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

MAY 2004

It’s Almost That Time Again!!

I cannot believe how fast summer is approaching. This also means that our Summer Reading Program will be starting soon! Our summer reading club for children ages preschool-seniors in high school will begin on June 1st. All of our younger readers should watch for a special summer reading club packet to arrive in the mail with details. We will monitor your reading through the months of June, July and August. You will be rewarded with a gift for reading 12 or more books throughout the summer. We also encourage you to join your local libraries for their summer reading programs. There will be more details in June’s newsletter about upcoming programs in the Athens Regional Library Children’s Area. If you have any questions about the summer reading program, call us here at the Special Needs Library.

Grand Canyon Women

NLS is pleased to announce that a new book, Grand Canyon Women (recorded by the Arizona State Braille and Talking Book Library volunteers) has been added to the collection through the MSCE Quality Assurance Program. Grand Canyon Women tells the humorous and heartbreaking stories of eighteen remarkable women-river runners, scientists, wranglers, architects, rangers, hikers, and housewives-each of whom, in the midst of nature’s indiscriminate universe, discovers her identity. If this sounds like something you would like to check out, call us here at the Special Needs Library.

Vision Loss

Our patrons suffer from a variety of visual problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. A leading supplier of aids to cope with the resulting problems is Optelec. Optelec is a leading manufacture and distributor of magnification products, many of which are moderately priced. Big button telephones, talking watches, magnifiers for the computer screen and large print keyboards are only a few of the vision aids available. For more information and a free catalog call 1-800-684-7466.

Service Animals

Under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. ADA Business Brief: Service Animals is a one page fact sheet that explains the rights and responsibilities of businesses with respect to service animals. Call 800-514-0301 for your free copy.

Interesting Website

Check out a disability etiquette booklet online at: www.unitedspinal.org or call 1-800-444-0120 for copies of the booklet.

Eye Health Organization

Check out the following website: www.nei.nih.gov/health/resourcesearch.asp. It’s the Eye Health Organizations Database. The database is a comprehensive listing of organizations that can help with specific eye conditions.

Braille Readers

For the interest of our Braille readers, one of our patrons has compiled a consumer Braille user survey to get an idea of what types of information Braille readers would like to see transcribed in Braille. For a copy of the survey or if you have more questions, contact Deb Weiner at (770) 448-4113 ext. 201.

Christiansen Designs

Christiansen Designs, the developer of the first line of Braille jewelry, has created a Stars and Stripes American Flag pin with the U.S.A. in Braille. For more information on this and other pieces email kim.christiansen@valley.net or visit www.braillejewelry.com

Books about the Bible

Below are titles of books covering what materials we have available on the Bible, other than the scriptures themselves. To order any of these titles, contact the Special Needs Library by email, mail or phone.

Bobby WorldWide Approved