Audio Books For Blackberry
Bring The Joy Of Reading Back To Your Visually Impaired Friend With Audio Books
He said it began with vague shadows. He said the dawn of a new day seemed somewhat less colorful. He said that even with his glasses on, he had to tilt his head to read. He said it was hard to distinguish between yellow and beige. He said he didn't feel comfortable driving after dark ... he couldn't see well after an oncoming car passed. His Doctor said he had irreversible macular degeneration ... the years had taken its' toll on his body.
Of all our senses, vision is arguably the most devastating to lose. Although accepted as part of the ageing process, deteriorating vision can require a person to modify their daily lifestyle. This segment of society coupled with those individuals experiencing vision loss as a direct result of injury or disease generate some overwhelming statistics. According to the American Foundation For The Blind , there are approximately 10 million blind or visually impaired people in the United States. Of those, approximately 1.3 million are legally blind , and over the age of 65, 5.5 million are blind or visually impaired .
As friends and family of a person experiencing a loss of vision, what can be done to help them maintain their quality of life and retain their dignity? Fortunately, as a direct result of the explosion in internet related technologies, an exceptional product is now available for the blind and visually impaired... digitally formatted audio books. The visually impaired person can once again enjoy their favorite author, travel to far away places, or work on developing a second language.
audio books (or Talking Books) are certainly not new. According to Wikipedia.com, in 1931, Congress established a talking book program for blind or visually impaired Americans called "Books For The Adult Blind Project". The first applications of this new mobile audio medium were pioneered by noted Anthropoligist J.P. Harrington. He travelled the breadth of America, interviewing Native Americans, and recording the sessions on an aluminum disc rotating on a turntable that was powered by his car battery. The sixties ushered in the vehicle by which the audio book industry would boom ... the cassette recorder. By the eighties, the CD took its rightful place in audio book popularity. It wasn't until after the turn of the millenium that digitally formatted audio books came on the scene. By 2006, the Audio Publishers Association reported digital audio books sales at $817 million. Two years later, the APA estimated digital audio books sales at a whopping $2 billon. The digital revolution had exploded in the audio books market!
The reasons for the popularity of digital audio books are obvious. They are very affordable, transferrable, and provide extremely good quality. But their biggest attraction is their flexibility and ease of use. Simply go on line and dial up your favorite Audio Bookstore, purchase, immediately download your choice to your PC, upload to your iPod, Bluetooth, or other mp3 device, and you're ready to go. No fuss, no muss. No additional fancy software required.
You should now be able to understand how audio books can truly add value to the everyday life of the blind or visually impaired person. Take a tour of an Audio Books Store today. Leisure Audio Books has over 6900 titles in 130 different categories. Many of the selections are like listening to a live radio broadcast complete with orchestration and sound effects. Nearly all of the titles offer a sneak preview so that you can get a feel for the presentation. Also available at the entrance to the Store are short tutorials to introduce you to digital audio books. And while there, make sure to download the FREE monthly offer also located on the middle tab at the store entrance.
Audio books are the perfect gift for the blind or visually impaired person. Put together a package today for a special someone. You'll be very glad you did!
By Timothy Prahl -
As a live-in caregiver for a long time friend, I currently live outside of Hilo, Hi. My goal is to squeeze out every ounce of enjoyment that I can while on this Rock. To my friends and family, and all of y... Next page: Audio Books By Judith Michaels
Bookmark/Share This Page:
Recommended Audio Books
Great Moments in History - A free audiobook by John G. Stockmyer
Infected - A free audiobook by Scott Sigler
Forever Fifteen Free Vampire Audiobook
More free AudioBooks
Audio Books For Blackberry News
