SUGGESTED RESOURCES

Disclaimer: Reference in this web site to any specific commercial products, process, or services or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the AIM Library, Carroll Center for the Blind or the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

BRAILLE
American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has specialized instructional and educational materials, talking software & products for blind and visually impaired students. www.aph.org

Ann Morris Enterprises. Find Braille products, talking clocks, canes as well as low vision aids & products for the visually impaired.www.annmorris.com

Braille Authority of North America (BANA). The mission of BANA is to assure literacy for tactile readers through the standardization of braille and/or tactile graphics. BANA's purpose is to promote and to facilitate the uses, teaching and production of braille. It publishes rules, interprets and renders opinions pertaining to braille in all existing and future codes. http://www.brailleauthority.org

Brailleink is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the experience of reading by providing materials with both print and Braille. http://www.brailleink.org/

Braille Plus, Inc. Braille Printing, Large Print, Audio Tape,and Braille Transcription Services www.brailleplus.net

Braille Stone is a company devoted to designing mass-produced Braille jewelry as a way to raise awareness about Braille literacy while offering fashionable, affordable Braille jewelry for blind and sighted people. http://www.braillestone.com

Braille Through Remote Learning is an online instructional program that provides teachers, parents, social workers, and current/future braille transcribers with a series of three integrated online courses in braille and braille transcribing. http://www.brl.org

BrailleSurf 4 is an Internet browser for visually impaired users, which allows a simplified reading of the information available on the Web. BrailleSurf 4 shows this information in a text form. This information can then be displayed on a braille bar, or it can be spoken out by a speech synthesiser thanks to appropriate drivers. The text can also be presented on the screen according to the needs of partially sighted people. http://www.snv.jussieu.fr/inova/bs4/uk/

Duxbury Systems leads the world in software for braille with Windows, Macintosh, DOS, and UNIX programs. Our flagship products, the Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) and MegaDots, are used by virtually all of the world's leading braille publishers. http://www.duxburysystems.com

Enabling Technologies designs, manufactures, and supports the most popular Braille embossers in the world from their plant and headquarters in Jensen Beach, Florida. http://www.brailler.com

International Electronic Braille Book Library (International Braille Research Center) http://www.braille.org/braille_books/#index

Louis Database. The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) currently houses a database called the Louis Database of Accessible Materials for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired. Louis contains information about tens of thousands of titles of accessible materials, including braille, large print, sound recordings, and computer files from over 170 agencies throughout the United States. Phone 800-223-1839 and ask for the Louis database. www.aph.org/louis.htm

MaxiAids. Offers products for independent living for the blind, visually impaired, deaf or hearing impaired. Braille maps of North America, Europe, and the United States also available. www.maxiaids.com

National Braille Association (NBA). Membership organization of certified Braille transcribers www.members.aol.co/nbaoffice/

National Braille Press. Competitively priced braille books. Includes computer publications, Cooking, health, self-help, self-defense, home & crafts, education, print/braille books, Harry Potter, children's literature, braille instruction, popular Literature, poetry & magazines. In addition to braille, some products are available in PortaBook®, cassette, disk, and print/large print formats. www.nbp.org

Resources for Parents & Teachers of Blind Kids http://home.earthlink.net/~deedaze/braille.html

Seedlings Braille Books for Children is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to providing high quality, low-cost Braille books for children. www.seedlings.org

TechAdapt provides accessible media services including NIMAS conversion, Braille, DAISY, audio, and e-text, making print and electronic materials accessible to everyone worldwide. www.techadapt.com

BRAILLE MUSIC
Braille Music Code 1997 Here is the table of contents to the 1997 Braille Music Code. Enter on any chapter and read the text of that chapter. www.brl.org/music/

Dancing Dots Products include CakeTalking for SONAR, Sibelius Speaking for Sibelius, and GOODFEEL, which converts MIDI and Lime files into braille music. They also offer braille music courses.

Music Notation - Common music notation and Computers: Music Braille Lots of info. Check it out.

