movie night2

Nearly every week a newly released feature film that is described for people with visual impairments is shown at Rave Motion Pictures in Ypsilanti. This week they are showing the film Five Year Engagement through Thursday, May 17th. Rated R. Showtimes are 10:25 AM, 1:20, 4:10, 7:05, and 9:55 PM. Running time is 2 hours 4 minutes. Did you know that AADL has a very robust and ever-growing collection of Described Video Recordings in DVD format for L Card users to borrow? More and more films are being produced with this feature. Some are now available by mail to our WLBPD patrons.

teens using drugs

The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" series will resume next week on Tuesday, May 1st (part 1, "What To Know") and the following Tuesday, May 8th (part 2, "What To Do.") This free, ongoing, two-part series will be presented by jules cobb and Isaac Williamson, Dawn Farm therapists. This free, ongoing, two-part of series of Dawn Farm takes place at SJMH's Education Center. The series is co-sponsored by Dawn Farm, the Livingston/Washtenaw Safe & Drug Free Schools & Communities Act Consortium and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. All are welcome!

The next Michigan Commission for the Blind Braille and Talking Book Library Book Club meeting will be held on May 12 at 1:30 p.m. in Lansing at the Library of Michigan in the BTBL public service area located on the first floor across from the elevators. This month's book is DB73178, Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan by Del Quentin Wilber. The meeting can be attended in person or via the OPAL online meeting room. The meeting site is accessible. Individuals attending the meeting are requested to refrain from using heavily scented personal care products in order to enhance accessibility for everyone. People with disabilities requiring additional accommodations (such as materials in alternative format) in order to participate in the meeting, or those seeking more information, should call Scott Norris at (517) 373-5516 at least five business days prior to the meeting.

The next Michigan Commission for the Blind Braille and Talking Book Library Book Club meeting will be held on March 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Lansing at the Library of Michigan in the BTBL public service area located on the first floor across from the elevators. This month's book is One for the Money by Janet Evanovich, DB/RC 40224. The meeting can be attended in person or via the OPAL online meeting room. The meeting site is accessible. Individuals attending the meeting are requested to refrain from using heavily scented personal care products in order to enhance accessibility for everyone. People with disabilities requiring additional accommodations (such as materials in alternative format) in order to participate in the meeting, or those seeking more information, should call Scott Norris at (517) 373-5516 at least five business days prior to the meeting.

Eligible patrons can now download bibles from Audio Bibles for the Blind, a division of Aurora Ministries. Certification is required by completing and submitting this form. If you do not have a computer to download books to, remember our Assistive Technology Lab is here for you along with technical support.

Join service and housing providers from across the community as they discuss the current state of homelessness in Washtenaw County, the innovative partnerships that have been created to address the need, and the next steps needed to end homelessness in our community.

The Washtenaw Housing Alliance (WHA) is a unique coalition of 28 non-profit organizations that serve those experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. The WHA and its member agencies have created a collaboration that harnesses the commitment, energy and resources of a major hospital system, the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County, three major institutions of higher education, the private sector and the community at large to end homelessness in Washtenaw County. Join us Monday February 13, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm in the Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room.

dental exam

On Saturday, February 4th, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Washtenaw District Dental Society will be providing a free Dental Screening day. This is happening at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and will close after the first 100 participants have registered. Children ages 5-12 years welcome but must be accompanied by their parent or guardian.

The National Library Service is pleased to announce that starting this Monday, January 30th, books will be added to BARD as soon as they pass a quality assurance screening. This means you can expect to see new books several times a week.

To check for new books, do the following:

1. Go to BARD
2. Log into your account.
3. Follow the Recently Added Books link. This is a level 3 heading.

Books are arranged by their date of addition to BARD, with the newest first, under headings that show the date when they were added. Each date is a level 2 heading, so with most screen readers you can easily move from date to date. Book titles are level 4 headings.

Happy Reading!

Terri Wilcox is Secretary for the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan. A goal of this 50 state organization is to increase literacy among the blind, and that means Braille. Braille is literacy for the blind just as reading print constitutes literacy for sighted people. Yet only ten percent of blind children are currently being taught Braille. Join Terri at the Downtown Library on Sat., Jan. 14, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm to learn more about this initiative and the many other ways she is working to level the playing field for everyone in Michigan.