WLBPD | Ann Arbor District Library

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Access Magazine from the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living

Each year the http://www.aacil.orgAnn Arbor Center for Independent Living publishes an issue of Access Magazine. This publication features stories by and about professionals and writers with disabilities, articles about helpful services at the Center for Independent Living and elsewhere in the community, and an up-to-date resource guide. The latest issue is available below in a variety of formats, including PDF, large-print word document, and mp3 audio. Back issues are available at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living website at http://www.aacil.org/access.shtml.

Reading Interest Categories from WLBPD@AADL application

A complete list of the genres available to WLBPD patrons for selection of materials is below.

Fiction

Adventure

Best Sellers
Action/Suspense
Futuristic
Politics
Sea
Spy
War
Wilderness

Animals/Nature

Birds
Cats
Dogs
Horses
Nature

Christian Fiction
Ethnic
Family

Modern
Sagas
Traditional

Historical Fiction/Foreign (specify)
Historical Fiction /U.S.

Pre-Columbian
Colonial/Revolutionary
Civil War
Frontier
Westward Expansion
19th Century
20th Century
Romance

Holidays (specify)
Humorous Fiction

WLBPD Described Videos in DVD Format

WLBPD houses an on-site collection of over Described Videos (comedy, drama, action, mystery, children, etc.). Described Videos are movies in which the visual elements are described - the action, characters, locations, costumes, and sets - without interfering with the movie's dialogue or sound effects.

To request descriptive videos, please contact WLBPD. To watch these movies and hear the descriptions, you need a standard DVD player and a television. No special feature or device is needed.

Described Video DVDs available for check-out:

