Community Roundup Week of 2024.10.27–11.2

It's been a few weeks of posting roundups and not new posts. Life has been chaotic for me lately. My work schedule and location have changed multiple times. I am autistic and changes to my routine really mess with me so it's been making it hard to function and finish my current essay drafts.

I'm also finding my writing workflow split between iA writer and the Ghost editor to be troublesome. It turns out a lot of my best writing gets done when I'm slacking at work and using my work computer, haha. So a web based editor is ideal for that. Yet again I miss Cohost's ideal blogging environment. Nevertheless I will adjust.

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

It feels silly to be promoting a federal program of the American government but this is a really cool one I think more people should know about. I learned braille recently (unabridged) and made a friend who runs our local recording studio for creating NLS audiobooks.

There's an international treaty called the Marrakech Treaty that makes copyright laws not apply if you're making materials available to blind people. Every state of the US and most countries have a library for the blind you can volunteer at to record audiobooks. Your local library for the blind and disabled can do it without permission and distribute it freely without compensating the copyright holder so long as they only give it to their patrons.

A lot of my readers are disabled in some way. If your disability impacts your ability to read regular print books—whether because of your vision, mobility issues, dyslexia, or cognitive issues like a TBI—then you may qualify for the NLS or your country's equivalent! (If your Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome makes your joints hurt and dislocate from holding up a book for too long, then yes that probably qualifies you.)

There's a form you can fill out on the NLS website that will prompt your local library for the blind and disabled to reach out to you. Both permanent and temporary disabilities qualify you. Librarians and social workers count as "qualifying authorities" so it's not like it's heavily means tested either.

NLS libraries will mail you large print books or audiobooks on cartridges for free with no limit, and it's free to return them by mail. They also provide free braille e-readers and custom machines for playing their audiobook cartridges designed with accessibility in mind. They also have BARD Mobile and BARD express which just allows infinite free downloads of audiobooks and braille ebooks via your phone or computer.

I've been having trouble with reading print books since my brain injury. I get a migraine after reading them for not very long. Hopefully this is a temporary situation, but in the meantime I'm signed up with my local NLS library now. I've been using BARD mobile to listen to August Kitko and the Mechas From Space and it works really well. The interface is ugly but it's designed with accessibility and functionality for blind people in mind. It's designed to be used with a screen reader first and foremost. I've had a lot of visual-cognitive issues since birth, which fortunately I've been able to manage with vision therapy and glasses, but it's possible they may get worse again as I age. It's nice to know that the NLS will be available if that ever happens.

If you know anyone who can benefit, I recommend offering to help sign them up. Public services like this benefit when more people use them.

And again, with the Marrakech Treaty, most other countries have a similar sort of service provided by some institution. I can't say what they look like but if your country signed the treaty then presumably at least one organization produces audiobooks for disabled people.

Paper Society — Jean Jullien

I thought this was a really cool art piece.

Alien Landscapes — 70s Sci-Fi Art

I've been following 70s Sci-Fi Art blog for a few years now—I even own his coffee table book. He recently started migrating to a Ghost blog and it works much nicer in RSS readers and in newsletter format. These alien landscapes are some of my favorites. Welcome to the new Blogosphere!

October Gifs — Curious Quail

I really like these photos of autumn as short animated gifs. The way the leaves rustle makes these photos so evocative of what it feels like to be in October. I feel a bit homesick for New England looking at these.