteries by folding up some cardboard to make something pretty and useful out of it. Click this link to visit FoldSchool and start by folding a stool, chair or rocker: http://www.foldschool.com.

The world's most advanced and affordable talking scientific calculator.

Based on the popular TI-36X calculator with identical functions, this powerful, accessible, and affordable scientific calculator was designed by Orbit Research.

Features

• Ideal for all students -- junior high through college, algebra I through calculus and applied mathematics such as engineering
  
• High-quality speech. Keys speak when pressed, display can be spoken at any time or speech feature can be turned off
  
• Unique learn key mode without interrupting current operation
  
• Over 127 scientific functions, including 1 & 2 variable statistics, trigonometry, and unit conversion
  
• Large, tactile, functionally zoned keys, including backspace/correction key
  
• Rechargeable battery, over six hours of continuous operation, power shuts off when not in use

• Protective cover.
  
• Earphone
  
• Power adapter, calculator can be used while charging.
  
• One year limited warranty.

BioEdOnline, from the Baylor College of Medicine, has been producing high-quality educational resources for a number of years, so it's nice to learn about their rather fun and informative "The Body Explained" resource. Narrated and hosted by Cassius Bordelon, PhD, this video production answers a number of common questions about how the body works. The segments are quite brief, and they may just spark a new interest in a curious student. Currently, there are around a dozen or so segments offered on the site, and they cover topics such as why our ears pop, why we sneeze, and what causes hiccups. Interested parties can also download the short segments for use in their classroom.

Click this link to learn How the Body Works: http://www.bioedonline.org/body-explained.

There are some sites that cover the world of eyeglasses and related ocular devices, and then there is the site maintained by retired ophthalmologist Dr. David Fleishman.

On his site, Fleishman brings together spectacle-related material about art, history and collecting all in one place. First-time visitors should stop by the "Introduction & News" area to learn about the overall scope of the site and to find out about the site's layout and organization.

The "History & References" section is quite splendid, as visitors can read a developmental history of spectacles, take in a recommended reading list, and translations of key historical documents related to spectacles, including the Sforza Letter of 1462.

Visitors should not miss the "Interesting Topics" section, which includes features on famous religious leaders and their spectacles, representative examples of vision aids, and persons associated with the creation of new ocular devices, such as Benjamin Franklin and Dr. J. William Rosenthal.

Click this link to visit http://www.antiquespectacles.com.

As technology advances, we're seeing more and more libraries offering digital downloads of their catalogs. Online libraries of material have become more popular as sighted folks discover iPods and electronic book readers and search engines now offer the ability to search printed texts and even download electronic versions of the texts. Online dictionaries and encyclopedias are making it possible for people who are blind or visually impaired to independently search for reference material.

As a result, I am going to combine several Fred's Head records into one large resource document that will help you find and download books from a variety of search engines and websites. I encourage you to visit the Fred's Head Database or the Fred's Head Companion blog and search for the word "book" to see other resources. I will also reference many online dictionaries and encyclopedias that are free and accessible.

Louis Database of Accessible Materials for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Produced and maintained by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), the Louis Database of Accessible Materials for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired contains complete bibliographic and location information for more than 163,000 titles of accessible materials from over 200 agencies throughout the United States. These items include books in braille, large print, sound recording, and computer file; braille music; and American Printing House for the Blind (APH) products.

Louis is updated daily and is searchable free via the APH website. Persons without Internet access who require reference assistance can contact APH using its toll free number.

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Toll Free: 800-223-1839
Phone: 502-895-2405
Fax: 502-899-2274
E-mail: info@aph.org
Web site: http://www.aph.org

Search Your Library with WorldCat

I love discovering new ways to search the Internet. Not only is it entirely helpful in finding cool Websites to share with all of you, but I just love the developments that are being made to make searching more fun! Today, I found a search engine that allows you to search libraries near you for books, media, etc.

Simply type a title, subject or person into the search field and click the Search button. Want more options? Then click the Advanced Search link underneath the search field. In the advanced search, you have more options, such as looking by author, keyword, ISBN, ISSN or OCLC number. You can also limit your searches by language, format and publication date.

If you register for a free account, which took no time at all for me to do, you can make your own list of items the library has that you want to check out over time. You can also share these lists with friends or family.

To register, click the link at the top of the page and then fill out the following information: username, password, e-mail address, agree to the terms of use and then click "I Agree." Next, confirm that you requested the account in the verification email that comes to the email address you provided. Once you're logged in, you can use the sections under the My WorldCat tab, which will give you access to edit your profile, change your password, etc.

You also have the option to put WorldCat on your own Website so that others can discover it from your page. Or, you can add it to your browser's toolbar with an easy and quick download.

What other features do I love? Well, Ask a Librarian is a very nifty option. It allows you to get help from a librarian in your search results. You can also review materials and rate them. Or, you can get information on the Details section of an item in a Wiki type style.

I hope you'll get a lot of use out of this search engine. I mean, how else can you stay in touch with libraries all around you with the simple use of a search field? Enjoy it! Click this link to visit http://www.worldcat.org. Finding eBooks On the Internet

In the last decade the Internet has rapidly become one of the most important ways of accessing information for people who are blind and visually impaired. As the Internet has grown in size and popularity, so has the availability of accessible electronic books in a number of different formats.

Today, we know that there are thousands of eBooks that can be accessed. but how do we go about finding specific titles? And once we find them, how do we download them? And how do we read the different formats?

Finding eBooks on the Internet tells you how. Finding eBooks on the Internet is a publication of the National Braille Press. This book shows you the step-by-step process of how to obtain public domain books from sources like Project Gutenberg and the eText Spider, how to acquire commercially available accessible books from companies like Baen, and how to go about getting books in accessible formats from sites like Web-Braille and Bookshare.org.

What makes this a unique book is that it is written by Anna Dresner, who uses assistive technology herself. The book includes keyboard commands for both JAWS and Window-Eyes. This publication is available in braille and large print.

Finding eBooks on the Internet
by Anna Dresner

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Chapter One: Books in Specialized Formats

A. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped: Web-Braille

1. Registering for Web-Braille
2. Finding Web-Braille Books by Title or Author
3. Downloading a Book from a Quick Search or Multiple Term Search Page
4. Searching for a Series
5. Searching for a Subject
6. Using Voyager to Conduct More Advanced Searches
7. Finding Out What's New
8. Braille Magazines
9. Braille Music
10. The Web-Braille Home Page

B. eBooks in Specialized Formats for Canadians: The CNIB Digital Library

1. Registering for the CNIB Digital Library
2. Logging Into and Out of the Digital Library
3. Changing Personal Preferences
4. Conducting a Basic Search
5. Accessing eBooks
6. Conducting an Advanced Search
7. Browsing the Catalog
8. Accessing Newspapers, Magazines, and Reference Resources
9. Additional Features

C. Scanned Books by the Thousands: Bookshare.org

1. Becoming a Bookshare.org Member or Volunteer
2. Logging In
3. Finding and Downloading Books
4. Submitting and Approving Books for Publication

D. Educational and Fiction Books for Children: The Texas State School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

E. Books in Spanish and Other Languages: Tiflolibros

F. Downloadable Braille Books for Everyone: the International Electronic Braille Library

Chapter Two: Public Domain Books That All May Read

A. The eBook Pioneer: Project Gutenberg

1. Searching
2. Changing Your Downloading Site
3. Multiple Ways to Search and Browse

B. Another Place to Search and Browse for eBooks: The On-Line Books Page

C. A Large Personal Collection: Jon Pierson's eBooks

Chapter Three: Commercial Sites Selling Accessible eBooks

A. Text Files and Tutorials: The B&R Samizdat Express

B. Buy Science Fiction and Fantasy Before it Comes Out in Print: Baen Books C. Fantasy, Science Fiction and More by Well-Known Authors: Fictionwise.com

