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Home  Chaffee Resources
Chafee Resources
Even in circumstances where a library patron qualifies for alternative formats under the Chafee Amendment, acquiring those materials can be a difficult task for librarians. Fortunately, there are several organizations that offer services to meet the accessibility needs of many individuals with print disabilities within the confines of the Chafee Amendment. Unfortunately, these services do not provide access to print materials for those individuals who may benefit from accessible print books, but who do not qualify as an individual with a print disability under federal law.
The primary nonprofit organizations tasked with providing access to print materials for individuals with disabilities include: the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, and the American Printing House for the Blind and Bookshare.org. Librarians should familiarizes themselves with these resources and the policies and procedures associated with each in order to assist in providing access to print materials for patrons.
The National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, which is a part of the Library of Congress, is a free library program for people with visual disabilities. This program offers Braille and audio materials to people with vision disabilities through postage free mail and at locations across the United States. On its website, librarians can search its library for various titles and authors.
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) offers audio recordings of print materials for people with disabilities. Anyone who is a member of the organization, and has a documented disability -- including a visual impairment, learning disability or other physical disability which makes reading standard print difficult or impossible -- is eligible to use RFB&D's audio textbooks. Members can also request textbooks to be recorded if they meet the necessary prerequisites.
The American Printing House for the Blind produces a variety of products for persons who are blind or have visual disabilities, such as Braille and large print textbooks, Braille teaching products, talking books and audio equipment. On its website, individuals can also research the services APH offers for the visually impaired, including a database that lists materials available in accessible media from organizations across North America.
Bookshare.org serves the disability community by distributing digital copies of books to its members. Unlike RFB&D and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Bookshare.org relies on volunteers to scan books, and then distributes those books digitally to its members. In doing so, Bookshare.org offers a wide variety of low cost scanned books.
Further information:
The National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped:
http://www.loc.gov/nls/
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic:
http://www.rfbd.org
American Printing House for the Blind:
http://www.aph.org
Bookshare.org:
http://www.bookshare.org
gh, llc.
http://www.ghbraille.com
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