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 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close through Thursday, February 3rd. Rated PG13. Showtimes are 12:30, 3:35, 6:35, and 9:30. Running time is 2 hours 9 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.

lions recycle

Do you have eyeglasses that you no longer use or need? The Ann Arbor (Host) Lions Club has over 25 Drop-Off Locations through out the county. Lions Club International collects an average of 4.5 millions pairs of glasses per year to send to developing countries. You can also donate prescription or regular sunglasses! Protecting one's eyes from harmful rays can prevent cataracts, which is a major cause of blindness in the world. You can learn about the science of glaucoma & other eye diseases by listening to or viewing this video that was taped here last year.

How about doing us a big favor, as well as a favor for many of our patrons who benefit from watching films with Desriptive Video Service? Check the language settings at the beginning of the DVD menu to see if there is a described narration track, or see if it says "Described Narration" on the label. Then, add a comment to this blog indicating the name of the DVD & I will add it if it's not already on this list. Described narration can be on both youth & adult DVDs. More and more films are being produced with this feature. Some of these DVDs are now available by mail to our WLBPD patrons, too!

Here's an exciting announcement from Bookshare: They now serve over 150,000 student members & have over 125,000 books in their collection. Of these, 80,000 are educational titles that continue tostream into the library from publishers, as well as hundreds of student textbook requests that are fulfilled every month!

These major milestones have been achieved a year ahead of schedule as part of the 5-year Bookshare for Education (B4E) award from the U.S. Department of Education,Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

To this end, Benetech, the parent nonprofit for Bookshare, has received a new 1-year award from OSEP for a project called Leveraging Impact Through Technology (LIT).

The National Library Service added several titles to its Native American collection, which includes works by Native American authors as well as folklore, history, mythology and fiction. Titles are for both younger & adult readers. Many are available in both our aadl and WLBPD collection or in Large Print, too. You can find items tagged as Native American in aadl's catalog. The more items tagged, the more points to score for the Summer Reading Game!

kellogg

Join the Living with Low Vision group each month at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. Each meeting features a guest speaker or an activity for individuals with low vision. The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. If you have questions, contact Gale Oren at (734) 763-9468 or goren@umich.edu.

gps

On Saturday, May 7 the BTBL Computer Club will meet to discuss using accessible GPS. Representatives from AT Guys will demonstrate some of the latest GPS receivers available today. The BTBL Computer Club meets from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm in the BTBL public service area on the first floor of the Library of Michigan across from the elevators. If you are unable to make it to Lansing for this meeting, and wish to join the discussion, you may access the BTBL Opal Online Meeting room by using this link. You may use any username you like, and leave the password field blank. If you have questions, contact Scott Norris at (517) 373-5516 or norriss5@michigan.gov.

taxes

...That hundreds of federal tax forms are available from IRS.gov for sight impaired people? One way to find the publications on the IRS site is by clicking on the word accessibility at the bottom of the IRS home page. If a physical disability prevents a taxpayer from completing their tax return, they may get assistance from an IRS office or through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). Taxpayers can call 1-800-906-9887 for more information. Publication 907 explains the tax implications of certain disabilities and other issues.

fair housing logo

The Federal Fair Housing Act protects citizens against discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, disability, familial status, religion, and sex. Housing discrimination often comes with “a smile and a handshake.” While commonly experienced, discrimination can be subtle, friendly and often difficult to pin down. The Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan works to ensure that citizens are living where they would like and not where others say they should. If you have any reason to believe that you have been the victim of housing discrimination, you can call the Fair Housing Center at (877) 979-FAIR to discuss the situation.