LBPD Additional Resources

LBPD Additional Resources

​​​​​​​​LBPD is committed to providing excellent service. As part of that mission, we have compiled a list of curated links that will direct patrons, parents, caregivers, and other service providers to additional resources available to the public. 


Any reference in this website to any person or organization, or activities, products, or services related to such person or organization, or any links from this website to the website of another party do not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring on the part of the Maryland State Library Agency or the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled.  

Community Partners

American Council of ​​the Blind - Maryland Chapter​

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) was founded in 1961 but many of its state affiliates and local chapters have a history that can be traced back to the 1880s. 


​​Blind Industries and Services of Maryland​ 

​Blind Industries & Services of Maryland is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing career and training resources to blind residents of Maryland.​


Department of Rehabilitation Services (DoRS)​

DORS is an agency of the Maryland State Department of Education. DORS is composed of the public vocational rehabilitation (VR) program and the Disability Determination Services.​


Maryland Accessible Telecommunications

The Maryland Accessible Telecommunicat​ions program provides Maryland residents with an opportunity to apply for free telecommunications equipment to independently make or receive calls.​ Get the telecommunications equipment needed to independently make or receive phone calls.


National Federation of the Blind - Maryland Chapter

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland is the Maryland state affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. We are changing what it means to be blind in Maryland!




Braille Instruction & Transcription

Braille Instruction


At LBPD

In partnership with Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), the library offers one-on-one Braille instruction by appointment from September – November.  Braille instructors graduate from BISM's SAIL program (Seniors Achieving Independent Living).  There is no charge for Braille class instruction or reading materials.  Classes will be one hour long and can be scheduled on weekdays between 9 am and 2 pm. For further information or to apply, please get in touch with the library!


Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Hadley is the largest provider of distance education for people who are blind or visually impaired people worldwide, serving more than 10,000 students annually in all 50 states and in 100 countries. 


Contact:

www.hadley.edu

(800) 323-4238



Braille Transcription

A Braille printer is available for patron use at the public access workstations.  This is not a commercial-grade printer and is not meant to handle large amounts of material: Patrons are limited to 20 pages of printing.   Patrons should contact a Brailling service if larger amounts are needed.  A complete list of Braille transcription services can be found in NLS's reference section.


The library uses a local father-and-son business located in Abingdon, MD:

Braille Enterprises

410-612-1252; sales@brailleenterprises.com


Computers, Free/Low Cost
Maryland Technology Assistance Program, Department of Disabilities

The Assistive Technology Loan program helps Maryland residents with disabilities and their families qualify for low-interest loans to buy equipment that will help them live, work, and learn more independently.  


Project Reboot, ​Capital PC User Group

The Capital PC User Group (CPCUG), Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization located in Rockville, Maryland, offers free, refurbished computers to disabled users.  


Phoenix Computers

The computers are redistributed at low cost to low-income and disabled individuals and families as well as non-profit, educational, religion-based, and charitable organizations that work with low and moderate-income.  


Computers for the Blind

Patrons can purchase a desktop computer for $110 or a Laptop for $130. Both computers have a choice of MAGic (for low vision magnification) or NVDA (screen reader software).  You can pay by check, money order or credit card.



eBooks & eAudiobooks

Braille Bibles for the Blind

Braille Bibles International provides Bibles in Braille to visually impaired people across the world. They provide materials to all ages, and in multiple languages. They provide the Braille Bible in both the King James and New King James Versions. They also provide a Bible Concordance, a Bible Dictionary, and the Greek New Testament.


International Children's Digital Library Foundation

The mission of the International Children's Digital Library Foundation (ICDL Foundation) is to support the world's children in becoming effective members of the global community - who exhibit tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages, and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online free of charge.


JBI International

JBI International is a non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the Jewish and general cultural needs of the visually impaired, blind, physically handicapped and reading disabled - of all ages and backgrounds - worldwide.


Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium

Many Maryland public libraries offer free access to eBooks and eAudiobooks through the Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium. Using the free OverDrive and Libby apps and a library card, library patrons can access books on their smart devices.


Learn Out Loud

Over the years, Learn Out Loud had curated a Catalog of over 50,000 of the best audiobooks, podcasts, free downloads, and videos individuals can learn from. One of the most popular sections of their site is their Free Audio & Video Directory which features over 10,000 free audiobooks, courses, documentaries, lectures, interviews, speeches, and more.


Learning Ally

Today, students with learning differences have increased rates of depression, "at-risk" behaviors, a higher likelihood of dropping out and, ultimately, higher poverty rates. Without the right support, many of these students will needlessly struggle in school and will be poorly positioned for future success. Learning Ally seeks to break this cycle of failure. We enable schools to support their struggling readers and build a strong foundation for independent, engaged learners who are empowered to achieve socially, emotionally and academically, regardless of their learning difference.


Libri Vox

LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net for free. Because the books LibriVox records are in the public domain, readers and listeners should be aware that many of them are very old, and may contain language or express notions that are antiquated at best, offending at worst.


Lit2Go

Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. An abstract, citation, playing time, and the word count is given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom.


National Federation of the Blind, Jacobus tenBroek Library (Baltimore)
The Jacobus tenBroek Library is located at the National Federation of the Blind national headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. We provide facilities for using our collections, regardless of format, by both sighted and blind readers, and we welcome researchers interested in non-medical aspects of blindness. We also welcome walk-in readers, but to maximize the benefit of visiting the library, we urge you to request an appointment or read our reading room policies for researchers.

Open Culture

Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given them great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It's all free. It's all enriching. But it's also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Their whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give individuals access to this high-quality content whenever and wherever they want it.


Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with a focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for enjoyment and education. ​

​Dyslexia Resources:

Assistive Tech for Dyslexics:


Videos:


Useful Websites:​


JAWS & BARD Tutorial Videos

JAWS Videos

BARD Instructions