Communications program
One of the greatest challenges people face when they experience vision loss is a feeling of isolation. Not only are they restricted in moving about their community, they are challenged to access their regular communication resources such as books, magazines, newspapers etc. The Sight Center is committed to working with people who are blind and visually impaired to ensure that they can remain active and informed.
Some communication resources that may be of help include:
- Ohio Telephone Reader — OTR allows users to access dozens of newspapers from across the state and hear readings of their favorite publications over the telephone anytime they find convenient. The Ohio Telephone Reader is made possible in cooperation with the eTech Ohio Commission
- National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped offers a program that loans accessible reading material to people who qualify for free. The Talking Books program is part of a national network of participating libraries that loans books and magazines read on cassettes as well as the necessary audio equipment. All materials are delivered directly to your door. To find out more about this program including participating libraries and a list of available books and magazines visit http://www.loc.gov/nls/ or call (202) 707-5100; Toll-Free: 1-888-NLS-READ; to connect to a local library call 1-888-657-7323.
- Descriptive Videos Service — WGBH in Boston understands that blind, or visually impaired like to watch television as much as anyone else. So, they invented TV captioning and video descriptions. Check out the following website to access this valuable service, wgbh.com
- Braille Translation Services — The Sight Center will translate your printed material into Braille, whether it’s a personal letter, greeting card, meeting minutes or other important paperwork. Please note that the fee for this service is based on the amount of material to be printed in Braille. To find out more about this service contact: Rebecca Lugo at 419-720-EYES (3937) or rlugo@sightcentertoledo.org