D. eBooks You Can Listen To: Audible.com

E. Additional Sources of eBooks and eBook information: The Blind Bookworm

Chapter Four: New Developments in eBook Access

Appendix A: File Types and eBook Formats: What They Are and How to Access Them

ASC (ASCII)
BRF or BFM (Braille Format)
DXB (Duxbury Braille)
DOC (Microsoft Word file)
HTML or HTM (HyperText Markup Language)
LIT (Microsoft Reader)
MEG (MegaDots File)
PDB (Palm Document)
PDF (Portable Document Format)
Reading an Accessible PDF File
Reading Less Accessible PDF Files
PRC (Palm or Mobipocket Document)
RTF (Rich Text Format)
TXT (Text)
ZIP (Compressed Files)

Appendix B: Programs that Help You Get eBooks^DDLWB-View, Kurzweil 1000, and OpenBook

WB-View
Kurzweil 1000
OpenBook

Appendix C: Downloading Word, RTF and Braille Documents As If They Were Programs

Word and RTF Documents
Braille Files

Appendix D: The Internet Explorer Download Dialog Box

Appendix E: Selected Keyboard Commands for Internet Explorer with JAWS and Window-Eyes

Opening a Web Page
Navigating a Web Page
Link Navigation
Forms
Frames
Tables

Appendix F: Websites Mentioned in This Book

Books in Specialized Formats
Public Domain Books
Commercial eBook Sites
Additional eBook Information
Book Players, Reading Devices, and Notetakers
Screen Readers
Miscellaneous Sites

National Braille Press
Toll Free: 888-965-8965
Email: orders@nbp.org
Web: http://www.nbp.org

Find Books with Google

The Google Book Search is a feature you can use to search the Internet for copies of books. You can search among various subjects that interest you and when you're done, you can also find out where you can borrow them or even buy them. The book search works just like a search engine. You type your area of interest into the search box and in a matter of seconds, you will see lists and lists of books that fall under that category.

When you do a book search, you will see that under each listing, there is an "About this book" link. This gives you basic information on the book, including the title, author, publication date and the length. Some of the books also have some additional information, such as key terms, phrases, references, chapter titles and even a list of related books with the same subject.

It's important to note that not every book will come in the full text version. Each book is assigned a different preview length and these are displayed clearly for each listing in your book search. Each book will either have a full view, a limited view, a snippet view or there may be no preview available. The full view option is usually active when the book is out of its copyright date or if the publisher gave permission to allow viewers to read the book in its entirety. If this is the case, you can read it as many times as you'd like.

If the book is a limited view copy, you can only see certain parts of the book. With this feature, the publishers of the book has joined Google's Partner Program and they allow you to see a few of the pages from the book but there is a limit to what you can see online.

In the snippet view, you can do special searches for information within the book. >From those results, up to three snippets of the text will be shown. If the book you have found has no preview available, you won't be able to see any parts of the book, but you can read the information provided under the "About this book" link.

Every book you find with the Google Book Search has links included that will take you to places where you can buy or borrow the book. There will be listings for book sellers if you want to buy the book or you might be able to find it in a library. If you're really interested in a certain book, you'll definitely want to check that out. Now, you may be wondering where the books come from to make this search possible. Well, they mainly come from the book publishers and from libraries.

Click this link to start searching http://books.google.com.

Find Books with Microsoft

Microsoft's version of a book search engine is called Live Search Books and they are going up against their competitor, Google. The concept of the book search goes along the same lines as the Windows Live Search in how it searches the Internet for information. The Live Search Books uses the same process when scanning the Internet for books.

This program goes hand-in-hand with Microsoft's book scanning project that they have been working on for some time now. Users can search for books by using a regular search engine. When someone performs a search, keywords are used to filter out the results. The search only includes the books that have been scanned via the scanning project.

Live Search Books has a feature called "Search inside a book," which gives the users the opportunity to search the full text of the books. Right now, the search includes books that have no copyright date and only books that have been scanned from the collections of the British Library, the University of California and the University of Toronto. Other locations, such as the New York Public Library, Cornell University and the American Museum of Veterinary Medicine, are said to be included in the very near future. Other copyright books from publishers who have given permission will also join the search soon.

The one big difference between Microsoft's and Google's book searches is that Microsoft only offers the full text of the books. They can be downloaded onto your computer in the PDF format, so if you would like to search for books yourself, be sure to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed before you begin.

Click this link to start searching with Microsoft.

Specific Sites for Books

The following is a list of independent company websites that offer books for download. These books may be text or audio.

Free Book Resources

Repeat After Us

From the site:

"Created by a high school student, RepeatAfterUs is an award-winning online library with the best collection of copyright-free English texts and scripted recordings. Our free audio clips provide an excellent resource for students and literature lovers of all ages.

Click this link to visit Repeat After Us at http://www.repeatafterus.com. Planet eBook

Planet eBook is a free service where teachers and students can find classic literature titles available as free downloads. Planet eBook adds new titles at regular intervals. Subscribe to the Planet eBook blog or newsletter to keep track of the latest additions to the collection. For browsing purposes, Planet eBook offers previews of titles through the Issuu pdf publishing service. Using the previews students can get an overview of a title without committing to downloading the entire ebook.

Click this link to visit http://www.PlanetEbook.com. Literal Systems

Literal Systems is another great resource for free, downloadable audio books. You'll find that the navigation is simple with the menu on the right side of the page, for those of you with some vision. There you will find the following sections:

• Download Audio: Here you will find the titles that are currently available to listen to on the site. Choose a title and you'll be taken to its page. There you will find the links you need in order to listen to it under the Download section. The credits for it are shown above it as well. There is only a small selection of titles at the moment, but I have every hope that the list will grow and grow as time goes by. These performances are truly enjoyable to listen to. I was impressed by the quality of sound and of the ability of those reading them.
  
  
• Home Page: This will take you back to the main page of the website.
  
  
• The People: Here you can learn about the people behind the recordings on both the technical and performance end. I think it is nice to be able to see the face behind the vocal talent, as well as, the people who make it all happen!
  
  
• Contacting Us: You'll find contact information here with a phone number and an e-mail form.
  
  
• Auditions: Here you can find information about the auditions they are holding. I'm guessing they're for voice talent.
  
  
• Volunteers: Here you will find information on what they are looking for in volunteers to help make the site more interesting and keeping it up to date.
  
  
• F.A.Q.: Here you will find the most frequently asked questions submitted to the site. I suggest checking it out if any questions pop into your head while you're visiting.

I truly enjoyed listening to the offerings here and I hope you will too. Check out Literal Systems by clicking this link: http://www.literalsystems.org/abooks.
Here's a site that they link to that may also have some audio files of interest: http://www.LoudLit.org. Baen Books Offers Free Downloads

For several years, Baen Books: http://baen.com has provided fantasy and science fiction titles for download in unecrypted formats, including RTF, at reasonable prices. Now the company is offering all its electronic titles free to people who are blind, dyslexic, paralyzed, or are amputees. Disability must be documented. Read this article to learn more.

Talking Pages

Talking Pages is a non-profit web-based lending library that lends audio books to those who are blind or visually impaired.

You can select the audio books you want to borrow from their catalog. They will then ship you the audio books you select, along with a return label and postage. There is no fee for using the service; the costs are covered through donations.

Users of Talking Pages must sign up for library cards that permit users to borrow audio books and also check the status of what books they have currently on loan.

Please note that this service is available only to persons living in the United States.

Click this link to visit the Talking Pages website at http://www.talkingpages.org.

Listen To Spoken Word Internet Radio Station

I discovered a free radio station dedicated to broadcasting stories, drama, poetry and interviews. They broadcast popular audio books by best-selling authors, as well as promoting new and unsigned writers from around the world.

