The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (OLBPH) has teamed up with the Bethany Public Library to ensure that children who are blind or visually impaired can enjoy StoryWalks® using braille.
Since 2022, OLBPH has been transcribing StoryWalks® into braille, allowing people to enjoy reading and the outdoors together. Lacey Downs, OLBPH’s certified braille transcriptionist, has transcribed nine books for StoryWalks®. “In the last year, OLBPH has transcribed a script for the Metropolitan Library System’s public service video, programs for People with Disabilities Awareness Day, agendas for Oklahoma Commission for Rehabilitation Services meetings, and more,” Downs said.
OLBPH, a program under the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, provides free accessible reading materials. “We are proud to partner with Bethany Metropolitan Library,” said SBVI Division Administrator Tracy Brigham. “It is important for people who are blind or visually impaired to have the same reading opportunities as everyone else.”
Bethany Library is now binding braille StoryWalks® pages into books for circulation. “It turns out that all our libraries have seen requests for more braille materials,” said Anna Todd, Bethany librarian and StoryWalks® organizer. Todd encourages other libraries to consider braille signage. “Access is such an important factor when it comes to library usage,” she said. “By providing as many formats as we can, we are helping to reach the diverse community we serve in Oklahoma County.”
In 2023, OLBPH circulated 1,412 books daily free of charge in audio recorded and Braille formats to 4,962 eligible patrons with visual, physical or reading disabilities. Library staff mail specially formatted audio cartridges and players to patrons who return them by mail without postage charges. Those with internet access can download books and magazines through the library’s Braille and Audio Reading Download service known as BARD. |
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier Vermont. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
Libraries have established several story trails across Oklahoma with grants provided by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and from the Institute of Museum and Library Services thanks to the Library Services and Technology Act. Find a story trail near you.
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