Opus Technologies Home Page Develops and sells software, print, and braille materials for learning and using braille, especially braille music. Based in San Diego, California www.opustec.com

Resources for Parents & Teachers of Blind Kids http://home.earthlink.net/~deedaze/braille.html

LARGE PRINT
American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has specialized instructional and educational materials, talking software & products for blind and visually impaired students. www.aph.org

Ann Morris Enterprises. Low vision aids & products for the visually impaired. www.annmorris.com

Blind Reader’s Page – A complete directory of Large Print books & Serials http://blindreaders.info/lpbooks.html

Book Share. Thousands of new books are available for download by members in accessible digital formats. Complete access to the collection is available to individuals with visual, reading or other print disabilities. http://www.bookshare.org

Independent Living Aids, Inc.. Provides access to printed material with a large selection of reading aids & large print books. http://www.independentliving.com/departments.asp?dept=207

Large Print Books.com – Large selection of large print books (fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, health etc.) http://www.largeprintbooks.com/

Library Reproduction Service is an on-line resource for purchasing enlarged textbooks. www.lrs-largeprint.com/

Random House Large Print. Offers a large selection of books in Large Print Format http://www.randomhouse.com/largeprint/

Thorndike Press. One of the worlds leading publishers of Large Print books www.gale.com/thorndike/

AUDIO
Ann Morris Enterprises. Find Braille products, talking clocks, canes as well as low vision aids & products for the visually impaired. www.annmorris.com

Audio Universe. Currently has 15,000+ Audiobooks for sale, Which can be searched by title, author, or category. Offers discounts of up to 60%. www.audiouniverse.com

Cassettes.com Audiobooks, CD's, videos, DVDs and software. Includes materials in such categories as self-development and computers.

Jiggerbug - An online audio book rental service www.jiggerbug.com

LDS Audio. A company and a website dedicated to providing state-of-the-art solutions for publishing and distributing the best of LDS audio books, talks, and music. www.ldsaudio.com

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) is the nation's educational library for people with print disabilities. They have a 77,000-title library of taped textbooks, reference and professional materials for people who cannot read standard print because of a disability. http://www.rfbd.org

Resources for Parents & Teachers of Blind Kids http://home.earthlink.net/~deedaze/braille.html

Talking Pages is a non-profit web-based free audio lending library for those who are blind or visually impaired. www.talkingpages.org

TECHNOLOGY
Adaptive Technology Consulting - www.adaptivetech.net

American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has specialized instructional and educational materials, talking software & products for blind and visually impaired students. www.aph.org

Assistive Technology Industry Association facilitates education and awareness of Assistive Technology for people with disabilities of all types, worldwide.http://www.atia.org

Bibliomania - Free Online Literature and Study Guides www.bibliomania.com

Book Share. Thousands of new books are available for download by members in accessible digital formats. Complete access to the collection is available to individuals with visual, reading or other print disabilities.http://www.bookshare.org

Carroll Center for the Blind is a private, non-profit agency which serves persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. www.carroll.org

Descriptive Video Service makes television and movies more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. www.wgbh.org/access

Enabling Technologies designs, manufactures, and supports the most popular Braille embossers in the world from their plant and headquarters in Jensen Beach, Florida. http://www.brailler.com

Lighthouse is a resource for information on visual impairments, optical devices and adaptive products. www.lighthouse.org

Microsoft Reader eBook viewer offers the pleasure of reading enhanced by the benefits of technology. http://www.microsoft.com/reader/

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. www.gutenburg.net

Repro - Tronics is the designer and manufacturer of the Tactile Image Enhancer, Flexi - Paper tactile imaging paper, the Thermo Pen II, and Tactile AudioGRAPHICS. These products are designed to assist blind and visually impaired individuals in the creation and understanding of tactile graphic images. Explore this site and gain an understanding of how each of these unique products can assist in deciphering and designing tactile images. http://www.repro-tronics.com

Resources for Parents & Teachers of Blind Kids http://home.earthlink.net/~deedaze/braille.html

Wired For Books Listen to famous, and not so famous, people read calssic literature, kids stories and poetry.In order to use this site you need to have RealPlayer which is a free download, linked to their website. www.wiredforbooks.org