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI
2012
500 DAYS OF SUMMER
21 JUMP STREET
A DOG'S PURPOSE
A MONSTER CALLS
A THOUSAND WORDS
ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
ALLEGIANT: THE DIVERGENT SERIES
ALLIED
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL
AMERICAN REUNION
ANOMALISA
ANONYMOUS
ARRIVAL
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
BAD TEACHER
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE
BEARS
BECOMING BULLETPROOF
BEST MAN HOLIDAY
BIG MOMMA: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK
BLACK MASS
BRAVE
BRIDESMAIDS
BRIDGE OF SPIES
BROOKLYN
BRUNO
BURLESQUE
BY THE SEA
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
CAPTIVE
CARS 2
CHARLIE ST. CLOUD
CHASING MAVERICKS
CHRONICLE
CINDERELLA MAN
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT
COLUMBIANA
CONCUSSION
COUPLES RETREAT
COWBOYS & ALIENS
CREED
CRIMSON PEAK
DADDY'S HOME
DEADPOOL
DEAR JOHN
DEATH AT A FUNERAL
DELIVERY MAN
DESPICABLE ME
DEVIL
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS
DISNEY-MOANA
DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
DISTRICT 9
DOCTOR STRANGE
EASY A
EAT PRAY LOVE
EDDIE THE EAGLE
EVAN ALMIGHTY
EVEREST
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME
FENCES
FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT
FLIGHT
FOOTLOOSE
FRANKENWEENIE
FREEHELD
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
FROZEN
GET HIM TO THE GREEK
GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE
GLEE: THE CONCERT
GODS OF EGYPT
GOING BLIND
GONE GIRL
GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD
GOOSEBUMPS
GRANDMA
GREEN ZONE
GROWN UPS
GUILT TRIP
HACKSAW RIDGE
HAIL, CAESAR!
HANNA
HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
HE NAMED ME MALALA
HOP
HOPE SPRINGS
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2
HOW DO YOU KNOW
HOW TO BE SINGLE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
HUGO
ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT
IDENTITY THIEF
IDES OF MARCH
INFINITELY POLAR BEAR
INSIDE MAN
IN THE HEART OF THE SEA
IN TIME
IRON MAN 2
IRRATIONAL MAN
I SAW THE LIGHT
IT'S COMPLICATED
JACK AND JILL
JACKIE
JACK REACHER
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS
JOHN CARTER
JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN
JOSEPH AND MARY
JOY
JULIE AND JULIA
JUMPING THE BROOM
JUST GO WITH IT
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER
KATY PERRY: THE MOVIE PART OF ME
KNOCKED UP
KRAMPUS
KUNG FU PANDA 3
LA LA LAND
LAND OF THE LOST
LARRY CROWNE
LEAP YEAR
LEGEND
LES MISERABLES
LIFE OF PI
LIKE CRAZY
LINCOLN
LITTLE FOCKERS
LONDON HAS FALLEN
LOOPER
LOVE HAPPENS
LOVE THE COOPERS
MARS NEEDS MOMS
MARVEL's THE AVENGERS
MEGAMIND
MEN IN BLACK 3
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL
MILES AHEAD
MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL
MONEYBALL
MONICA AND DAVID
MOONRISE KINGDOM
MORNING GLORY
MOUNT ST. HELENS: BACK FROM THE DEAD
MOUNTAINS WITHOUT BARRIERS
MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS
MUNICH
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2
MY SOUL TO TAKE
NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS
NOW YOU SEE ME
OBLIVION
OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
PAIN & GAIN
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY THE MARKED ONES
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION
PARENTAL GUIDANCE
PATRIOT'S DAY
PAUL
PEOPLE LIKE US
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGE TIDES
PERFECT PITCH
PLANET 51
PLAYING FOR KEEPS
POINT BREAK
PREMIUM RUSH
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES
PRIEST
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME
PROM
PUBLIC ENEMIES
PUSS IN BOOTS
RANGO
RED TAILS
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE
RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION
RIDE ALONG
RIDE ALONG 2
RIO
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
RISEN
RULES DON'T APPLY
SALT
SANCTUM
SAVAGES
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
SECRETARIAT
SHREK
SHREK FOREVER AFTER
SICARIO
SING
SISTERS
SKYFALL: 007
SKYLINE
SNOW FLOWER AND SECRET FAN
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN
SON OF SAUL
SOUL SURFER
SPARKLE
SPECTRE:007
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE
STEVE JOBS
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
TAKEN 2
TED
THAT'S MY BOY
THE 33
THE 5TH WAVE
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
THE ART OF GETTING BY
THE BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
THE BIG SHORT
THE BIG YEAR
THE BOUNTY HUNTER
THE BOURNE LEGACY
THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY
THE BYE BYE MAN
THE CHANGE UP
THE CHOICE
THE DESCENDANTS
THE DEVIL INSIDE
THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL
THE DICTATOR
THE DILEMMA
THE FINEST HOURS
THE FOURTH KIND
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
THE GOOD DINOSAUR
THE GREEN HORNET
THE HELP
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
THE INTERN
THE KARATE KID
THE LADY IN THE VAN
THE LAMP
THE LAST AIRBENDER
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS
THE MARTIAN
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR
THE MUPPETS
THE OTHER GUYS
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR
THE PIRATES: BAND OF MISFITS
THE PLUTO FILES
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
THE REVENANT
THE SESSIONS
THE SITTER
THE SMURFS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
THE PEANUTS MOVIE
THE THREE STOOGES
THE TOOTH FAIRY
THE TOURIST
THE TWILIGHT SERIES: BREAKING DAWN, PART 1
THE UGLY TRUTH
THE VISIT
THE VOW
THE WALK
THE WATCH
THE WOLFMAN
THE YOUNG MESSIAH
THINK LIKE A MAN
THIS IS 40
THIS MEANS WAR
THOR
TO ROME WITH LOVE
TOTAL RECALL
TOWER HEIST
TOY STORY
TOY STORY 2
TOY STORY 3
TRON: LEGACY
TRUE GRIT
UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING
UNITED 93
UP
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
WANDERLUST
WANTED
WAR HORSE
WE BOUGHT A ZOO
WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
WINNIE THE POOH
WON'T BACK DOWN
WRECK-IT RALPH
X-MEN FIRST CLASS
YOUR HIGHNESS
ZERO DARK THIRTY
ZOMBIELAND
ZOOKEEPER
ZOOLANDER NO. 2: THE MAGNUM EDITION

Services

In addition to the collections to which we provide access, the WLBPD @ AADL offers a variety of services. For more information on the services provided by AADL to all, take a look at the Services page at aadl.org.