• Easily listen to radio online from work or home
  
• Free non-music entertainment for the more discerning listener
  
• Listen to popular audio books narrated by professional actors
  
• » View the week's programme schedule to see the great variety of choice offered

The Audio Book Radio Email Newsletter is a way to keep you up to date on programming information, news about the radio station and providing access to audio books free download clips of the latest audio books and forthcoming titles heard on the station.

Click this link to visit the Spoken Word Internet Radio Station: http://www.audiobookradio.net/index.php.

The Online Books Page

Aman Singer emailed Fred's Head with this site. Besides listing and searching Project Gutenberg, several government and religious sites, and a variety of other resources, this site provides direct links to smaller resources like The Calibration of Women Writers and Banned Books Online. The search and browse functionality are both excellent and the page as a whole lists over 25000 books on the web.

Click this link to visit The Online Books Page: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/.

Books for the Blind Online Library

In 2005, this service went live with a few dozen books in e-text format for reading by screen-reader or e-braille or screen-magnifier. It now has nearly a thousand titles. Recently, a lot of work has been done with the SpeakOn program to make it easy to get books and have the computer read them to you almost instantly.

A user said, "I've been playing with the system using an infra-red numeric keypad and can sit away from the PC and get a book in a few seconds. SpeakOn turns the computer into a sort of Talking Book machine - I'm using the Daniel voice which is pretty good".

Library membership is restricted to the visually impaired who are also UK or EU residents. Click this link to learn more about this online library for the blind: http://www.seeingear.org.

Read Free Full Text Books Online

Here's a site with thousands of books that are easy to read online, or save to your computer or portible reading device. The books are listed in alphabetical order and would be great if you're looking for something different, maybe for a book report?

Click this link to visit http://www.FullBooks.com.

World eBook Library Consortia

Housed in World eBook Library Multi-Terabyte server network is the world's largest digital archive of PDF eBooks and eDocuments. This collection hosts more than 250,000+ PDF eBooks and eDocuments. As a member you can have complete access to the entire collection. The collection is constantly growing.

• More than 250,000+ unabridged original single file PDF eBooks by the original authors
  
• Adobe PDF eBooks Included Software Reads Books To You
  
• Fully Searchable, Quotable Text, & Bookmarking Capability
  
• It's like having over 250,000+ Books in your living room
  
• Enough for several Lifetime's Worth of Reading

Growing up some of my favorite stories were those of Robin Hood, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, not to mention pirates, fairy tales, and such. Now at Legends you can explore these stories that have not only lasted through time but have inspired people enough that we still enjoy them.

Explore Robin Hood, King Arthur, Beowulf, Pirates and Privateers, Ballads and Broadsides, Swashbucklers and Fops, Fairy Tales, Shakespeare's Stories, Sagas & Sea Kings, Paladins and Princes, Poets and Painters, and Erin and Alba.

I was so happy I found more stories that I could explore than I already knew. Like Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, old ballads, and poetry even.

Then you can also check out Legendary Resources, Search Legends, What's New, and Notes on the Illustrations.

"Search Legends" is a Google based search engine that will search both the site, and the World Wide Web if you want it to. It's a very nice search engine.

I found the Notes on the Illustrations section to be interesting and informative.

I hope you enjoy these adventures as much as I did. Click this link to visit the Legends web site: http://www.legends.dm.net/.

Wired For Books

In order to use this site you need to have RealPlayer which is a free download, you will find the link to download Real Player near the top of their page.

Why would you want to have Real Player for this site? Well because you get to listen to famous, and not so famous, people read works of literature.

In the "Kid's Corner" you can listen to the tale of Peter Rabbit, and right next door you could listen to Alice 's Adventure's in Wonderland. Not to forget great literary works like Macbeth, The Illiad or the The Aeneid.

There is also poetry from "classic English poems, including poetry by Blake, Burns, Byron, Donne, Herbert, Hunt, Keats, and Shakespeare," to the "Den of Lions" poems, and the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Not to mention all the wonderful non-fiction and fiction that you can listen to! This site gets an A++ in my opinion for being so diverse, and for bringing so many wonderful poems, and stories together in one place for people to listen to.
Click this link to visit the Wired For Books website: http://wiredforbooks.org/

Free Classic AudioBooks

This site has MP3 and M4B files of books that are out of copyright, a great resource for struggling readers! Most titles are for secondary students, including Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Picture of Dorian Gray, and Romeo and Juliet (the only Shakespeare title so far). Check back often for new titles.

Click this link to visit http://freeclassicaudiobooks.com.

Project Gutenberg

The philosophy of Project Gutenberg is to make information, books and other materials available to the general public in forms a vast majority of the computers, programs and people can easily read, use, quote, and search.

Included in the materials are U.S. Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the whole US Constitution, the Bible, Shakespeare, literature, reference resources and general works.

Another way to access the books in this library is to point your browser to manybooks.net: http://www.manybooks.net where books can be converted to other formats.

Audio Books From Librivox

Here's a worthwhile project you may wish to participate in: "LibriVox wants all books in the public domain to be available, for free, in audio format, on the internet. We ask volunteers to record chapters of books in the public domain, and release them into the public domain."

They also have books that you can receive through their podcasts, how cool is that?

Click this link to visit the LibriVox website: http://librivox.org.

Bibliomania - Free Online Literature and Study Guides

• Free Online Literature with more than 2000 Classic Texts
  
• Literature Book Notes, Author Biographies, Book Summaries and Reference Books
  
• Read Classic Fiction, Drama, Poetry, Short Stories and Contemporary Articles and Interviews
  
• Study Guides to the most read books and Help for Teachers
  
• Research their Reference Books, Dictionaries, Quotations, Classic Non-fiction, Biographies and Religious Texts
  
• Buy the books personally read and recommended by Bibliomania

Here's a great collection of computer ebooks for your reading pleasure.

Click this link to find hundreds of computer and technology related books: http://hogan-productions.com/books/webbooks.html.

Doctor Who E-Books

In the 1950s kids hid behind the sofa when Professor Bernard Quatermass battled aliens on the BBC whilst ITV gave us Pathfinders in Space - the brainchild of Canadian Sydney Newman.

Fast forward to 1962 and Newman, now promoted to Head of BBC Drama, needed a new Saturday night family series to fit snugly between Grandstand and Juke Box Jury.

Concepts pitched for the show included telepathy, flying saucers, scientific trouble-shooters from the future - and a time machine. We all know who won.

The main stars of the show would be a couple of school teachers - the square-jawed Ian Chesterton and the improbably bouffant Barbara Wright. The teen audience could identify with Susan Foreman, one of their pupils. Even if she was an alien.

Finally, a mysterious anti-hero in the mould of Conan-Doyle's Professor Challenger would complete the line-up. He would be known only as 'The Doctor'. Doctor Who?

Travelling in their time and space machine, the TARDIS, the Doctor and co. began their adventures on November 23rd 1963 by voyaging 100,000 years into Earth's past to help some slightly dim cavemen discover fire.

That's how it all began, and the series is still alive and well today. The BBC has created a site where you can read the continuing adventures of Doctor Who. All e-books feature brand new artwork and extensive notes by the original authors. If you are a fan of this cult classic show, this is the site for you.

Click here to visit the BBC Doctor Who page at http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/ebooks/index.shtml

Books in a Podcast

Here are some sites that podcast audiobooks:

• Open Culture: Audiobook Podcast Collection: http://www.oculture.com/weblog/2006/10/audio_book_podc.html
  
• http://www.podiobooks.com
  
• http://www.bmw-audiobooks.com
  
• http://www.silentuniverse.com
  
• http://www.darkerprojects.com

Even though braille and recorded books have existed for decades, supply is limited, production costs are high and using them can be cumbersome.

Many sight-impaired people use inexpensive scanners to prepare their own reading material for computer-synthesized speech. The page-by- page process often takes two to three hours per book.

