Final report : House of Representatives Study Committee on Programs That Provide Services for the Reading to the Blind and the Visually Impaired

House of Representatives Study Committee on Programs That Provide Services for
the Reading to the Blind and the Visually Impaired
Final Report
Chairman Penny Houston Representative 170th District
The Honorable Mike Cheokas Representative 138th District
The Honorable Terry Rogers Representative 10th District
The Honorable Jan Tankersley Representative 160th District
Anisio Correia Vice President for Programs Center for the Visually Impaired
Deborah Flannagan Executive Director Public Service Commission
Julie Walker State Librarian University System of Georgia
2016
Prepared by the House Budget & Research Office

Introduction
The House Study Committee on Programs That Provide Services for the Reading to the Blind and the Visually Impaired was created by House Resolution 979 during the 2016 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly. HR 979 acknowledges that programs which provide services to the blind and visually impaired population in Georgia serve as a vital function in the educational environment in this state. These programs vary in the type of rehabilitative service and delivery method and the services are provided through a variety of entities in different geographical locations across the state. The committee has been tasked with studying the places and programs which serve the blind and visually impaired by identifying the service area scope funding sources and individual participation rates for each program. Through this study the committee s goal is to discover whether the current programs provide adequate coverage for the blind and visually impaired population as well as ensure that there is public awareness of the resources available in the state.
House Resolution 979 provides for the membership of the committee consisting of seven members to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Four of these members are to be state representatives including the chairperson of the Economic Development Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and the chairperson of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. The three remaining members are to be the executive director of the Public Service Commission the director of the Public Library Service of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and a representative from the Center for the Visually Impaired. The Speaker appointed the following members Representative Penny Houston Chair Representative Mike Cheokas Representative Terry Rogers Representative Jan Tankersley Deborah Flannagan from the Public Service Commission Julie Walker from the Georgia Public Library Service and Anisio Correia from the Center for the Visually Impaired.
The committee held two public meetings at the State Capitol during 2016 occurring on August 17th and November 2nd. During these meetings the committee heard testimony from multiple different entities that provide programs and services for the blind and visually impaired population. This report provides an overview of each program and is a comprehensive summary of the services currently available in Georgia.
2 Page

Overview of Current Programs

Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS)

Fund Source State Funds Federal Funds LSTA (Library Services & Technology Act) TOTAL

FY16 $760 721 $992 405
$1 753 126

FY17 $753 680 $1 143 723
$1 897 403

As a unit of the Georgia Public Library Service Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS) provides library services for individuals who are blind and for those whose physical abilities require the use of books and magazines in audio format or braille. Services are delivered through a network including two walk-in locations and a central distribution center. GLASS supports accessible library services in Georgia by promoting the use of assistive technology and by providing accessible reading materials to those who due to a disability are unable to read standard print.

GLASS Statistics FY2015 Registered Users Annual circulation (mailed) Annual circulation (downloads) Titles in braille and audio formats accessible Titles available for download

15 593 328 640 102 991 241 630
99 780

Who Is Eligible for the Service Anyone who is unable to read or handle standard printed materials as a result of temporary or permanent visual or physical disability. Persons who are legally blind or cannot see well enough or focus long enough to read standard print even with glasses. Persons who are unable to hold or turn pages of print books. Persons who are certified by a medical doctor as having a reading disability.
What is Available Books Recorded and braille books from a national collection that includes a variety of popular interest writings such as bestsellers classics mysteries biographies westerns children s books and foreign language materials.