Assistive Technologies

All internet browsers on AADL computers feature a function allowing the user to make the type larger:
Microsoft Internet Explorer Expand text size by holding down the control key and hitting the +. Or select "View" and "Text Size" from the menu bar.
Mozilla Firefox Expand text size by holding down the control key and hitting the +. Or select "View" and "Text Size" from the menu bar.
Handheld Magnifiers Each AADL information desk has a collection of magnifiers for use within the library.

Assistive Technologies Lab

In the Assistive Technology Lab on the West side of the 2nd floor of the Downtown Library, you will find the following equipment located on adjustable elevator tables:

Kurzweil 1000 scanning station Kurzweil 1000 text-to-speech software is available for use with the scanner and Braille embosser. Patrons can use this station to translate scanned and digital text to sound files or Braille with the output being a printed document or a sound file. The Braille embosser can print two-sided documents and is printed in a manner that documents can be easily bound. Patrons are encouraged to bring in their own headphones but headphones are also available for sale at the Circulation Desk.
JAWS JAWS screen reading software is available on a PC in the Assistive Technology Lab. This PC also has a Braille display unit.

In addition, all public computing stations at all AADL locations can be set to JAWS mode. Please ask Information Desk if you need assistance setting a computer to JAWS mode. Patrons are encouraged to bring in their own headphones but headphones are also available for sale at the Circulation Desks.
Closed-Circuit Reader Patrons can use a new closed-circuit television system to magnify print materials in either color or black & white mode. The CCTV is situated between the JAWS station and the Mac so that patrons may use it while also using a computer. Patrons are free to use this with personal or library materials.
Mac A Mac is available with a large monitor for ease of viewing.

Assistive Technology Training

One-on-one assistive technology training is available in the Assistive Technology Lab on both a walk-in basis at the Downtown AADL on Tuesdays from 2-6pm, and also by appointment by calling (734) 327-4224.

Available Items

Click on a link below, or scroll down, to view available materials and services available to WLBPD@AADL patrons:

WLBPD Materials

WLBPD Equipment

Other Materials & Services

Please note: All Washtenaw County residents who are eligible for WLBPD service, as well as those living in the same household, are also eligible for Ann Arbor District Library >a href="/aboutus/librarycards">borrowing privileges.

WLBPD Materials

The following materials are available for use for free by WLBPD@AADL patrons. Contact WLBPD directly at (734) 327-4224, or email wlbpd@aadl.org, to request any of the following materials:

Audio Books in Digital Format: Digital "talking" Book cartridges, or DB, are a USB storage device housed in a plastic easy to handle casing. The check-out period for DB is 4 weeks. No fines are assessed for overdue DB. To search for available titles in DB format, check out these Online Catalogs.
BARD: WLBPD patrons are encouraged to download books from BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download). There you will find tens of thousands of books to choose from and dozens of magazines too! Click here for more information about accessing BARD.
Large Print Books-by-Mail: AADL circulates over 4,000 titles in Large Print in all areas of fiction and non-fiction. With an AADL card, all WLBPD patrons are also eligible to receive Large Print Books-by-Mail sent to them from the AADL collection. Check our catalog to search for specific books or view all of our Large Print titles. You can also browse the Large Print titles specifically for children and teens. The check-out period for Large Print Books is 4 weeks. Click here for more information about the WLBPD Large Print Books-by-Mail service.
Books in Braille: Contact (734) 327-4224, or email wlbpd@aadl.org, for more information about accessing Braille books.
Described Videos: Described Videos, or DV, are movies in which the visual elements are described - the action, characters, locations, costumes, and sets - without interfering with the movie's dialogue or sound effects. For a list of all DV available in DVD format click here. To request DV, please contact WLBPD. The check-out period for DV is 4 weeks. No fines are assessed for overdue DV.
Magazines: To request magazines on digital cartridge, fill out, and return this Magazine Application Form to WLBPD or call us at (734) 327-4224. Magazines listed on this form are available only to patrons and institutions registered for service through WLBPD.
WLBPD@AADL provides materials and support to Youth and Adult book clubs: Please contact us for more information.

