Blog Posts by Subject: Disabilities and Accessibility

Shortly after landing in New York City from Greece, Fotis Flevotomos walked into Mid-Manhattan Library on June 11, 2011. As Brigid Cahalan, The New York Public Library's Outreach Coordinator, was showing him the space in the Corner Room where his art would adorn the shelves from June 11 through June 23, I was staffing the Popular Library Desk and thought that he must have been jet-lagged — if he was, that didn't stop him from installing all of his pieces that day. Flevotomos's art was on display as part of the Low Vision and Blindness Resource Day.

a sampling of digital booksA good biography is like a good novel. It can transport you to a different place and a different time, and inspire the imagination. But what has always appealed to me about biographies is that they could put me into someone else's head, letting me vicariously live a life more interesting than my own. Growing up, I read mostly fiction, especially science fiction and mysteries, which took me to exotic places both real and imaginary. But when teachers insisted we students be well-rounded readers, the non-fiction books I turned to were on the biography shelves in my 

Reading a Braille DescriptionCreating visual art is not the first thing most people consider when thinking of people who are blind or who have visual difficulties, but there are many such artists and photographers who challenge that perception every day. The Andrew Heiskell Library was pleased to host an exhibition of artwork by students who have visual impairments, running from June 14 through June 18.

A reception, complete with refreshments, was well attended on opening night, and the exhibition drew a steady stream of visitors through the week. The photograph 

We liked the following links this past month:

The Iowa Department for the Blind's blog, Blind Living, focusing on cooking, crafts, gardening, and more for people who are blind or have visual difficulties.

Books Open for Visually Impaired: Students in Pennsylvania team with the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to record Talking Books.

Creators of TV shows get their inspiration from many places, but lately they seem to be turning more and more often to books for their source material. And with quality programs doing justice to the books that inspired them, it's a welcome trend, especially if it leads fans of the shows who have never read the books to seek them out. Here are some to get you started.

In the following booklists, RC indicates Recorded Cassette, DB indicates Digital Book, and BR indicates Braille. NYPL indicates a book or video available in branches of The New York Public 

For the last several years, I have been going to the United Cerebral Palsy Preschool on Staten Island to read to the children. The amount of joy that I have received from these visits is immeasurable. The children’s responses depend on the severity of their disabilities. The first three classes the children fully enjoy and participate in the stories. They clap, yell and laugh in all the correct places.

The last two classes can be challenging. I have to read 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then those words are priceless to people who cannot see. Verbal imaging is the art of describing pictures, art, and the world for people who are blind or have visual difficulty. For the past few years, Art Beyond Sight/Art Education for the Blind has been conducting art and craft programs at the Andrew Heiskell Library, teaching a variety of techniques to blind and visually impaired people, from sculpting to painting. And through their

Our links from April.

Free touch tour of the Glenn Ligon: AMERICA exhibit at the Whitney Museum on Friday, May 6 at 11:00AM. Call 212-570-7789 to RSVP.

How Bind People See the Internet is a nice overview.

American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the National Association for Parents of 

A Clockwork Orange"War is Peace." "Freedom is Slavery." "Ignorance is Strength." These tenets of doublethink are from George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984. It's Dystopia Week at Tor.com, which provides an excellent incentive to look at one of my favorite genres, or subgenres: Dystopian Fiction!

From failed attempts at perfect societies to aftermaths of natural and unnatural disasters, dystopian fiction has a long tradition of examining human 

From inspiring stories to the latest in assistive technology, we've got it all! Here are the links and announcements we posted on Facebook and Twitter for March.

The New York Times covered our Unseen Dance program, presented by the No-See-Ums.

Online survey for people with 

photo: Dana Salisbury; used with permissionWith few exceptions (music, sculpture, tactile canvases), the Arts have typically been inaccessible to people who are blind or who have visual difficulties, but the times, as is often said, are a-changing. Dana Salisbury and the No-See-Ums will be presenting BARK! An Unseen Dance, at four New York Public Libraries this month. Based on non-visual perception, this is the first dance form fully accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Choreographed by Dana 

We've got a grab-bag of links and articles for you this month.

Unseen Dance at the New York Public Library: Dana Salisbury and the No-See-Ums perform BARK, a dance for blindfolded audiences. Audience members experience the dance through their other senses. The group will perform at the Andrew Heiskell Library on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. For Adults Only.

Looking for a more accessible Twitter client?

Thursday, March 24, 2011 10:30 AM Richard H. Hungerford School   Anne Ford is the best selling author of A Special Mother, a book written in recognition of the role of the mother in the life of a disabled child. She was most recently featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams in a segment called “Making a 

In the summer of 2009, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped officially went digital. For many months before digital cartridges were introduced, however, digital books were available for downloading from the National Library Service's BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) website. At first, the BARD service was only lightly used, but once patrons started to receive their players in mid-2009, BARD downloading began in 

This month's links focus on disability rights, along with some useful services.

The White House Disability Group holds monthly calls to update the public on various issues related to disabilities.

To listen in: Dial-in number: (800) 230-1093 Title: Disability Call (use instead of code) For live captioning (at time of call) go to the event page.

American Association of People with Disabilities

January 4 marks the anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille—inventor of the raised writing system that bears his name and is still used by visually impaired people to communicate.

We've got a few links that might interest you as we say goodbye to 2010 and welcome 2011. Don't forget: The library will be closed on Saturday, January 1, 2011, but you'll be able to leave Voicemail messages at 212-206-5400 and 212-206-5425.

The New York Times article, "Just Because One's Vision is Waning, Hope Doesn't Have To" is about access to tools for independence.

The Computer Center for Visually Impaired People 

We've got some news and interesting articles to share with you.

The number 1 BARD download for November was The Heart Of The Matter by Emily Giffin, DB 71280 [NYPL] Tied for a distant second: Split Image by Robert B. Parker, DB 71123 [

Selected memoirs and practical resources relating to disabilities in commemoration of December 3rd: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

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The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life

By Allen Rucker

Without warning the 50-year-old author is struck with transverse myelitis.