INSIGHT

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE SPECIAL NEEDS LIBRARY OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA

The Special Needs Library of Northeast Georgia is a part of your public library and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, serving Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rabun, Stephens, Walton and White counties. We do not endorse any product or service mentioned in this newsletter.

800-531-2063, 706-613-3655

Email: specialneedslibrary@athenslibrary.org

Staff: Stacey Chandler, Lavern Gordon, Claudia Markov, Pete Hayek

APRIL 2004

New Descriptive Videos Available!!

We have just added 5 new descriptive video titles to our collection here at the Special Needs Library. They are listed below. Call for a complete listing of our descriptive videos available or if you have any questions about what descriptive videos are.

Reader Recommendation!!

One of our faithful patrons from Madison County called and highly recommended RC 55283 titled, “For the Love of Books: One Hundred Fifteen Celebrated Writers on the Books They Love Most”. This book is compiled of 115 brief essays by American, British, and Canadian writers on the books that influenced and affected them most deeply and they explain why. Call to find out more and request this book!!

NFB News

Founded in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is one of the nation’s most important and powerful membership organizations of blind persons. Its main purpose is to help blind persons realize self-confidence and self-respect and to act as a means for group self-expression by the blind by providing public education about blindness, information and referral services, scholarships, literature about blindness, aids, appliances and other adaptive equipment for the blind, advocacy services, and protection of civil rights. NFB also publishes “Braille Monitor” and the NFB-Newsline now has the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Columbus Ledger, and Macon Telegraph available. These, along with over 90 newspapers nationwide, are available to you daily by telephone. To access NFB-Newsline, dial 1-888-882-1629. The National Federation of the Blind of Florida will be having their 2004 State Convention Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31, 2004, down in Jacksonville, Florida. The registration fee is $10. The convention will include seminars on many informative topics, such as transportation, legislation, technology, guide dogs, blind seniors, and other subjects of interest relating to blindness. NFB Board Member Pam Allen, Director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind and President of the National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana, will be the National Representative there to address the convention. If you want more information about the conference or have questions, you can call 1-888-282-5972.

Reminder to Braille Readers

Just a reminder to you Braille readers out there that when ordering Braille, you need to do so through the Utah Library for the Blind. If you enter Braille requests into the KLAS system through Web OPAC, Utah will not get the order and your request will not be filled. To order Braille, call the Utah Library at 1-800-453-4293 or email at blind@utah.gov.

*Macular Degeneration*

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 65 years of age. The Wilmer Macular Degeneration Center in Maryland produces a free large print newsletter called MACFACTS. To subscribe, contact them at (410) 614-6208.

Treatment Study

A new treatment study for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is being conducted at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston with the support of the National Eye Institute and the assistance of The Foundation Fighting Blindness. If you are between 18 and 60 years of age and wish to participate, or if you wish to learn more about this study, call 1-800-683-5555.

Get the Braille Bug!!

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is launching the Braille Bug, a web site created to teach sighted children about Braille, and to encourage literacy among all children, sighted and visually impaired, in a fun environment packed with games, graphics, and activities. Check out their website at www.afb.org/braillebug/.

Gardening

Spring is upon us, so for those of you with green thumbs or not-so-green thumbs, here is a list of recommended titles selected by Reader Advisor Carol Mathews that will get you in the mood and ready to plan and grow everything from A to Z.

Bobby WorldWide Approved