The high-speed machine used by Bookshare.org can scan an entire book in 10 minutes. The technology can scan both sides of a page simultaneously after a book's binding has been removed.

With Bookshare.org, members submit their own scanned books for the collection and download as many as they like for use with Braille printers, computer-synthesized speech programs or other reading aids. Members pay a $25 initial setup fee and annual $50 dues.

To join Bookshare.org, members must send a letter from a doctor or other professional that attests to their disability. After paying the fees, they get a copy of Victor Reader Soft software that translates digital files into computer-synthesized speech.

Word about Bookshare.org has spread to students and teachers who prompted the organization to add a staff member dedicated to working with schools.

About 95 percent of Bookshare.org members are legally blind or dyslexic, while the remainder live with physical disabilities that prevent them from turning the pages of a book.

Driven by member submissions, the popular collection leans toward romance and science fiction. Volunteers search the files for errors and add titles, like the complete set of Pulitzer Prize winners or college reading lists.

Some Bookshare.org members even convert files to the MP3 format so they can load them onto an iPod.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Disabled, operated by the U.S. Library of Congress, has offered Braille and recorded books since the 1930s, but it often takes two to three years for a best-seller to be made available to the public via that service.

While the service distributes books to a network of libraries around the United States, users can face a months-long waiting list to receive a book. Bookshare.org offers quicker satisfaction.

Another advantage over recorded books is the ability to skip chapters or search for keywords, especially helpful with textbooks, news or nonfiction material.

The organization has appealed to publishers to donate digital copies to Bookshare.org when books are released, in keeping with the 1996 federal law that requires digital textbooks to be made available to disabled students at the same time as print versions.

Click this link to visit the bookshare.org website.

Diesel eBooks

Search and download over 35,000 titles, including 750 free downloads.

Click this link to visit the Diesel eBooks website: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com

Jiggerbug

jiggerbug.com an online audio book rental service, delivers their extensive collection of best-selling audio book titles to subscribers - digitally!

Based on the Netflix model, current Jiggerbug subscribers enjoy quick and simple mail service delivery of their favorite book titles on either CD-ROM or cassette tape. A newer service gives Jiggerbug subscribers the option to instantly download their favorite titles in an easy-to-use, take-it-with-you digital format. Powered by OverDrive technology, digital delivery is ideal for commuters, frequent gym goers or anyone who wants to create more time in their day by multitasking with an entertaining best-seller, self-help title or any of the thousands of book options available.

Growing time demands make it difficult for many to enjoy the latest "must-read" titles. To bridge the gap between time and desire, Jiggerbug's audio books offer a solution - allowing people to listen to their favorite book or subject during times that may otherwise be wasted ( lengthy bus commutes, gym time, etc. ). By freeing-up the hands, Jiggerbug is freeing-up time for busy executives, multitasking moms and housewives or anyone who wants to make more efficient use of their day. Audio books ( available on tape, CD or Instant Download ) are also the ideal answer for the elderly, beginning readers, or anyone with sight restrictions. With the Digital Download service option, ordering is as easy as:

1. choose a title and checkout
   
2. instantly download the title for immediate playback
3. at the end of the loan, the title is automatically returned to the collection - with nothing more to do.

Powered by OverDrive, audio titles will be available in the industry standard WMA format for easy playback on your home computer or on hundreds of portable devices, including MP3 players. The OverDrive Audio Book technology contains advanced accessibility features that make it easy for blind and visually impaired listeners to enjoy titles. Users simply choose their favorite book from Jiggerbug's expansive collection of titles, download the book for instant, on-the-go playback using an audio device or listen offline on the subscribers PC.

For more information, click this link to visit www.jiggerbug.com.

Pay Per Listen: An Electronic Download Service of Audiobooks.com

PayPerListen, a service of Audiobooks.com delivers an extensive selection of audiobooks in an electronically downloadable format at approximately 75-80% less than the cost of typical CD's and cassettes.

The PayPerListen.comSM and MediaTunnel.com SM combined services employ state of the art electronic ordering, file transfer technology, and encrypted security to bring to you a downloaded title which is immediately available and there is no delay or additional cost for shipping regardless of where you may be throughout the world!

They call their titles "Electronically Downloadable Audiobooks," and the selection is great. There are also some helpful articles to help with the download process.

SoundsGood.com, a Consumer Shopping Service for Audio Entertainment

SoundsGood.com is a premier audio download and traditional media service providing consumers with an easy way to access thousands of best selling audio books, classic radio shows, theatre performances, and a growing collection of audio newspapers, magazines, lectures, self help and wellness courses, modern day radio shows and other spoken word entertainment.

SoundsGood.com is a unique one-stop shop that provides customers with both digital downloads for immediate listening as well as the ability to purchase CDs and audio cassettes for those more comfortable with traditional media.

SoundsGood supports digital downloads that are compatible with MP3 players, CD players, PCs and some high-end smart phones that support the Windows Media audio format.

SoundsGood offers a wide range of audiobook titles ranging from New York Times best-sellers to the obscure.

SoundsGood.com incorporates software designed by OverDrive, an audio playback technology designed for enhanced audiobook listening in combination with the Windows Media Player. Benefits of the OverDrive system include the ability to bookmark audio points, utilize visual chapter marks to more easily jump between chapters, and to audibly slow down or speed up the reader's pace of the story playback. Such features will allow the consumer to very simply mark where they are in an audiobook, find their way back to the point, and skip ahead or back if necessary. The system is also fully enabled to provide ease of use for the visually impaired and blind community.

Click this link to visit SoundsGood.com.

Online Dictionaries and encyclopedias

The Internet is a rich source for dictionary and other reference materials. If you have screen access software and an Internet connection, there are a number of sites that you may want to check out.

Before we go too far, let me suggest that you take some time to read this great page called How to use Dictionaries.

Acronym Finder: http://www.acronymfinder.com has more than 480,000 human-edited entries, Acronym Finder is the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms. Combined with the Acronym Attic, Acronym Finder contains more than 3 million acronyms and abbreviations.

Do you need a dictionary in a foreign language? If so, then you need to search Dictionaries > By Language in the Yahoo! Directory: http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/dictionaries/language/.

http://www.yourdictionary.com has links to over 500 dictionaries so you're sure to find what you're looking for!

Are you trying to keep up with the latest slang terms? If so, then you need to search Slang Dictionaries in the Yahoo! Directory: http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/dictionaries/slang/.

“…translate and learn words in their original context.” The mission of lingro.com is to create an on-line environment that allows anyone learning a language to quickly look up and learn the vocabulary most important to them.” In addition to dictionaries in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Polish and Swedish, you can put in a URL and all the words on that page become clickable with definitions popping up everywhere!

Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers and operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Wikipedia began as a complement to the expert-written Nupedia on January 15, 2001. It has steadily risen in popularity, and has since spawned several sister projects, such as Wiktionary, Wikibooks, and Wikinews. It is edited by volunteers with wiki software, meaning articles are subject to change by nearly anyone. Wikipedia's volunteers attempt to uphold a policy of "neutral point of view" under which views presented by notable persons or literature are summarized without an attempt to determine an objective truth. Due to its open nature, vandalism and inaccuracy are constant problems in Wikipedia.

Wiktionary is a sister project to Wikipedia, intended to be a free wiki dictionary (including thesaurus and lexicon) in every language. It was set up on December 12, 2002.

Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com gives you access to the American Heritage Dictionary, the Columbia Encyclopedia, the Roget's Thesauri, Quotations, English Usage, Modern Usage, Strunk Style, Cambridge History, the King James Bible, Oxford Shakespeare, Gray's Anatomy, Farmer's Cook Book, Host Etiquette, Brewer's Phrase and Fable, and other interesting books.

The Merriam-Webster online Dictionary: http://www.m-w.com, gives you access to definitions from the Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Dictionary and Thesaurus. This Web site also features the "Word of the day," "Word games," and "Word for the Wise."