World eBook Library Consortia. The world's largest digital archive of PDF eBooks and eDocuments. http://worldlibrary.net

MASSACHUSETTS Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Association of Approved Private Schools (MAAPS) www.spedschools.com
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). http://www.DOE.mass.edu/mcas/
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education http://www.DOE.mass.edu/
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educational Technology http://www.DOE.mass.edu/edtech/
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education , National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) http://www.DOE.mass.edu/edtech/assistive/nimas.html
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Program Quality Assurance Services (PQA) compliance monitoring http://www.DOE.mass.edu/pqa/
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Special Education http://www.DOE.mass.edu/sped/general.html
Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives (MOEC) www.DOE.mass.edu/moec/default.html
Massachusetts School Districts http://profiles.DOE.mass.edu/

MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES
ACCEPT ( Metrowest Educational Collaborative) – www.accept.org
Assabet Valley Collaborative 1-508-485-9430
Bi-County Collaborative – www.bicounty.org/high.html
Blackstone Valley Collaborative 1-508-634-1581
Cape Cod Collaborative – www.cccollaborative.org
CAPS Collaborative 1-978-632-2208
Carroll Center for the Blind - www.carroll.org
CASE Collaborative (Concord area) – www.colonial.net/progweb/caseweb/index.html
Central Mass. SPED Collaborative – www.cmsec.org
CHARMS Collaborative (Stoughton) – www.charmscollaborative.org
Coastal Educational Collaborative 1-978-463-5933
Education Collaborative for Greater Boston (EDCO) – www.edcollab.org
FLLAC Collaborative (Fitchburg, Leominster, Ayer.) – www.fllac.org
Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative (GLEC) - www.glec.org
Hampshire Education Collaborative (HEC) – www.collaborative.org
LABBB Collaborative (Lexington, Arlington, Burlington, Bedford, and Belmont) – www.labbb.com
Lowell Association for the Blind - www.lowellassociationfortheblind.org/
Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (LPVEC) – www.lpvec.org
Merrimack Educational Collaborative – www.mec.edu
NEED Collaborative (Truro) 1-508-349-3475
New England Center Deafblind Project - www.necdbp.org
Northeast Vision Consultants 1-781-784-0642
North River Collaborative – www.northrivercollaborative.org
North Shore Educational Consortium 1-978-595-9800
Perkins Outreach 1-508-771-2101
Perkins School for the Blind - www.perkins.org
Pilgrim Area Collaborative (PAC) – www.pilgrimac.org
Project SPOKE Collaborative (Norton) 1-508-339-3715
READS Collaborative (Middleboro) - www.readscollab.org
SEEM Collaborative 1-781-581-5326 – www.seemcollaborative.org
Shore Educational Collaborative – www.shorecollaborative.org
South Coast Educational Collaborative – www.scecoll.org
South Shore Educational Collaborative (Hingham) – www.ssec.org
Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC) – www.smeccollaborative.com
Southeastern Worcester County Educational Collaborative 1-508-764-2724
The Education Cooperative (TEC) www.tec-coop.org
Worcester Educational Collaborative 1-508-987-8312

SPECIALIZED EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS
Please see Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Website – 10 Step Guide (Link Forthcoming)

SCHOLASTIC APPTITUDE TEST (SAT) / PRELIMINARY SCHOLASTIC APPTITUDE TEST (PSAT)
The College Board is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations on SAT, Advanced Placement Program Tests (AP) , and PSAT/NMSQT tests. http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/prof/index.html

MASSACHUSETTS RESOURCE/SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
Association of Massachusetts Educators of Students with Visual Impairments (AMESVI) is an organization of educators, administrators and others concerned with the education of Massachusetts’s children with visual impairments. http://amesvi.tripod.com/

Bay State Council for the Blind(BSCB) is an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind in Massachusetts. www.acb.org/baystate/

Carroll Center for the Blind is a private, non-profit agency which serves persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. www.carroll.org

Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). Founded in 1984, CAST is an educational, not-for-profit organization that uses technology to expand opportunities for all people, including those with disabilities. http://www.cast.org/

Massachusetts Association for the Blind(MAB) is a social service organization serving children and adults with visual disabilities. www.mablind.org