Library staff is pleased to select reading materials for WLBPD patrons who do not want or are unable to select their own books. Selections are made based on the reading interests of the patron.

WLBPD Equipment

Digital Talking Book Machine (DTBM): The DTBM is required to play DB. The DTBM is able to play DB in ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2002, DAISY 2.02, or CEA-2003 formats. The DTBM can play audio files stored as AMR-WB+, MPEG I/Layer 3 (MP3), and RIFF WAV formats, either as part of a talking book or as stand-alone audio files. The player is equipped with a battery which, when fully charged, will provide approximately 29 hours of play time. Further instructions on operating the DTBM may be found here.

Are you downloading books from BARD and want to load more than one book onto a cartridge or a USB thumb/flash drive? If yes, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the navigational feature referred to as "Bookshelf." DTBM "Bookshelf" instructions in audio format.

Headphones: Lightweight Headphones are available upon request.
USB Adapters: If your USB thumb/flash drive sticking out of the side of your DTBM is getting in the way, or if inserting or keeping a USB drive in the USB port is difficult, Assistive Technology Port Adapters are available at no charge. The adapters allow you to insert the USB drive at a right angle and make the USB drive flush with the side of the machine. Please contact us to request an adapter.

Other Materials & Services

If you qualify for WLBPD service, you are also eligible for all of the following free services! Verification of membership with a NLS library such as WLBPD is required. In order for us to verify your library membership with any of these services, you are required to sign a WLBPD Release of Information Form. Click here to download a release form, or call (734) 327-4224 to have one mailed to you.

See the descriptions below for links to the application for each of these services.

Braille & Talking Books for Students: For answers to frequently asked questions about Braille, talking books, and other resources for students with disabilities in Michigan, check out Braille & Talking Books for Students: A Primer for Schools & Parents.
Learning Ally® Please note, there is an annual membership fee to participate in this service. Available in every grade level and most subjects, Learning Ally's textbook and literature titles are used nationwide. In addition to the classics, Learning Ally's digital library provides current editions of state adopted texts ensuring students learn from the same versions as their classmates. For more information and to apply for service, visit the Learning Ally website, email Custserv@LearningAlly.org, or call (800) 221-4792.
Bookshare®: Offers tens of thousands of digital books, textbooks, teacher-recommended reading, periodicals, and assistive technology tools for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities. Students in grades K-12 can receive this service at no charge, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For all others, there is a one-time set-up fee and an annual membership fee to participate in this service. For more information and to apply for service, visit the Bookshare website or call (650) 352-0198.
NFB Newsline: Thanks to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), eligible individuals can subscribe to the NFB Newsline service, which provides audio access to over 250 newspapers and a number of magazines, including some in Spanish. By using a touch-tone phone, content of newspapers and magazines can be heard 24-hours a day, 7 days a week via the use of a toll-free phone number. This site will provide you with the appropriate toll-free number based upon your home telephone number. Michigan newspapers include: the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, the Flint Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, the Lansing State Journal, and the Mining Journal. National newspapers include: the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times, and USA Today. For more information and to apply for NFB Newsline service, visit the NFB Newsline website, email pmaurer@nfb.org, or call (410) 659-9314.
Bibles: Aurora Ministries provides Old & New Testament Bibles on MP3 CD's, Digital Talking Book Cartridges, or through their Online Download Library to sight-impaired and print-handicapped persons. For more information, and to apply to receive materials, visit the Aurora Ministries website, email Bibles@auroraministries.org, or call (941) 748-3031.
Radio Reading Services: There are two radio reading services in southeast Michigan that provide news and information at no charge to individuals who cannot read regular print. Both services provide special transmitters for the use of their subscribers.

