Learning Aids
In my research, I have found good and bad books about blindness and blind people. I have found many books helpful for many different reasons. Some have a different way of looking at blindness. I have a list of suggested readings that I have often given to friends and handed out at conferences. I have attached them here for you.
Try these fun ideas:
The Blind History Lady Resources
The National Federation of the Blind has affiliates in all 50 states and Washington D. C. and Puerto Rico. Local Chapters can provide speakers for schools, Community Service organizations, churches and more. Their members can act as a resource for organizations, government agencies and individuals on blindness. To contact the state president in your area, go to: https://nfb.org/state-presidents-list
To order braille alphabet cards, Kernel books and additional blindness material, games and aids, contact the Independence Market at
https://nfb.org/independence-market
The Jacobus tenBroek Library is the research library on blindness that is owned and controlled by the blind themselves with a unique collection of archives and manuscript collections and other resources.
They provide On-site Access to material that include statistics and facts about blindness, oral histories, the first publication of the Braille Code and exhibits
The Jacobus tenBroek Library welcomes researchers interested in non-medical aspects of blindness. Our collections cover areas including (but not limited to):
- education of blind children
- disability law and policy
- the history of attitudes toward the blind
- rehabilitation methods and practices
- technologies developed by and for the blind
- blind achievers in science and the arts
- fiction with blind characters
- depictions of the blind in children’s books
- literary works by blind authors
They provide facilities for using the collections, regardless of format, by both sighted and blind readers.
Contact the library at https://nfb.org/jacobus-tenbroek-library
Perkins School for the Blind
The Perkins Archives include collections related to the history of the education of the blind and deafblind, institutional archives, and correspondence of significant figures in the school’s history, such as Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan and Samuel Gridley Howe.
To learn more about the Perkins Archives and sign up for their newsletter, visit PerkinsArchives.org.
http://www.perkins.org/history
Oskar and Klaus. Books for younger readers about a blind cat and his pal. Affordable braille, recorded and print books available for all, including educators and school libraries. Their website includes fun games for kids relating to the blind cat, Oskar and his books. To learn more about Oskar and Klaus and their adventures as well as download free word games for children, visit,
https://www.oskarandklaus.com/pages/free-oskar-klaus-activities
Short Bio’s on some of the world’s more famous blind people to begin your own research. Teachers will love this page as the famous blind men and women, some more current, included here are far more easily researched for an essay.
When we think of blind people in our country, we mostly think of musical artists such as Ray Charles, Ronnie Milsap and more. The Blind History Lady focuses her attention on the past, yet today’s blind men and women are just as important.
A Few More Famous Blind People From Around The World
Another popular historical look at blind people of history was done by Kenneth Jernigan in his speech of 1973, Blindness: Is History Against Us. Most historians begin with a look at this speech that captures a snapshot of the many blind from the world’s past who did not allow a label of blindness to define them.
The Blind History Lady 