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) is a commission, under the Executive Office of Human Services, which serves as the principal agency in the state on behalf of blind and visually impaired. www.magnet.state.ma.us/mcb

Northeast Regional Center for Visual Education (NERVE) The University of Massachusetts TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired) program webpage. http://www.nercve.umb.edu/index.php?page=tviprogram

NATIONAL RESOURCE/SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) is a network of community-based Resource Centers, Developers and Vendors, Affiliates, and Associates dedicated to providing information and support services to children and adults with disabilities, and increasing their use of standard, assistive, and information technologies. http://www.ataccess.org/

American Council of the Blind (ACB) Membership organization of persons who are blind & parents of children who are blind or visually impaired. www.acb.org

American Foundation for the Blind(AFB) A nonprofit organization founded in 1921 and recognized as Helen Keller's cause in the United States, the AFB is a leading national resource for people who are blind or visually impaired, the organizations that serve them, and the general public. The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives. http://www.afb.org

Assistive Technology Industry Association facilitates education and awareness of Assistive Technology for people with disabilities of all types, worldwide.http://www.atia.org

Association for the Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired (AER-BVI) Organization of educators & rehabilitation professionals who work with individuals who are blind or visually impaired. www.aerbvi.org

Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Communicative Diseases (DCDD) is dedicated to improving the education of children with communicative disabilities or blind and visually impaired. www.cec.sped.org/dv/#7

DisabledOnline offers something for everyone, including: news stories, message boards, disabled topics, chat rooms and products that can benefit the disabled community. http://www.disabledonline.com

Guiding Eyes for the Blind is dedicated to enriching the lives of blind and visually impaired men and women by providing them with the freedom to travel safely, thereby assuring greater independence, dignity and new horizons of opportunity. http://www.guiding-eyes.org

Hadley School for the Blind . International distance educational school providing training for blind persons and their families. www.hadley-school.org

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. National organization to assist individuals who are deaf-blind. www.helenkeller.org

International Braille Research Center (International Electronic Braille Book Library) http://www.braille.org/braille_books/#index

Lions Club 1.3 million Lions Club members in over 200 countries answer the needs that challenge communities of the world such as blindness, drug abuse & diabetes awareness. www.lionsclubs.org

Maryland School for the Blind A private, non-profit school servicing children from infancy to age 21 who are blind, visually impaired &anp; multiply disabled. www.mdschblind.org

National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired, Inc. (NAPVI). Membership organization of parents of children who are visually impaired www.spedex.com/NAPVI

National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS). Serves as a national clearinghouse of resources & expertise related to nonvisual scientific exploration www.blindscience.org

National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities (NCLID). Their goal is to increase the nation’s capacity to provide educational and support services to infants, children, and youths with deafness, blindness, and severe disabilities by developing a comprehensive, integrated, online system that prepares teachers, supports families and assists schools. nclid.unco.edu/

National Federation for the Blind(NFB) is a national resource organization dedicated to creating opportunity for all blind persons. www.nfb.org

National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (NLS). Federal agency which provides library service for persons who are blind or physically handicapped. www.LCweb.loc.gov/nls/nls.html

Resources for Parents & Teachers of Blind Kids http://home.earthlink.net/~deedaze/braille.html

Texas School for the Blind – Center for educational services for all blind & visually impaired students in the state of Texas. www.tsbvi.edu

United States Association of Blind Athletes is an organization that supports community out-reaches and provides training for blind and visually impaired US athletes in multiple sports. Site contains event calendar, online newsletter, and contacts - http://www.usaba.org/

INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE/SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
DAISY Consortium is establishing the International Standard for the production, exchange, and use of the next generation of "Digital Talking Books". The DAISY Consortium is made up of organizations world-wide serving persons who are blind or print disabled. http://www.daisy.org

Hadley School for the Blind . International distance educational school providing training for blind persons and their families. www.hadley-school.org

International Braille Research Center (International Electronic Braille Book Library) http://www.braille.org/braille_books/#index