The Free Dictionary: http://www.thefreedictionary.com was featured in the Rvers Computer Help Newsletter. It has a dictionary and other related services.

Dictionary.com: http://www.dictionary.com is a unique site. When you type a word to be looked up, dictionary.com retrieves and displays definitions from different sources at once. For instance, the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, WordNet 1.6, and Acronym Finder.

The Internet is also a great resource for more specialized reference materials. To find these materials just go to your favorite search engine --Google, Yahoo, Altavista, etc. and do a search on the word "dictionary". You will find resources ranging from technical terminology like Webopedia.com: >http://www.webopedia.com, an on-line dictionary for computer and internet terms, to Dinodictionary.com: http://www.dinodictionary.com, the most complete dinosaur dictionary on the web. You can also find books for medical terminology, law, measurement conversion, foreign languages, biology, semantics and more.

Most Web reference materials are free and easy to use. Just type a word or words in an "Edit box" and do a search. The results will be displayed in an HTML format. The main disadvantage that free Web materials have over the commercially available software is the amount of unwanted information within the results page, such as advertisements and navigation links. If you plan to use these reference materials frequently, you will be better off purchasing the CD-ROM, or subscribing to their service in order to get a clean version and save time searching. However, if you just want to search these materials occasionally, take a look at your screen access manual. Your software should have useful tips and features that will allow you to navigate a Web page efficiently by skipping unwanted information.

Since its first publication in 1768, The Encyclopædia Britannica has been considered the world's most comprehensive reference product. Unfortunately, for more than 200 years this reference material was not accessible in its entirety to people who were blind or visually impaired.

With the advances in the field of technology and the power of the Internet, this research tool is now available to blind computer users.

Encyclopedia Britannica Online includes the complete encyclopedia, the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and the Britannica Book of the Year. The Encyclopedia Britannica Online can be used to search an Internet directory that includes more than 130,000 links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors.

Through this service, one can find more than 72,000 articles, updated and revised by EB editors and contributors. The Encyclopedia contains over 10,000 illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, and flags. The Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary contains more than 75,000 definitions, including pronunciation guides and word histories.

Encyclopedia Britannica Online offers different kinds of subscriptions to Individuals or families, and site license subscriptions to multi-user organizations. Including corporations, libraries, primary through secondary schools, colleges, and universities. Pricing varies by market and size of organization.

For more information contact:

Encyclopedia Britannica
Toll Free: 1-800-621-3900
Email: inquiries@eb.com
Web: http://www.eb.com

The Canadian Encyclopedia

Search or browse by broad topic for almost any aspect of Canadian history and culture. You can also explore a timeline of Canadian history, the 100 greatest events in Canadian history, interactive resources, or quizzes that test your knowledge of Canada. The site also includes the full text of the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.

Click this link to visit the Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com.

Answers.com

Using Answers.com is fun, easy, and with free, instant access to reliable facts, definitions and information on over a million topics, it's sure to keep you coming back for more learning, not searching!

Click this link to visit http://www.teachers.answers.com.

Flags of the World

Want to learn about flags? If you answer yes this site is for you. I had no idea the number of flags found in the United States. Even cities have flags! You can also view maps of various places as well. Click this link to visit Flags of the World.

We got this comment on another article and I wanted to add it to this one because its another great resource.

Hello,,

While searching the web for ideas on what to do this 4th of July, I came across your blog, The Fred's Head Companion. I really liked your 4th of July post and I would like to share with you a site that I found helpful. Http://www.accessmylibrary.com is a free online searchable library with thousands of articles you only need a library card to access. I went there and searched for "4th of July" and came up with dozens of articles on 4th of July activities.

Click this link to search http://www.accessmylibrary.com. You may want to add it to your favorite links or mention it in your blog; I think your readers would find it very useful. Thank you for the blog and Happy 4th!

Sincerely,

Sarah Deak

SCIFIPEDIA

Welcome to Scifipedia! This is where you can find almost anything about the Science Fiction genre. And even better, if what you're looking for isn't here, you can easily add the information yourself.

I was absolutely thrilled by how much there was to explore. There are over 3,000 entries here and the collection is growing daily.

• Today's Featured Article: The site features a different article about something in the genre.
  
• This Day in SCI FI: Where you'll find out about the birth and deaths of people who've worked in the genre in some way or another.
  
• Did You Know? Here you can get a dose of SCI FI trivia.
  
• Hot Topics: These are some of the most popular topics on the site at the moment. When I was there, Fanguage was one of them. It explained some of the languages used by fans of SCI FI.
  
• Editor's Journal: Here you can find an entry from one of the editors about something SCI FI.
  
• Shout Outs: Here is where the editors thank fans for their hard work in making this site more complete. It is a big public thank you to the people who put forth their efforts.

Now, that's just the information on the main page. On the side menu, you will find links to the many different forms of media that Science Fiction has found a home in and the articles that fit into each category. You'll also find, if you scroll down a little bit, the most recent additions to the database, as well as, an FAQ section and a helpful Tutorial feature.

Click this link to visit SCIFIPEDIA at http://scifipedia.scifi.com/index.php/Main_Page.

Double Tongued Dictionary

Welcome to the Double Tongue Word Wrester Dictionary where you will find slang, jargon and less frequently used terms defined for you. For a full explanation of what is included in this dictionary, check out the About section, which is where you will also find information about the author of the site.

On the main page, you will find the newest entry defined near the top. You will also find a listing of the newest entries so you can easily check out what was recently added. You will also see that there is an Alpha Index on the side of the page and beneath the newest entries, a listing of newest citations.

There is a menu bar with these options: About, Categories, Citations, Cohort, Word-a-Day, Entries, Feeds, Login and Search. Let's look at each one of these options in more detail.

Categories: This is another way for you to browse the entries on the site. Only here, you'll do it by finding the words that relate to the name of the category. So, if you wanted to see advertising slang or jargon, you could do so by clicking on the Advertising link in the category section. You will also be able to check out Register, Language and Class as a way to view words just beneath the categories section. Register deals with certain types of words like colloquial, derogatory, euphemism, jargon, slang, etc. Language is where you can check out words from the many different languages around the world. Class is a section devoted to abbreviations, acronyms and eponyms.

Citations: Here you can check out the citation queue for recently added words. The most recent will be on this page to go back further. Either click the numbered links just under the citation queue area or click the Last link for the last page of entries.

Cohort: Here you will find links to sites in different languages and the option to nominate sites to be listed.

Word-a-Day: You can sign up to get the daily email from this site. It contains a definition or several definitions and comes directly to your Inbox each day. To find out more about it and how to sign up, check out this section.

Entries: This is another way for you to view the words that are added here. The newest entries are shown on this page, as well as the option to check out the ones that were added previously. It uses the same navigation system as the Citations section.

Feeds: If you are into RSS feeds (and who isn't) you can find four from this site that you can subscribe to. Entry Feed gives you the 10 most recent entries. Complete Feed gives you the 10 most recent dictionary entries. Citation Feed gives you the last 20 citations that haven't been fully developed yet and the last is a feed to the author's blog.

Search: Here you will find the search engine that offers you several ways to search the site. It even offers advanced search options to really help you find what you're looking for.

Click this link to learn some new words from the Double Tongued Dictionary: http://www.doubletongued.org.

How about that for research? If you know of any sites that I've left out, please click here to email me at fredshead@aph.org and tell me about them.

Having trouble lugging all those grocery bags? Can't seem to get all your bags in from the car at once? Having trouble opening the door with all those bags in your hands? Do your hands hurt? Well, Colligo Engineering and Design, LLC has created the solution for you!

