Books & Games

Books in Braille

There are several sources of books in Braille format for beginning to mature readers. For early readers, books are available from the National Braille Press Children's Book Club with thermoform overlays for each page so that they can read along in the Braille version while a sighted person reads the story to them. Join the Children's Book Club to receive print Braille titles for ages preschool through third grade. They are the same price as the print book!

Other sources:

• Seedlings Braille Books for Children

• APH Products for Early Literacy This series of 18 storybooks contain information and activities to enhance development of literacy. Each storybook contains large print, tactile illustrations and Braille. Other books can be accessed through the Louis database.

• The Braille Bookstore

• National Library Service for the Blind (NLS)
  (membership required)

• Web-Braille is a web-based service that provides in Grade-2 electronic format the full text of thousands of NLS-produced Braille books and magazines.
  
  
• International Electronic Braille Book Library, a project of the International Braille Research Center.

Due to recent legislation mandating that classroom materials be in accessible formats for all students, booksellers such as Amazon.com provide materials in audiocassette and CD, large-print and Braille formats.

Harry Potter Formats: Amazon.com: $6.99 National Braille Press:$6.99

Books on Tape

Free sources of taped textbooks are available for anyone with a documented disability (including a visual impairment, learning disability or other physical disability) that makes reading standard print difficult or impossible. Membership is required.

• Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic

Games in Braille

Everyone loves to play games. Check the Resource section for sources of many card and board games designed with Braille labels. Scrabble and Uno are two examples:

Online Games
Accessible Games are designed for the blind and visually impaired user. The games require a sound board as they are for users with limited vision. Download games to play or play against an opponent over the Internet.

Audyssey Magazine On-line is the gaming magazine for the blind and visually impaired community. It is a great place to discover accessible new and old games.

Bavisoft creates games for the blind including the popular Grizzly Gulch Western Extravaganza, a world set in the Old West created purely from sound imagery. No vision is required.

Hark the Sound: Sound Games for Kids 15 games are included with Braille Letters and Words, Name That Tune and Name That Sound as just a few. You can even make you own games to play! (By Diane Brauner and Gary Bishop)

Teaching Sighted Students About Braille
Braille Bug (AFB) These interactive games teach about Braille. Send a friend a "secret message" or change the colors on your screen.

Communications: Create Your Own Code From the BrickLab, all students become more aware of written Braille language by participating in four activities where they learn and use Braille to read "special codes".