From the tenBroek Library This month we are pleased to finally announce the successful completion of our two-year project to digitize the audio Kernel Books series! Published by the NFB from 1991 to 2006, these thirty small (yet mighty) books are filled with first-hand accounts of the everyday experiences of blind people. Initially the brainchild of former NFB President Kenneth Jernigan (1926-1998), the Kernel Books are meant to give the sighted public an inside view of what it is really like to be blind from the perspective of those who understand it best.
In the introduction to the very first Kernel book, 1991’s What Color is the Sun, Dr. Jernigan explained the intention behind these innovative books: The persons who appear in the pages of the book are people that I know friends, former students, colleagues in the National Federation of the Blind. Mostly they tell their own stories, stories of ordinary men and women who think about last night's dinner, today's taxes, and tomorrow's hopes and dreams. These are people I think you would like to know…When you have finished reading these personal accounts and reminiscences I hope you will have a better picture of what it is like to be blind and how blind people feel. Mostly we feel just about the same way you do. Originally available in print, Braille, and audio cassette, these books served as a simple and effective way to change the public’s perceptions about the capabilities of blind people. Despite the discontinuation of the series with 2006’s Freedom, they remain an excellent resource for both blind and sighted individuals, as well as for those currently losing their vision. The text of the complete series has been available on the NFB website for several years, and most of the original print booklets are still obtainable through the Independence Market, but the audio cassette recordings (which were discontinued years ago) were steadily becoming rarer and more than once during the project it was feared that some had been lost forever. But thanks to the contributions of dedicated Federationists Ellen Ringlein, Tina Hansen, and Lorinda Riddle, we were able to digitize all thirty audio books and ensure that they will be preserved for years to come! To listen to any of the 272 heartwarming stories of the Kernel Books series, please visit https://nfb.org/kernel-books and select one of the titles labeled as audio. You can choose to listen to each story individually online or to download an entire audio book as a zip file. With best regards, Satguru ___,__.___ "Life's battle do not always go, to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the one who wins, is the one who thinks he can." Satguru Rathi Mobile: +91-9871489945 Email: [email protected] Skype: satgururathi Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/satguru.rathi.9 Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