The Grab-A-Sak is an ergonomically designed product that allows you to carry multiple grocery bags at once, while leaving your hands free to open your door, reach for your keys, eat your favorite ice cream while you walk and most of all eliminate the hurt on your hands that these bags have been causing all these years. The Grab-A-Sak is made from durable plastic and is designed to carry several bags at once (as many as you can safely handle). The Grab-A-Sak allows you to carry these bags over your shoulder leaving your hands free to do what ever you want. The integrated handle also allows you to carry your bags in one hand, but why hurt your hands when you can let your strong shoulder do the work.

For more information, or to order Grab A Sack, click this link: http://www.grabasak.com. For additional inquiries please email dfrias@colligoengineering.com. One Trip Grip Grocery Bag Holder

Here's another way to get those bags of groceries home without the pain that normally runs through your fingers. With a 50 lb. capacity, you'll be able to carry your groceries in with ease. This product features:

• Soft Squeeze Grip
  
• Made of high strength plastic
  
• Easy open thumb tab
  
• Durable locking tab - safely secures bags
  
• Dimensions: 6.5"H x 5.5"W x 1.0"D

Here's another market sidekick that carries the bags for you. Eight hooks carry bags of fresh produce and other groceries up to 70 pounds with ease. Rubber wheels roll smoothly on rough city streets, with a rubber stopper to keep the shopper upright. Folds up for compact transport and storage. Wipe clean. 48" x 24" x 22.5".

Click this link to purchase the "Hook and Go" Urban Shopper. Bag Ease

• In the shopping cart, it easily attaches to the sides of the cart, making it easier to assure selected shopping items go in the bag.
  
• It keeps everything together at checkout.
  
• It keeps items together in vehicles on the way home.
  
• It holds a number of plastic bags full, holding up to 40 pounds, and allows fewer trips from vehicle to house.
  
• It stores common items like sewing supplies, etc.

Blue for regular items, Red for frozen ones. Nice to take on picnics or similar outings. To order, contact: Bob Heltman
Leading Edge Products & Services, Inc.
PO Box 545
Hendersonville, NC 28793
Phone: 828-692-9333
Fax: 828-698-0007
Email: bobh@leadingedgepands.com

Useful for both individuals and professionals, this video/resource guide will help you successfully use rehabilitation and transportation resources.

Meet Syd, Wilbert, Josephine, Blanche, Gary, and Johnny and share their stories as they make the transition from driver to nondriver. This video contains vital information that will assist in meeting your transportation needs as you evaluate your situation and the resources available to you.

Types of transportation covered include:

• Rides with friends and family
• Public transportation such as buses and light rail
• Taxi cabs
• Paratransit services
• Air travel

The included Resource Guide contains information on:

• Medical issues and visual impairment
• Helpful services, instruction, and technology
• Types of transportation and strategies that promote success
• Resources, helpful agencies, organizations, and companies

The Reclaiming Independence video is available in either DVD or VHS formats. Both editions include a Resource Guide on cassette tape, in large print, and on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM provides computer files of the Resource Guide for embossing braille or reading with a computer or note taker (includes .brf, .html, and .txt files).

The DVD edition features additional material, including a narrated version of the Resource Guide. DVD menus are spoken aloud, making it possible for all viewers to navigate between chapters of the video and Resource Guide.

Reclaiming Independence: Staying in the Driver's Seat When You No Longer Drive Video
DVD:
Catalog Number: 1-30020-DVD

VHS:
Catalog Number: 1-30020-00

Optional Item:
Resource Guide, Braille Edition:
Catalog Number: 5-30020-00

Click here to purchase these items through our Quick Order Entry page: http://shop.aph.org/quickentry.asp

If you need assistance, click this link to read the Fred's Head Companion post "Purchasing Products From The APH Website Is Easy".

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Toll Free: 800-223-1839
Phone: 502-895-2405
Fax: 502-899-2274
E-mail: info@aph.org
Web site: http://www.aph.org

Want to learn more about your favorite sport? Follow the links below. They'll lead you to resources that can help you learn all about sports and recreational opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.

These resources have been organized into two groups. The first group of links will take you to organizations, associations and web sites that have general sports and recreation information. The second group of links are for specific sports not covered at the other sites. General Sports Links

1. Disability Sports Web Page

   The site was created by the instructor and students in a graduate course in the Department of Kinesiology at Michigan State University. It has information on laws relating to sports and people with disabilities, resources, and Internet links to various sports-related organizations.
   
   Disability Sports Web Page
   Department of Kinesiology
   132 IM Sports Circle, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
   Email: dummer@pilot.msu.edu
   Internet: http://edweb6.educ.msu.edu/kin866

2. International Paralympic Committee

   The IPC's web site has a wealth of information about the Paralympic Games and its sporting events. Events in which athletes who are blind or visually impaired typically participate are: cycling, equestrian, goalball, judo, swimming, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. Accompanying the information about each sport there is often a list of associated links.
   
   International Paralympic Committee
   Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
   Phone: +49 (228) 2097-200
   Fax: +49 (228) 2097-209
   Email: info@paralympic.org
   Internet: www.paralympic.org/

3. National Center on Physical Activity and Disability

   The NCPAD has an extensive searchable database of articles on sports-related Programs and Facilities, Equipment Vendors, Conferences and Symposiums, and Books and Published Resources for people who are disabled.
   
   National Center on Physical Activity and Disability
   1640 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608-6904
   Phone: (800) 900-8086 (voice and tty)
   Fax: (312) 355-4058
   Email: ncpad@uic.edu
   Internet: www.ncpad.org/

4. Palaestra Magazine

   Palaestra Magazine is a quarterly publication with a focus on adapted physical activities. It is especially geared toward parents with children who are disabled.
   
   PALAESTRA: Forum of Sport, Physical Education & Recreation For Those With Disabilities
   Challenge Publications, Ltd.
   PO Box 508, Macomb, IL 61455
   Phone/Fax: (309) 833-1902
   Email: challpub@macomb.com
   Internet: www.palaestra.com/

5. Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, Mississippi State University

   This web site, operated by the Mississippi State University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, has an extensive list of sport- and recreation-related associations and organizations for people who are blind or visually impaired.
   
   Mississippi State University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision
   P.O. Box 6189
   Mississippi State, MS 39762
   Phone: (800) 675-7782
   TDD: (662) 325-8693
   Fax: (662) 325-8989
   E-Mail: B. J. LeJeune: bjmax@ra.msstate.edu
   Internet: www.blind.msstate.edu/irr/sport.html

6. U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)

   The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) has helped thousands of blind and disabled youth discover their own potential in school, sports, and the achievement of their own personal dreams. The organization has more than 3,000 blind and visually impaired athlete-members representing nine different sports: alpine and nordic skiing, goalball, judo, powerlifting, swimming, tandem cycling, track and field and wrestling. Many of these athletes go on to compete in the Paralympics held in conjunction with the Olympic Games. Visit the USABA web site for general information about each of these sports and for a calendar of upcoming competitions.
   
   U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)
   33 N. Institute St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903
   Phone: (719) 630-0422
   Fax: (719) 630-0616
   Email: media@usaba.org
   Internet: www.usaba.org/index.html

7. Achievable Concepts: Adapted Recreation & Sporting Equipment

   This Australian company makes and distributes adapted sporting equipment, including beeper balls and other sporting goods that can be used by people who are blind or vision impaired. They also offer "Recreation & Sport for People Who are Blind or Vision Impaired", a guidebook written by Peter Rickards with Vision Australia, contains recreation options, tips, equipment, rules, and helpful hints for playing a range of sports. Activities include: chess, gardening, music, crafts, and social activities. A good source for ideas. To order, visit the Achievable Concepts web site using the following contact info:
   
   Achievable Concepts
   Adapted Recreation & Sporting Equipment for People with Disabilities & the Aged
   Email: sales@achievableconcetps.com.au
   Web: www.achievableconcepts.com.au

• National Beep Baseball Association
  2231 West 1st Ave.
  Topeka, KS 66606-1304
  Phone: (785) 234-2156
  Email: jb4208@aol.com
  Internet: www.nbba.org/ Bowling
• Rails for the Blind may be purchased from:
  
  American Blind Bowling Association
  315 N. Main St., Houston, PA 15342
  Phone/Fax: (724) 745-5986 Golf
• American Blind Golfers Association
  300 Carondelet St.
  New Orleans, LA 70112
  Phone: (504) 891-4737
• The United States Golf Association
  PO Box 708
  Far Hills, NJ 07931
  Phone: (908) 234-2300
  Fax: (908) 234-9687
  Email: usga@usga.org
  Internet: www.usga.org/ Horseback Riding
• North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA)
  

  The NARHA is a non-profit organization that promotes the rehabilitation of individuals with physical, emotional and learning disabilities through equine-facilitated activities. There are more than 600 NAHRA-member therapeutic riding centers in North America.
  
