Athens Council of the Blind

09/12/2026

Meet Vispero at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show Europe September 15–17, 2026 Paris Expo Porte de Versailles Stand R-068, Hall 4 Accessibility requirements have changed. Is your kiosk ready? The European Accessibility Act is reshaping what accessible self-service means for retailers across Europe. If...

09/12/2026

As Patricia's vision changed, doing things on her own became harder, and at times she felt like no one really understood. Connecting with others going through many of the same things helped her feel less alone and more like herself again.

09/12/2026

It may not feel like it yet, but fall is fast approaching. Hollywood is getting serious about the upcoming awards season, and multiple book-to-screen adaptations are coming in the next two months. If you want to read or reread the book before catching the movie, NLS has our patrons covered. Here are just a few of the options:
• Based on the 2021 novel “The Book of Magic (DB105374)” by Alice Hoffman, “Practical Magic 2” follows the Owens family as they face a new crisis 25 years after “Practical Magic (BRC01770, DB40461)” was released.
• “The Love Hypothesis (BR24019, DB104892),” a contemporary romance by Ali Hazelwood, features a fake relationship between two scientists.
• Widely considered one of John Steinbeck’s masterpieces, “East of Eden (BR12565, DB17082)” is a multigenerational saga that takes place in California’s Salinas Valley around the turn of the 20th century. The book is also available in French (DBF99828) and in Spanish (DB14508).
• “Verity (BR24135, DB106208)” is Colleen Hoover’s dark novel that follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who’s hired to complete a successful series started by Verity Crawford before she was incapacitated. Lowen uncovers more than expected when reviewing Verity’s notes, leading to many twists and turns.
• The latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s first novel, “Sense and Sensibility (BR11520, DB22282),” reminds us how both sense and sensibility are needed to find true happiness. It’s also available in French (DBG12321) and in Portuguese (DB107966).
• If dystopian science fiction is your preference, Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Klara and the Sun (BR2410, DB102764)” may be of interest. Klara, an “Artificial Friend,” is purchased to be a companion for a sickly teenager. Set in a genetically altered future, the novel follows Klara as she navigates this complex landscape.
• Finally, an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat (BR16724, DB90643)” is coming to the big screen. The most recent NLS audiobook version includes multiple Seuss stories with celebrity narrators. Kelsey Grammer reads the title story.
[Image: Covers of four of the books above ("The Book of Magic," "East of Eden," "The Love Hypothesis" and "Verity") are shown on a movie screen in a crowded theater. Background image from iStock.]

09/11/2026

A line of heavy rain is slowly moving north through North Georgia. There are several Flash Flood Warnings in and around Metro Atlanta. Including a Flash Flood Warning with a Considerable tag for South Metro Atlanta. Emergency management reported thunderstorms producing flash flooding in north Clayton and south Fulton counties, including at the interchange of I-85 and I-285 and also near Forest Park. Between 2 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring.

09/11/2026

The "new" Adobe Acrobat Reader experience is a redesigned interface that is enabled by default when you first start Adobe Acrobat Reader. Some users, especially those using screen readers like JAWS, may find the new interface less accessible or missing certain features available in the legacy interf...

09/11/2026

Michael Hingson was working on a sales presentation in his office in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when the hijacked plane struck. His guide dog, Roselle, likely saved his life, helping him down 78 flights of stairs to safety before the building collapsed. Hingson, an NLS patron since childhood, told that story in “Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero (BR19434, DB73300).” Middle school-agers can read about Hingson and his yellow Labrador retriever in “Running with Roselle: How a Blind Boy and a Puppy Grew Up, Became Best Friends, and Together Survived One of America’s Darkest Days (BR23406, DB101215).” People magazine interviewed Hingson, now 76, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks; you can read the story at the link in the first comment below.
[Image: Michael Hingson with another guide dog at the NLS 80th anniversary celebration in 2011. NLS photo.]

09/09/2026

Disability Voting Rights Week is almost here, so we sat down with Garrick Scott from Multiple Choices for a conversation on why true voting equality matters so much. He also gave us all the details about a hands-on, stress-free voting forum coming up at Athens-Clarke County Library on September 15. Check out our Q&A with Garrick on the GLS blog: https://gls.georgialibraries.org/why-every-voice-matters-community-accessibility-and-the-power-of-the-vote/

[Image: Garrick Scott, a tall Black man with a white cane, takes the floor during a 2024 salsa dance workshop at the Winder Public Library.]

09/09/2026

If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, you’re invited to join the Library of Congress and NLS for an exclusive screening of “Brailled It” on Monday, September 14! “Brailled It” is a groundbreaking feature documentary that follows three blind and low-vision students competing in the Braille Challenge, an international academic competition. This unique 75-minute movie was filmed entirely through immersive sound and chest-mounted cameras worn by the students.
This screening is designed to bring together blind and sighted participants, creating opportunities for connection through shared experiences. Guests can participate in a tactile exploration of the Library’s historic Thomas Jefferson Building as well as inclusive hands-on activities and NLS resource displays, including tactile maps, music materials, accessible games and simulated braille coloring sheets. Free tickets can be reserved at www.loc.gov/item/event-422942/the-brailled-it-experience-cinema-for-all/2026-09-14?loclr=fbnls.
If you’re not able to make it in-person, join us for a virtual screening and panel discussion in October sponsored by the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled. The on-demand movie showing runs October 7 through October 13 and the panel discussion is October 13 at 7 p.m. eastern. Register for the screening and panel discussion at https://msla.maryland.gov/Pages/Brailled-It.aspx.

[Image: The poster for “Brailled It,” showing a Perkins-style brailler with festival award laurels above it, the movie’s title in print and simulated braille and, at the bottom, a compact block of film credits.]

09/09/2026

has been living long and prospering for six decades: the premiere episode of the original TV show aired on NBC in 1966! The newest book related to the Star Trek franchise in the NLS collection — and there are dozens — is a collaboration between William Shatner, the first actor to play Captain Kirk, and renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. "Cosmos Confidential: Bill & Neil's Excellent Bromance (DB136303)" is an unscripted conversation between the two icons who have shaped our culture's view of space, societal representations and the beauty and complexity of the universe.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the original series, check out Shatner’s "Star Trek Memories (BR09441, DB37629)." Leonard Nimoy, the first Mr. Spock, also shares stories of the series and his life in two autobiographies with contrasting titles: "I Am Not Spock (DB13399)" from 1975 and "I Am Spock (DB43757)" from 1995.
To beam in to the fictional world of Star Trek, begin with Alan Dean Foster's "Star Trek: A Novel (BR18913, DB70035)," in which the fates of young James Kirk and teenaged Mr. Spock dramatically change when a Romulan vessel attacks Kirk's Federation starship.
And visit www.loc.gov/item/2024742302?loclr=fbnls to hear George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu, discuss his poignant book, “My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story (DB122066).”

[Image: The NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise, named after the fictional starship, with Star Trek TV cast members and creator Gene Roddenberry in 1976. From L to R, NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher, DeForest Kelley (Dr. "Bones" McCoy), George Takei (Mr. Sulu), James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), Roddenberry, Congressman Don Fuqua and Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov). Public Domain.]

09/08/2026