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. 
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 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. 
 
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  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. 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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 
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 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  
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 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 
 
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 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. 
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 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 
 
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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 
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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 
 
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 B. Georgia Radio Reading Service Radio Coverage Map 2016-2017 
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