  North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA)
  P.O. Box 33150
  Denver, CO 80233
  Phone: (800) 369-RIDE (7433)
  Fax: (303) 252-4610
  Email: narha@narha.org
  Internet: www.narha.org/

  Running

• The Achilles Track Club (ATC)

  The Achilles Track Club (ATC) was founded to encourage people with disabilities to participate in long-distance running with the general public. The ATC is an international, nonprofit organization that provides support, training, and technical expertise to runners at all levels.
  
  Achilles Track Club
  42 West 38th Street
  NYC 10018
  Phone: (212) 354-0300
  Fax: (212) 354-3978
  E-mail: AchillesClub@aol.com
  Internet: www.achillestrackclub.org/index.html Sailing

• John's Nautical Links List

  This exhaustive list of maritime links includes a rich section of links for those interested in disabled racing and sailing. Among the links listed are: Blind Sailing International, Disabled Sailing on the Web, and Sailing Alternatives.
  
  John's Nautical Links List
  Email: jkohnen@boat-links.com
  Internet: www.boat-links.com/linklists/boatlink-13.html
  
  International Foundation For Disabled Sailing

  The International Foundation For Disabled Sailing is responsible for disabled sailing around the world, and working with its members to further promote and support the sport. This includes sailing for people with physical disabilities, blindness, deafness and learning difficulties and covers all aspects of sailing including recreation, training and racing.
  
  Click here to visit the International Foundation For Disabled Sailing home page: http://www.sailing.org/disabled

• I sea No Ships

  This website is not only just for blind people who like sailing, it will give other information on subjects that affect the blind community. "I hope to list blind groups and organisations that will be useful to you. I am registered blind myself since 1992 with retinitis pigmentosa. The first people who I met with any sight loss was at a blind club called Foresight in 1986."
  
  Click this link to visit the I See No Ships website at http://www.iseanoships.btik.com/home.ikml Scuba Diving

• Handicapped Scuba Association International (HSA)

  HSA International offers recreational diving opportunities for people with disabilities. It also provides certification for diving instructors who wish to work with disabled divers.
  
  HSA International
  1104 El Prado
  San Clemente, CA 92672-4637
  Phone: (949) 498-4540
  Fax: (949) 498-6128
  Email: hsa@hsascuba.com
  Internet: www.hsascuba.com Skating

• Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped, Inc (SABAH)

  SABAH is a Buffalo, New York-based not-for-profit educational corporation that provides instruction for people who are blind or visually impaired in how to ice skate.
  
  The Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped
  1200 East and West Road
  West Seneca, New York 14224
  Phone: (716) 675.7222
  Email: sabah@sabahinc.org
  Internet: www.sabahinc.org/

  Skiing

• Ski for Light, Inc.

  Ski for Light is a program of cross-country skiing benefiting blind, visually-impaired, and mobility-impaired individuals and their guides.
  
  Ski for Light, Inc.
  1455 West Lake Street
  Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408
  Phone: 612-827-3232
  Web: http://www.sfl.org/

• American Blind Skiing Foundation (ABSF)

  The ABSF provides an educational skiing program for people who are blind or visually impaired.
  
  The American Blind Skiing Foundation
  227 E. North Ave.
  Elmhurst, Illinois 60126
  Email: ABSF@bigfoot.com
  Internet:www.absf.org/skischd. htm

• American Blind Skiers, Inc.
  2325 Wilshire Blvd.
  Santa Monica, CA 90403
  Phone: (213) 828-5514

• Bold Outdoor Leisure Development/Challenge Aspen

  In addition to snow skiing, B.O.L.D./Challenge Aspen offers a variety of sports opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. During the winter they offer alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice-skating. Summer activities include hiking, biking, rafting and a rock climbing camp.
  
  B.O.L.D./Challenge Aspen
  P.O. Box M
  Aspen, CO 81612
  Phone: (970) 923.0578
  Fax: (970) 923.7338
  Email: possibilities@challengeaspen.com
  Internet: www.challengeaspen.com/Recreation/bold.asp

• The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD)

  NSCD provides year-round competition training to ski racers with disabilities. Summer recreation opportunities include biking, hiking, in-line skating, sailing, therapeutic horseback riding, white water rafting, baseball, fishing, rock climbing for the blind, and camping. Swimming

• USA Swimming

  USA Swimming, the official body governing America's Olympic swim teams, offers detailed info for swimmers who are blind or visually impaired. This includes information for coaches, event organizers, and athletes. Visitors can also order brochures on topics such as hosting an adaptive event.
  
  USA Swimming
  One Olympic Plaza
  Colorado Springs, CO 80909
  Phone: (719) 578-4578
  Internet: www.usa-swimming.org/

  Water Skiing

• USA Water Ski

  USA Water Ski hosts water ski tournaments for athletes with disabilities. Blind athletes also do not use special equipment and are assisted by another water skier who serves as a guide. Among the competitions within each tournament are slalom, tricks and jumping events.
  
  USA Water Ski
  1251 Holy Cow Road
  Polk City, Florida 33868
  Phone: (863) 324-4341
  Fax: (863) 325-8259
  Email: jlamb@usawaterski.org?subject=General Questions
  Internet: usawaterski.org

Ski for Light, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1975 to promote the physical fitness of visually and mobility impaired adults in an environment where "we can't" is replaced with "we can." Disabled and able-bodied people join together in a one-on-one partnership to learn from each other through physically demanding activities.

It is the mission of Ski for Light, Inc. to sponsor these physically demanding sporting events throughout the country, including regional and international programs designed to teach cross-country skiing to visually and mobility impaired persons. To achieve this end, able-bodied and disabled persons are paired to promote a working partnership. In addition, Ski for Light, Inc. spreads its philosophy to as many people as possible each year and it serves as a resource to communities, organizations and individuals.

International Ski For Light

Each year Ski for Light, Inc. lays down tracks at a different winter sports area across the nation for a week of cross-country ski instruction, fitness workshops and cultural activities. The participation of Norwegian-Americans lends a unique flavor to the program due to their enthusiasm for Nordic skiing, fitness and cultural diversity. Participants from more than a dozen countries have shared their culture, skiing skills and experiences with Americans at the SFL International Event. The final Race/Rally gives participants a chance to taste success in an activity once thought impossible for a disabled person.

Regional Ski For Light Sports For Health

Each year, more and more regional programs are coordinated by Ski for Light "alumni" throughout the U.S. with the goal of offering outdoor fitness opportunities for visually and mobility impaired persons. Both weekend and weeklong programs are included to teach disabled individuals to cross- country ski and to ice sled.

Disabled People Become Physically Fit:

Hundreds of thousands of visually and mobility impaired persons lead isolated, inactive and/or unhealthy lives because they have not been able to learn leisure activities through mainstream programs. SFL's one-on-one partnership approach enables such persons to learn these leisure activities. Once skills and confidence are developed in the supportive and relaxed environment of Ski for Light programs, participants tackle the "sighted and able-bodied" world with the self-assurance needed to join in community recreational activities. They discover new friends, increased energy, boosted morale, rewarding careers and fuller lives through Ski for Light's introduction to health and fitness.

