Something worth a look...

 

I found a free eBook, talking book, braille and large print format through the library of Congress and the State called BARD...

I have been using this service for sometime and it is absolutely something else and the CS is phenomenal...

IIRC there are 2,750,000 titles available..

if it's printed matter you can get to it...

lots of ways to get there too...

BARD Mobile for iOS devices - access braille and talking books from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

BARD Mobile for Android - access talking books from your Android smartphone or tablet.

BARD Mobile for Kindle - access talking books on your Amazon Kindle.

and your LT/PC or the USPS....

there are restrictions though and criteria to be met..... FWTW...

 

BARD is a free library service of recorded and braille books and magazines for residents of the United States and to American citizens abroad who are unable to read or use standard printed material because of visual or physical disabilities. BARD is provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, in cooperation with a network of regional and subregional libraries.

 

want to explore the details...

http://loc.gov/nls/bardnls/index.html

 

for your state, web search - BARD: Braille and Audio Reading Download...

 

For support, you can e-mail NLSDownload@loc.gov.

Ok Stick, I am going to ask a question that the answer is more than likely to obvious to most, but being as you are new here and we are getting to know each other, I take it you are sight impaired? And if so, how do you navigate The Patriot Woodworker? Through text and audio recognition software?

Thanks Stick

Thanks for that information, Stick! I know there are several free "screen readers" but this service goes beyond that.

6 hours ago, John Morris said:

Ok Stick, I am going to ask a question that the answer is more than likely to obvious to most, but being as you are new here and we are getting to know each other, I take it you are sight impaired? And if so, how do you navigate The Patriot Woodworker? Through text and audio recognition software?

Thanks Stick

 

last year (or was it the year before) I had a stress/environment related stroke and one of the side affects was Optic nerve atrophy (no repair) in only one eye..

vision from better than 20/10 to 20/800 in zero to nothing in the wink of an eye...

vision in the other eye is still great...

 

the paper work for BARD is 4 pages... (all in large print)..

2 welcome, this BARD..

½ personal..

1 preferences...

½ medical...

when you read the paper work the requirements to meet qualifying for BARD are very very lenient...

did I mention VERY VERY lenient???

 

BARD takes special equipment and is loaned to you indefinitely...

everything done through the mail is postage free both ways..

there is something for everybuddy's tastes and like...

you like to read... fine..

you want knowledge.. good there too...

the list of what's available to you is unreal..

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the information Stick, and let us know if our community here is friendly to site challenged. We came from another type of software a few years back, and one of the reasons I chose this software was it's claim to be friendly to reading machines for the visually impaired, and my main concern was to have a place where visually impaired veterans, or anyone for that matter, could use our community with relative ease.

Now I am heading over to BARD to see what it's all about, thanks again Stick for your patient explanation and educational response.

 

Stick, I didn't know about that and I'm sorry to hear it. Thanks for sharing the information on BARD.

 

Steve

For Microsoft Windows users that also use Microsoft Office 10, or higher, you can download a free copy of "Windows-Eyes". The retail price of this software is $895.

 

This software is a very powerful screen reader- but much more.

 

Here's a link-http://www.windoweyesforoffice.com/index.php?lang=en-US

28 minutes ago, lew said:

For Microsoft Windows users that also use Microsoft Office 10, or higher, you can download a free copy of "Windows-Eyes". The retail price of this software is $895.

 

This software is a very powerful screen reader- but much more.

 

Here's a link-http://www.windoweyesforoffice.com/index.php?lang=en-US

Hey Lew, why is it free? Thanks.

2 hours ago, Steve Krumanaker said:

Stick, I didn't know about that and I'm sorry to hear it. Thanks for sharing the information on BARD.

 

Steve

me too.... but what the hey...

and yur welcome...

37 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Hey Lew, why is it free? Thanks.

The company that produces it struck up a deal with Microsoft. Not sure of all the details.

1 hour ago, lew said:

The company that produces it struck up a deal with Microsoft. Not sure of all the details.

Waay cool, thanks.

I, too, have the BARD system for my 95 year old mother. She can still see, but is impaired to the point that she can't read without a magnifying glass.

 

I'll agree with Sticks assessment;

*great customer service,

*equipment (player and headphones) are provided on loan for free, AC powered, or up to 29-30 hours of play via a in-unit rechargeable battery,

*Order up to three books at a time loaded onto a reader specific cartridge (shipping to and from is zero cost), OR

*download a book (s) onto a 8 gig max thumb drive and just plug it in.

*any and all subject interests are available, including; magazines and some foreign language titles

*application process is VERY painless. I does require a professionals signature to attest that you are sight or mobility impaired. This can be anyone from a physician to a physical therapist.

 

I get a catalog every couple of months with the newest available titles. In addition: you can download and play the audio books on your computer or download them to a smart phone for mobile listening. I have even used a patch cord, between the player and the AUX input on the car radio to play through the cars' radio for a long trip.

 

If you or someone else in your family is impaired and loves to "read" then you should be taking advantage of this service. Just follow the links that Stick provided.

 

On 8/19/2016 at 6:09 PM, John Morris said:

Waay cool, thanks.

anything having to do w/ Micr9oshid worries me...

they not only have an angle to get into my wallet but they want the wallet too...

41 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

anything having to do w/ Micr9oshid worries me...

Agreed..

Unfortunately that leaves Linux and Apple. Linux, being open source, of course is free but still lacks acceptance into the business market and a wide range of integrated applications. The Apple market is superior in the graphics world but still falls behind in the business market.

The development of integrated applications is still in Windows favor. With the release of W10, Microsoft gained additional users. It remains to be seen what will happen next with their plan for "OS as a Service". That could be the factor that swings users to one of the other 2 operating systems.