Michael,

First of all, deaf people don't need Braille, audio or other special formats unless they have other disabling conditions.  Most deaf people are able to read standard text.  So the question becomes: is the material they need available in their langage?

For people who are blind, I think our colleagues from the network of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped can give you the most definitive answer to your specific question.  This is especially true of the network members who are in urban public libraries.

With technology what it is, the question itself is changing.  There is sofware available that can read English or other languages and either deliver them by voice output or Braille output, right from a properly configured garden variety computer.  So you can take the material, scan it into the computer and let the person read it in the format of choice.  Note that for Braille, you would need a Braille output device attached to the computer.

Does anyone on the list know if the L&H iTranslator Software Developer Kit (SDK)has been tried (especially in library settings) with Kurzweil 3000 or other similar software?  For more information on the translators, go to http://www.lhsl.com/itranslator/

Hope this helps answer your question, Michael.  Let us know.

Best,
Audrey
American Library Association



<<< [log in to unmask] 12/ 9  3:01p >>>
    I am a library science student and was wondering how non-English
speakers who are blind or deaf are helped at libraries for the disabled?
    What Braille, audio or special materials are available in other
languages?
    Thank you.
                                            Sincerely,
                                            Michael Krieg
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