3 Page

Magazines Library patrons can also subscribe to over 70 popular magazines such as Good Housekeeping Sports Illustrated and National Geographic.
Equipment and Accessories Special playback equipment is needed to listen to the books and magazines produced by the National Library Service (NLS). This equipment is lent to eligible users free of charge for as long as the individual is a user of the reading material provided by NLS and its cooperating libraries. Accessories are available which will help readers with limited mobility or hearing impairment use the equipment.
Book Reviews and Catalogs Registered borrowers learn about new books added to the collection through two bi-monthly publications Talking Book Topics and Braille Book Review. These are available in large print recorded or braille format.
Music Recorded music is not available through the NLS library program. However such material is often available from local public libraries. A collection of musical scores in braille and large print textbooks and books about music in large print and braille and elementary instruction for voice piano organ guitar recorder accordion banjo and harmonica are available in recorded form directly from NLS.
GLASS Atlanta the public service point offers walk-in service for patrons and an assistive technology lab with adaptive equipment and a braille printer. Classes are taught and books clubs are offered for print-impaired readers and GLASS Atlanta offers remote book clubs across Georgia via telephone participation. Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) the selfservice digital download service and the recent addition of Bookshare services another source of digital content for the print-impaired are additional library services.
GLASS seeks to inform and educate librarians across Georgia on what it means to provide accessible library services. Its funding sponsors multiple statewide training sessions where librarians learn about issues related to access to information and leisure reading materials for all patrons in their community. Additionally some of the funding has been used to purchase assistive technology for each Georgia public library. Online training modules have been developed to provide front-line staff with information on offering GLASS services to printimpaired readers in Georgia. GLASS has partnered with Georgia Tools for Life to create assistive technology tool kits for demonstration of resources that can make reading and accessing computerized information easier for persons with varying physical abilities. GLASS has also partnered with the PINES program to foster partnerships for lending and for identifying readers who might benefit from GLASS services.
4 Page

Audible Universal Information Access Services (AUIAS)

Fund Source Other Funds (O.C.G.A. 46-5-30) TOTAL

FY16 $204 000 $204 000

FY17 $204 000 $204 000

In 2006 the Georgia General Assembly created a statewide Audible Universal Information Access Service (AUIAS) to provide blind and print-disabled citizens of Georgia with telephonic access to print media publications. The law gives oversight of the service to the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). Following a competitive bidding process PSC selected the National Federation of the Blind to administer the service. Since June 2006 the AUIAS has provided continuous audible universal access to all Georgia telephone exchanges 24 hours a day seven days a week and 52 weeks a year. The system is accessible by dialing a toll-free or local number anywhere in the state and has the capacity to serve an unlimited number of subscribers. Currently there are over 2 200 subscribers to this service however the total number of Georgia citizens who could potentially benefit from this service greatly exceeds this as demonstrated by the number of current subscribers to the Georgia Library for Accessible Statewide Services.

The AUIAS program is funded through a special fund created by O.C.G.A. 46-5-30 and administered by PSC. This special fund also supports the Calling Service for the Hearing Impaired or 711 the Hearing Aid Distribution Program and the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program. Per the statute PSC levies a small monthly charge on each local access line or land line to fund all of these legislatively mandated services. This fee is set at an appropriate level to fund all of these services and collects about $3 million a year. Cell phones do not pay the charge.

Georgia Radio Reading Services

Fund Source State Funds (pass-through from GVRA) Federal Funds TOTAL

FY16 $63 900 $236 100 $300 000

FY17 $63 900 $236 100 $300 000

As Georgia s only radio reading service the Georgia Radio Reading Service (GaRRS) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit closed circuit radio station with a mission to improve the quality of life for every Georgian who is blind visually-impaired or has difficulty with access to the printed word by broadcasting current information via sub channel radio transmission.

5 Page

Through an arrangement with Georgia Public Broadcasting GaRRS is also available online via streaming audio.

Founded in 1980 GaRRS broadcast is provided by more than 500 volunteer readers from across Georgia who deliver approximately 200 different radio shows each month including cover-tocover readings of magazines newspapers and books population-specific programming (seniors veterans and Hispanic/Latino news) public service announcements and information regarding community-support programs and activities. GaRRS programs are broadcast 7 days a week 24 hours a day by way of special sub channel (SCA) radio receivers and a password protected audio streaming link from the GaRRS website. A full periodical list and radio coverage map can be seen in the Appendix.