WKAR Radio Talking Book in East Lansing
Email: mail@wkar.org "> Phone: (517) 432-9527
Detroit Radio Information Service (DRIS) in Detroit
Phone: (313) 577-4207

Apply for Service

Eligible individuals and/or institutions in Washtenaw County need only return a completed Application Form to WLBPD@AADL in order to become certified to receive service. You may print the Application Form from our website, pick one up at any AADL location, or contact the WLBPD@AADL at (734) 327-4224, or wlbpd@aadl.org, to have one mailed to you.

A "certifying authority" (someone other than the applicant's immediate family) must complete a portion of the application. However, in almost all cases AADL can sign an application as the certifying authority. See below for more information, or contact us if you have any questions.

Once an application is received and approved, a talking book player is mailed out and service begins. Players and materials are mailed at no charge as Free Matter for the Blind. Within a few weeks of the start of service, the applicant is contacted via telephone by a Library staff member to discuss the service and answer any questions. Library staff is available in-person, by email, and by phone, to assist patrons with learning how to operate their players and ordering materials.

Eligibility

Anyone residing in Washtenaw County who is unable to read or use standard printed materials as a result of a temporary or permanent visual or physical limitation, or who is dyslexic, is eligible for service from WLBPD@AADL.

Qualifying Disabilities

Blind: Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting glasses or the widest diameter of visual field subtending an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees.
Deaf-Blind: Severe auditory impairment in combination with legal blindness.
Visually Impaired: Lacks visual acuity to read standard printed materials without aids or devices other than regular glasses.
Physically Disabled: Unable to read or use standard printed materials as a result of physical limitations. Examples include: without arms of the use of arms; impaired or weakened muscle and nerve control; limitations resulting from strokes, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, polio, arthritis.
Reading Disabled: Organic dysfunction of sufficient severity to prevent reading printed materials in a normal manner (this disability requires the signature of a medical or osteopathic doctor as certifying authority). For an NLS factsheet on Reading Disabilities, click here.

This service is available to both individuals and/or institutions (e.g., adult foster care facilities, retirement centers, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.) who have eligible individuals among their regular clientele. Such individuals are eligible for service in the name of the institution or in her or his own name.

Service to schools is provided directly from the Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL) in Lansing. Please contact the BTBL at (800) 992-9012 if you would like to receive information on how to receive service as a school.

Who is a "certifying authority"?

In cases of blindness, visual impairment, or physical limitations, "competent authority" includes:

Doctors of medicine and osteopathy
Ophthalmologists
Optometrists
Registered nurses
Therapists
Professional staffs of hospitals, institutions, and public welfare agencies (e.g. social workers, case workers, counselors, home teachers, and superintendents)
In the absence of any of these, the form can be signed by a professional librarian or by any person whose competence under specific circumstances is acceptable to the BTBL or by NLS (Please contact WLBPD@AADL if you have questions about "certifying authority")

In the case of a reading disability from organic dysfunction, "competent authority" is defined as:

Doctors of medicine or osteopathy only, who may consult with colleagues in associated disciplines.

Resources

The Directory of Visually Impaired Services

The Directory of Visually Impaired Services has been published to create awareness of the hundreds of organizations, services, and activities that are available to those with visual impairments. The fourth issue has almost 800 listings, which are divided into 26 categories. The Directory was created for Michigan residents, but includes hundreds of resources that will benefit people across the United States and around the world.

The Bureau of Services for Blind Persons

The Bureau's Central Administrative Office and the Braille and Talking Book Library are both in Lansing. The residential BSBP Training Center is in Kalamazoo. The Bureau's Regional Offices are located in Detroit, Escanaba, Flint, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Saginaw. Click here for a full list of office contact information and a complete staff directory (alphabetical by name and then alphabetical by name at each location).

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Printable PDF

Large Print Microsoft Word Document

MP3

Fiction

Assistive Technologies

Assistive Technologies Lab

Assistive Technology Training

WLBPD Materials

WLBPD Equipment

Other Materials & Services

Eligibility

Who is a "certifying authority"?