American Council of the Blind
The Council strives to improve the well-being of all blind and visually impaired people by: serving as a representative national organization of blind people; elevating the social, economic, and cultural levels of blind people; improving educational and rehabilitation facilities and opportunities; cooperating with the public and private institutions and organizations concerned with blind services; encouraging and assisting all blind persons to develop their abilities; and conducting a public education program to promote greater understanding of blindness and the capabilities of blind people.
Washington Council of the Blind
(800) 255-1147
The American Foundation for the Blind
A non-profit organization founded in 1921 and recognized as Helen Keller's cause in the United States, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a leading national resource for people who are blind or visually impaired, the organizations that serve them, and the general public. The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives. The AFB web site includes a wide range of information on blindness, low vision, and related issues. The site also includes photographs from the Helen Keller archives.
American Printing House
The APH was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1858, making it the oldest institution of its kind in the United States. APH produces braille, large type, recorded, computer disk, and tactile graphic publications, as well as a wide assortment of educational and daily living products. APH also offers a variety of services to assist consumers and professionals in the field of vision, such as Louis, a database listing materials available in accessible media from organizations across North America. APH makes products that give blind students an equal opportunity in the classroom and blind adults an equal opportunity in the workplace.
Disabled Peoples' International
The purpose of DPI is to promote the Human Rights of People with Disabilities through full participation, equalization of opportunity, and development. This web site is a large clearinghouse for links to disability-related sites throughout the United States and the world.
EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information
This service is dedicated to disseminating up-to-date information about access to computing and information technology for persons with disabilities. EASI includes links to information on making libraries accessible and links to electronic texts on the Internet.
InfoEyes
InfoEyes is an online virtual reference and information community for the visually impaired. Questions can be asked of a librarian via email or via real time chat. The service is provided by a group of talking book libraries. Training is available on how to search the Internet.
National Braille Press
National Braille Press is a nonprofit braille printer and publisher offering braille books, magazines, textbooks, tests, and embossing services. The guiding purposes of National Braille Press are to promote the literacy of blind children through braille and to provide access to information that empowers blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community affairs.
National Federation of the Blind
The ultimate purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is the complete integration of blind individuals into society on a basis of equality. This objective involves the removal of legal, economic, and social discriminations; the education of the public to new concepts concerning blindness; and the achievement by all blind people of the right to exercise to the fullest their individual talents and capacities. It means the right of blind people to work along with their sighted neighbors in the professions, common callings, skilled trades, and regular occupations.
National Federation of the Blind of Washington
(425) 823-6380
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
NLS administers a free library program of braille and recorded materials circulated to eligible borrowers through a network of cooperating libraries.
Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL)
OPAL is a virtual meeting and convention center sponsored by the Illinois Network of Libraries Serving the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Several libraries hold online programs, events, and meetings here using software from Talking Communities. The software allows two or more people to meet in an online meeting room using Voice over IP (VoIP) with a microphone, text chat, and the sharing of web pages or presentations. OPAL allows library patrons and library staff members to participate in online library programs from work or home.
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic On-line Catalog
RFB&D is an educational library providing educational materials in recorded and computerized formats from kindergarten through postgraduate level. These materials are for all people who cannot effectively read standard print because of a visual, perceptual or other physical disability. With more than 83,000 titles, RFB&D is the number one producer in the world of audio textbooks for people who can't effectively read standard print. Both individual and institutional memberships are offered.
Trace Research and Development Center
The goal of the center is to improve the accessibility of computers and information systems to individuals with disabilities and to raise the level of information and training of the professionals in the assistive technology field. Research and development are the center's primary purposes, but it contributes to the utilization of technology in other ways, including educating the public and professionals, providing services to individuals, and fostering communication within the rehabilitation field.