While GaRRS is attached to Georgia Public Broadcasting its source of state funding comes as a pass-through from the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA). The funds are matched with federal funds to total $300 000 annually. In addition GaRRS is funded by general donations from businesses and individuals.

Georgia Braille Transcribers

Fund Source State Funds TOTAL

FY16 $56 254 $56 254

FY17 $57 933 $57 933

The Georgia Department of Corrections has a Georgia Braille Transcribers vocational program at Central State Prison. The program translates textbooks instructional materials and stories into braille for visually impaired students. The program began in 2003 at Scott State Prison and was shifted to Central State Prison in 2009. Approximately 21 inmates are part of the program which had produced $1 665 250 worth of transcriptions for the blind and sight-impaired through 2013.

6 Page

Georgia Department of Education Student Services

Budget Program
Curriculum Georgia Instructional Material Center

FY16 State Funds
$123 000

State Schools Georgia Academy for the Blind

$8 671 995

QBE Category IV (Direct Services)

$246 961 991

TOTAL

$255 756 986

FY16 Student Count Statewide

FY17 State Funds
$123 000

FY17 Student Count Statewide

Description
Provides accessible educational materials to all of Georgia eligible K-12 students. $17 000 of the total is for braille transcription services.

106

$8 505 081

105 Serves the needs of

Georgia students with

visual impairments

including those with

additional disabilities. In

addition to the state

funds $189 000 in other

funds is used for the

Smokey Powell Center for

Assistive Technology.

11 016 $248 417 579 $257 045 660

11 024

Provides services for students who are deafblind profoundly mentally disabled visually impaired and blind resourced hearing impaired and deaf resourced orthopedically disabled and resourced other health impaired.

The Georgia Department of Education provides services for students who are blind or visually impaired through the Georgia Academy for the Blind the Quality Basic Education (QBE) funds for direct services to students and the Georgia Instructional Materials Center (GIMC). GIMC provides accessible educational materials to all eligible K-12 students in Georgia as well as training to local school districts on reading accommodations and best practices on the utilization of accessible educational materials. GIMC estimates it serves over 2 700 students with 1 663 being blind or visually impaired. The program provides books in braille large print and accessible digital files as well as supplies and equipment.

7 Page

Georgia Department of Public Health Chronic Disease Programs

Organization Center for Visually Impaired Georgia Eye Bank Prevent Blindness Georgia (Georgia Vision Collaborative) TOTAL

FY16 $64 448 $63 000 $104 400
$231 848

FY17 $64 448 $63 000 $104 400
$231 848

The Department of Public Health s Chronic Disease section funds three organizations to address vision and eye health across the state. The three organizations Georgia Eye Bank Georgia Vision Collaborative and Prevent Blindness Georgia provide regional and community-based vision health and blindness education vision screening and examinations rehabilitation and treatment services and the gift of sight through eye donations. The funded organizations also provide education around healthy vision and eye disease vision education activities training of volunteers and referral of patients for any necessary follow up services. While Prevent Blindness Georgia does provide reading services to the blind or visually impaired the service may not be supported specifically with the funding provided by the Department of Public Health.
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) was created in 2012 with the goal of helping people with disabilities to become fully productive members of society by achieving independence and meaningful employment. GVRA estimates that there are 261 300 individuals in Georgia that are blind or have a visual impairment with 94 700 of them over the age of 65.
Through agency rehabilitation counselors and a network of private providers GVRA provides blindness rehabilitation which is a specialized training designed to teach a person who is blind or visually impaired adaptive techniques in order to live and work in a sighted world. The services in this rehabilitation program include counseling referral low vision evaluation braille instruction vision rehabilitation therapy orientation and mobility instruction assistive work technology evaluation and technology access training. Through this rehabilitation GVRA estimates over 100 individuals who are blind or have low vision return to work each year with job examples including computer software engineer high school science teacher lawyer massage therapist and court supervisor.
Additionally the agency has two unique programs that serve consumers with visual impairments the Business Enterprise Program and the Georgia Industries for the Blind. The
8 Page

