JPL on the Homefront

*This program is available for everyone and not just those affiliated with the military.

Accessible Walt Disney World

The Walt Disney World offers many special accommodations for guests with visual, hearing and physical disabilities. For instance those guests with a visual disability have access to audio descriptions of the resort's many entertainment programs, sporting events, tours and other special events. The audio descriptions are played through a handheld device that can be acquired at the Theme Park Guest Relations office. In addition to the audio descriptions of the resort's attractions, guests with a visual disability also have access to braille guidebooks and braille maps of the resort. Trained service animals are welcome in many areas of the resort. The resort hotels offer rooms and services for guests with disabilities.

For more information about Walt Disney World's accessibility options visit their website at the following address: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guests-with-disabilities

Vision is Priceless Council

The Vision is Priceless Council provides free vision screenings to children and adults in Jacksonville. They are a volunteer non-profit organization committed to the early detection and prevention of eye disease. If a problem is detected a patient is advised to see an eye care professional for further treatment. Some patients may be eligible to receive financial assistance for their treatment through the Cared Vision Network which is a cooperative effort between the Vision is Priceless Council and local eye care professionals who have agreed to provide their services free of charge. The Vision is Priceless Council attends community health fairs and other events to screen adults and travels to day cares, preschools, schools and libraries to screen children. Their website is very informative and includes a schedule of what locations they will be visiting and what events they will be attending: www.visionispriceless.org They can be reached at 904-308-2020.

Ride Smart

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) in a collaborative effort with ElderSource in Action, Inc. has created a free new program called Ride Smart to assist senior citizens, people with disabilities and those new to using public transportation in gaining experience with all the different modes of public transportation available in Jacksonville. This program is self-paced and begins with one-on-one or group instruction and progresses in a step-by-step process until the individual feels confident enough to travel independently. The Ride Smart program will instruct participants in the use of city buses, Community Shuttles and the Skyway. As part of this instruction, participants will learn how to plan a trip, read and understand route maps and schedules, recognize bus numbers and bus stops, and locate and transfer to other buses. More importantly to people with disabilities is the instruction in boarding and disembarking safely, how to board with a mobility device (such as a wheelchair), and how to secure a mobility device for safe travel. Those interested should call (904) 391-6682 and they will be matched with a trainer suited that individual's needs.

Accessible World

Accessible World is a website that features podcasts, web-conferences and other information relevant to individuals in the disabled community and those that serve them. The podcasts cover new accessible products, services, book reviews, interviews and a host of other informative topics. The podcasts can be listened to live-streaming or downloaded as a .mp3 file. The website also maintains an archive of their most popular series of podcasts. The Conference Rooms section features web-conference discussions on interests such as history, books, healthy living, sports and other topics. Prior to participating in the web-conferencing there is a one-time downloading and installation of a plug-in necessary to participate. A general list of information titled Navigation includes information pertaining to a computer donation program for people who are visually impaired. Here is the address: www.accessibleworld.org.

GOOG - 411

GOOG - 411 is a free, fast and easy way to connect with local businesses. This service can be accessed from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location at any time. GOOG - 411 operates very similar to directory assistance except it is voice activated which should be helpful to anyone with a visual or physical disability. For instance if you want to have a pizza delivered to your home you can call 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411), say your location or enter your zip code on the number pad and then say "pizza delivery". Next you will hear a numbered list of pizzerias from which you can be connected with by saying the corresponding number. If you know which pizzeria you want to order a pizza from you can just say the name of the pizzeria. For more information and a brief tutorial about this service visit the following website: www.google.com/goog411/index.html

How to request Talking Books online

Some Talking Books customers may be unaware that they have an option to use our Online Public Access Catalog to request that certain titles be sent to them. Here is the link to the catalog: webopac.klas.com/flbtbl

All you need is your User ID number and password to log into the system. Your User ID is the 9 digit number beginning with "999" that appears below the center barcode of each mailing card. A password has to be requested by calling the Talking Book Library at 630-1999.

You can immediately log into your account via the Patron Information or Place Requests links. After logging in you will see a summary of your current holdings. From this point you can click on the link Basic Search or Advanced Search to begin searching for books by title, author or subject. I'll use the author John Grisham as an example. In the Search For: field you need to type Grisham, John or just Grisham. From the Search Index: field you need to select the option for Author. At this point you can either click the button for Submit Search or further narrow your search options by selecting for Media (Cassette or Digital Book), Language or whether you're looking for Fiction or Nonfiction titles. Clicking Submit Search retrieves 3 pages of titles on Cassette (RC0) and Digital cartridge (DB0) arranged alphabetically. If selecting by title you can click the check box to the left of the corresponding title in the Request column before clicking Add to BookBasket. If you want more information on a specific title before requesting it you can click on the title which will display the book record and from this point you can either click the button to Add to Book Basket or the link to Return to Search Results. Once titles are added to the Book Basket the process becomes very similar to online shopping. You have the option to "Rush" selected titles out to you as soon as they are available by checking the corresponding box. At this point you can also delete selections from your Book Basket. To process the selected titles for shipment according to a your regularly scheduled delivery you need to click Proceed to Checkout. Once this is clicked you will see a summary of the titles added to your request list.