Volunteer Instructor Guides Share Skills:

Each disabled participant is paired with a volunteer who donates his or her skills in cross-country skiing and other fitness activities. People from all walks of life share with disabled persons the experience of the exhilarating outdoors. Since the emphasis at Ski for Light is on first-time participants, much time is spent providing basic instruction and verbal guidance. On the ski trails, guides draw word pictures of the beautiful outdoors while keeping participants on track.

Wish List

Among its development goals, Ski for Light Funds is seeking funding for: partial scholarships for low-income visually and mobility impaired individuals; the recruitment and training of instructor guides; braille and audio instructional materials; and ski equipment for beginners.

Ski for Light, Inc.
1455 West Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: 612-827-3232
Email: info@sfl.org
Web: http://www.sfl.org

If you send and receive a lot of instant messages (IMs), emails and text messages or if you visit chat rooms, message boards or discussion boards on a regular basis, this tip is just for you! When you're dealing with those kinds of things, you may not realize how much Internet shorthand is going on, but it's everywhere these days. And if you are not up to par on your shorthand game, you could get lost in all the madness. At the same time, you may not be able to be a part of the action or excitement if you don't know the shorthand lingo.

Let's go over the most popular shorthand words that you may come across from time to time. If you use any of the things I mentioned above, you will really benefit from this! Plus, using Internet shorthand can save you time, it's a lot of fun to do and you still get the same point across without using up so much time and space. Chat Room and Internet Shorthand

The most common and easy ones to remember are:

• BRB = Be Right Back
  
• Thx = Thanks
  
• TLC = Tender Love and Care
  
• ILU = I Love You
  
• XOXO = Hugs and Kisses
  
• NM = Nevermind
  
• TTYL = Talk To You Later
  
• LOL = Laugh Out Loud
  
• ROTFL = Rolling On The Floor Laughing
  
• 2moro = Tomorrow
  
• 2nite = Tonight
  
• BTW = By the Way
  
• B4N = Bye For Now
  
• BCNU = Be Seeing You
  
• BFF = Best Friends Forever

These are the most common and easy ones to remember:

• C - P = Sleepy
  
• BB = Be Back
  
• AAMOF = As A Matter Of Fact
  
• ASAP = As Soon As Possible
  
• Gratz = Congratulations

You can also use this link to receive the latest and up to date shorthand terms as they become available.

Now that you know that with shorthand, you can use less space, you can save yourself some time and maybe even some money on all your text messages, what are you waiting for? Go and use some shorthand today. B4N transL8it!

From the site:

"transl8it is simple to use. Just type in your SMS, text, emoticon, smiley, slang or chat room lingo and let transL8it! convert it to plain English -- OR -- type in your phrase in English and convert it to SMS TXT lingo slang!"

Click this link to visit transl8it.com.

In the August issue of the “FS Cast” podcast, Freedom Scientific announced the soon-to-be expected availability of JAWS 10 public beta. They also demoed many of the new features, like the automatic forms mode switching. They also mentioned that they improved Firefox support a lot and that the web should feel transparent now regardless of which of the supported browsers the customer would be using: IE or Firefox. ARIA support, also with an emphasis on live regions, was mentioned, too.

The public beta was released on August 25, and I took it for a test ride. Here’s what I found:

In general, the display of static pages has improved quite significantly over previous versions of JAWS. Especially text being run together with certain HTML constructs is no longer an issue. Missing line breaks are a thing of the past now, too. This makes the over-all reading experience much more pleasant.

One big plus I also noticed is that, when you open a link and then later return from the newly loaded page using Alt+LeftArrow, JAWS correctly sets the virtual cursor to the link you activated. It used to put the virtual cursor at the top of the page.

The automatic forms mode switching works on textboxes and textareas, but Alt+DownArrow on a combobox does not pop into forms mode and open the listbox yet, as was demonstrated in the podcast using IE.

Speaking of listboxes: JAWS 10, unlike 9, shows all items in an HTML listbox (a select with size greater 1). It used to only show the selected entry. In IE, it still does that, but in Firefox, it dumps all the items into the virtual buffer. If you have a list of over 100 items, this can become very annoying.

In terms of ARIA support, there are clear signs that work has been done on this front. For one thing, JAWS now honors the ARIA role of “application”, which means it does not go into virtual PC cursor mode on such pages or in properly marked-up web application environments. An example can be seen here.

Also, live region updates are nicely read on this page.

However, there are also still quite some areas where both ARIA support in general and live region support in particular should be improved before final release. Here are some points where I am still seeing problems:

• While the live region support works great on the above page, it does not work at all in the ChatZilla Firefox extension. ChatZilla uses an HTML table with role of “log”, and both “polite” and “assertive” live regions. JAWS currently runs all the text inside this table together in one big string, without line breaks. Also, markup such as links inside these chat output messages is completely ignored. While JAWS 9 didn’t support live regions yet, it did properly format the output into a very readable form. As a plus: Updates to the view are now automatically picked up, which was not the case in JAWS 9. There, you had to constantly refresh the virtual buffer to see the newest messages.
• Live Region support in Google Talk, as I describe in my ARIA in GMail
  #2 post, is flaky. Sometimes new text that comes in gets spoken, sometimes it doesn’t. I haven’t found a consistent pattern yet. Also, the chat window still needs to be popped out into its own window, as also was the case in JAWS 9, to be able to read it at all.
• Speaking of Google Talk: The ARIA list of contacts behaves inconsistently with Forms Mode. It has a tendency to unexpectedly pop out of forms mode when you arrow from one list item to another. In addition, Enter does not yet work to open a chat or new e-mail message, depending on whether the contact is available for a chat or not. Forms Mode is instead turned off, and the virtual cursor lands somewhere unpredictable, preferably at the very bottom of the virtual buffer.
• A similar unexpected leaving of forms mode can be observed in this
  Dojo treeView test example. Focusing the tree view, turning on forms mode, and arrowing among the items, opening and closing them works in the downward direction. However, as soon as I go from “Africa” back up to the root element “Continents”, forms mode is popped off.
• One other problem I discovered was that alert messages have a tendency to get out of sync. I was trying out my example from Easy ARIA tip #3. I called up that page directly after I had started Firefox. Upon launch of Firefox, WebVisum told me that I was now logged in, via an alert. When I then triggered my first alert from the sample page, the “You are now logged into WebVisum” message was repeated. Consequently, all subsequent triggers of alerts would then speak the previous alert message instead of the current one.

In summary, there are clear advancements visible in JAWS 10 with regards to support of Firefox 3. Especially the more readable flow of text and the fact that you always return to the same spot when going back a page are big plus points. However, while there are also advancements visible in the ARIA and live region support, for a public beta after as long a development cycle as was mentioned in the podcast, I would have expected a much more polished first beta.

Having said that, it must not be forgotten that this is still beta software. All above issues were reported to Freedom Scientific prior to publishing this blog post, and the Mozilla accessibility team will work with the developers at FS to resolve these issues.

For the next public beta release of JAWS 10, I am planning an ARIA shootout among all screen readers across all platforms that support ARIA already. So stay tuned!

In Firefox and OS X’s VoiceOver … Reading the Magic 8 Ball Aaron Leventhal details the barriers faced in getting the Firefox browser to work with VoiceOver (Apples built in screen reader). (more…)

Marco has announced an exciting position at Mozilla for an accessibility developer. A key part of the skills being sought for are Mac experience and this follows Aaron's recent post about how to improve Firefox accessibility on Apple's platform.

It's a wonderful opportunity to join a friendly dynamic team who are working at the heart of making the web accessible to all.

If only I'd done more dev with Macs than play with Smalltalk on a Mac classic many years ago.