Business Enterprise Program provides entrepreneurial opportunities to people who are blind and want to manage small businesses such as vending machine routes snack bars cafes/grilles and full service cafeterias. There are currently over 130 locations operated by over 70 blind vendors across Georgia. The Georgia Industries for the Blind program provides jobs in manufacturing packaging and services for individuals who are blind. There are currently three primary facilities in Georgia located in Bainbridge Griffin and Robins Air Force Base with annual sales averaging $10 million due to federal government contracts.
Center for the Visually Impaired
The Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) located in Atlanta is Georgia s largest comprehensive fully accredited private facility providing rehabilitation services for the blind and visually impaired. The Center serves over 5 000 people annually with the goal of providing skills support and hope for people with vision loss so that they can live independent lives. CVI offers specialized programs that provide vital services to clients from around Metro Atlanta and throughout the state and cover every stage of life.
The Center s BEGIN program for newborn and preschool-aged children with severe visual impairments provides essential services to enhance development including individual vision rehabilitation group classes parent support groups and family activities. CVI s STARS programs for ages five to 21 is an educational recreational and social skills program that includes participation in after school programs summer camps mentoring programs and weekend social and recreational activities. Lastly the New View adult rehabilitation services program aims to help adult clients achieve greater independence at home and work through classes on topics such as safe travel independent living skills braille computer technology communication skills career services and job readiness and placement.
CVI is also home to the Florence Maxwell Low Vision Clinic. The clinic serves ages five and older through comprehensive low-vision evaluations optical and non-optical training counseling and assistance referrals. Additionally the VisAbility Store is located on the first floor of the CVI building and is a nonprofit retail shop that provides access to low vision aids assistive technology and other adaptive devices.
AMAC Accessibility Solutions and Research Center
AMAC Accessibility was developed by the University System of Georgia in 2005 in order to help post-secondary disability services offices provide complete timely and efficient accommodations to print-disabled students so that the students can be more independent and productive in their academic environments. The research and service center is part of the Georgia Tech College of Design and its services include accessible digital content braille
9 Page

captioning assistive technology evaluations web evaluations and information and communications technology (ICT) instruction and research. The tables below show the amount of material produced by AMAC during previous academic years.

Material Electronic Text Braille Audio Large Print

Accessible Materials Produced Internally (Estimated Number of Pages)

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

Textbooks Exams Other Textbooks Exams Other

Textbooks Exams

177 318 0
23 673 1 435

2 887 7
403 4 920

1 510 0 0
115

272 590 0
17 806 3 605

8 489 505 450
2 608

20 000 1 872 0 2 500

298 788 0
10 765 4 811

300 624 0
357 2 005

Other 501 000
0 0 1 000

Material Electronic Text Braille Audio Large Print

Accessible Materials Outsourced (Estimated Number of Pages)