Lions Club 1.3 million Lions Club members in over 200 countries answer the needs that challenge communities of the world such as blindness, drug abuse & diabetes awareness. www.lionsclubs.org

Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) helps all blind and partially sighted people in the UK. RNIB's task is to challenge the disabling effects of sight loss by providing information and practical services to help people get on with their own lives and by working towards the prevention, cure or alleviation of sight loss. http://www.rnib.org.uk/

NATIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ACCESSIBILITY STANDARD (NIMAS) / NATIONAL INSTRUCTOINAL MATERIALS ACCESS CENTER (NIMAC)
NIMAS guides the production and electronic distribution of digital versions of textbooks and other instructional materials so they can be more easily converted into accessible formats. http://nimas.cast.org/
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=58&TopicID=255

LAW
The 1996 Chafee Amendment to the Copyright Law The text of the copyright amendment defining who can put materials into accessible formats, who is eligible to receive such specialized formats, and necessary language to be used in accessible materials. www.aph.org/louis/reposchaf.html

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) – signed in 2002, gives our schools historic educational reform http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=pb http://www.DOE.mass.edu/nclb/

Braille Literacy Bill - established rights, procedures, and standards relating to Braille instruction for elementary and secondary students who are blind. http://www.DOE.mass.edu/news/news.asp?id=1232 http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_literacy_background.asp?SnID=4604457

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - contains federal standards for special education and related services to be provided to children with disabilities throughout the U.S. http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html http://www.DOE.mass.edu/sped/IDEA2004/

PUBLISHERS
Addison-Wesley & Benjamin Cummings. Publisher of educational materials http://www.aw-bc.com/home

Allyn & Bacon / Longman. Publisher of academic and reference textbooks http://www.ablongman.com/home

Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the principal trade association of the book publishing industry. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field fiction, general non-fiction, poetry, children's literature, textbooks, reference works, Bibles and other religious books, and scientific, medical, technical, professional and scholarly books and journals. They also publish audio and video tapes, computer software, loose leaf services, electronic products and services including online databases, CD-ROM and a range of educational materials including classroom periodicals, maps, globes, filmstrips, and testing materials. http://www.publishers.org

Educator’s Publishing. Language Arts materials for elementary & secondary schools. http://www.epsbooks.com

LDS Audio
A company and a website dedicated to providing state-of-the-art solutions for publishing and distributing the best of LDS audio books, talks, and music.www.ldsaudio.com

McDougal Littell. Provides educational resources for grades 6 – 12. http://www.mcdougallittell.com

Open eBook Forum (OEBF) is an association of hardware and software companies, publishers, authors and users of electronic books and related organizations whose goals are to establish common specifications for electronic book systems, applications and products that will benefit creators of content, makers of reading systems and, most importantly, consumers, helping to catalyze the adoption of electronic books; to encourage the broad acceptance of these specifications on a worldwide basis among members of the Forum, related industries and the public; and to increase awareness and acceptance of the emerging electronic publishing industry. http://www.openebook.org

Pearson Education. Wide-ranging, globally active publisher of educational materials. www.pearsoned.com

Prentice Hall. Publisher of academic and reference textbooks http://vig.prenhall.com/

SPECIAL INTEREST / LISTSERVES
listserv@msu.edu: A list for the discussion of topics related to Orientation & Mobility. To subscribe, send an email message to listserv@msu.edu

listserv@vm1.nodak.edu: A list that deals with issues of people who are visually impaired. To subscribe, send an email message to listserv@vm1.nodak.edu

deafblnd@ukcc.uky.edu: Dual sensory impairment (deaf-blindness) discussions. To subscribe, send an email message to deafblnd@ukcc.uky.edu

lowvis@sjuvm.stjohns.edu: The clinical low vision list. To subscribe, send an email message to lowvis@sjuvm.stjohns.edu

access@hookup.net: A list dedicated to closed-captioning, audio description & other media access. To subscribe, send an email message containing the words subscribe access to access@hookup.net

maiser@fs1.sched.pitt.edu: AER listserv has legislative information/ items of interest to professionals in the blindness field. To subscribe, send the following message to maiser@fs1.sched.pitt.edu: subscribe aernet