When it comes to changing a community, it truly takes a village. Insight For The Blind is a non-descript building in Fort Lauderdale where miracles happen each and every day by helping improve the quality of life for blind and visually impaired children and adults and other print handicapped folks. They promote literacy and learning while aiding in the appreciation for the printed word via recordings of books, magazines and articles, while conforming to the rigorous standards of the Library of Congress’ National Library Service For The Blind Talking Books Program. Whether book or magazine articles, they try to “cast” each reading with an appropriate gender and voice type, depending on the content of each piece for maximum entertainment value. “The greatest change in recent years has been the speed with which we are able to get the finished product to the patrons, by virtue of the Braille Audio & Reading Download site, BARD,” says President & CEO Matt Corey. “No more waiting for cassette duplications and shipping. Patrons can get publications that are still relevant instead of many months old. I watched this happen the other day in real time on the BARD app. Fifteen minutes after one of our titles was approved, I was able to download it right to my mobile device.” The group does not, and never has, taken funding from any government agency. They operate solely on grants from private foundations, individual donors, estate gifts and enthusiastic volunteers; InsightForTheBlind.org.