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

Textbooks Exams Other Textbooks Exams Other

Textbooks Exams

919 003

0

0 2 220 897

237

20

574 877

1

4 647

513

57

2 235

567

185

7 230

325

52 402

2

0

62 439

11

0

113 858

0

199

0

0

4 714

237

0

0

0

Other 0
40 0 2

10 P a g e

Committee Recommendations
The HR 979 Study Committee has reviewed all of the information provided by the aforementioned programs and believes that there are adequate resources available in Georgia for those that need them. Furthermore due to the availability of federal funds other funds and private and non-profit resources the cost to the state for these services is on par with the programs being provided and the number of people the programs can serve. However the committee feels that there is insufficient awareness of the available resources compared to the number of potential citizens in Georgia who are blind or visually impaired. Georgia s programs for the blind and visually impaired are currently all siloed in each individual agency or nonprofit making it difficult for consumers to find all of the available services. The committee would like to see an improvement in the access to this information on a statewide scale. With this the House Study Committee on Programs that Provide Services for the Reading to the Blind and the Visually Impaired recommends that a centralized website be created to provide information links and connection to services for all Georgians who are blind or visually impaired. On this site a consumer would be able to find an overview of the services available both in Georgia and in their specific geographical area points of contact for programs and services and information and links to accessible news and reading sites. This website is meant as a one-stop shop for all resources related to blindness and visual impairment in Georgia. The committee recommends that the Georgia Public Library Service be responsible for the development of this site whether through the expansion of already existing resources or through new site development. In addition the committee recommends that the Georgia Public Library Service inquire about any federal or private grants available for the development of this site if additional funding is necessary prior to any request for state funds. The study committee believes that by better promoting the resources already available in the state more blind or visually impaired Georgians would be able to find the services and assistive programs they need to live independent lives.
11 P a g e

Mr. Speaker these are the findings and recommendations of your Study Committee on Programs that Provide Services for the Reading to the Blind and the Visually Impaired.
Respectfully Submitted
The Honorable Penny Houston Representative 170th District
Chairwoman

12 P a g e

Prepared By Tara H. Boockholdt Budget & Policy Analyst House Budget and Research Office

Appendix

A. Georgia Radio Reading Service Periodical List

Newspapers Albany Herald Americus Times-Reader Athens Banner Herald Atlanta Inquirer Bainbridge Post Searchlight Berrien Press Brookhaven Reporter Brunswick News Clayton News Daily Clinch County News Cochran Journal Columbus Ledger Inquirer Columbus Times Creative Loafing Dalton Daily Citizen DeKalb Neighbor Dublin Courier Herald Dunwoody Crier East Cobb Neighbor Gainesville Times Houston Home Journal Marietta Daily Journal Milledgeville Union Recorder Northeast Georgian Northside Neighbor Rome News-Tribune Sandy Springs Neighbor Statesboro Herald Waycross Journal Herald
Magazines ACB Reports AJC Alfred Hitchcock American Cowboy Magazine American History American Spectator America s Civil War
13 P a g e

Analog Science Fiction and Fact Archaeology Atlanta Latino Newspapers Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Review Autoweek Backpacker Berkeley Wellness Letter Better Homes and Gardens Black Enterprise Bloomberg Business Week Blues Revue Bon Appetit Braille Monitor BVA Magazine Car and Driver Christian Science Monitor Civil War Times Computing Conde Nast Traveler Consumer Reports Consumers Digest Cooking Light Cooks Cosmopolitan Country Weekly Dialogue Discover Magazine Ebony Ellery Queen Entertainment Weekly Esquire Essence Fantasy and Science Fiction Food and Wine Forbes Fortune Georgia Review Georgia Trend

Go Green Golf World Good Housekeeping Harvard Health Letter Health Hudson Review Inc. Isaac Asimov s Science Fiction Jazz Times John Hopkins Health after 50 Ladies Home Journal Mayo Clinic Health Letter Men s Health Money More Mother Jones Motor Trend Mundo Hispanico National Enquirer National Geographic National Geographic Traveler National Review New Republic New Yorker Newsweek Oprah Outside Oxygen PC PC World People Magazine Popular Mechanics Popular Science Prevention Psychology Today

Reader s Digest Real Simple Rolling Stone Saturday Evening Post Savoy Science News Scientific American Self Senior News Senior Scene Smart Business Atlanta Smart Money Smithsonian Southern Living Sports Illustrated Taste of Home The American Scholar The Nation Magazines The New York Times Book Review The Week The Weekly Standard The Wilson Quarterly Time Travel and Leisure Tufts University TV Guide Upscale US Weekly Vanity Fair Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Times Washington Examiner Whole Living Wired Women s Health

14 P a g e

B. Georgia Radio Reading Service Radio Coverage Map 2016-2017
15 P a g e