A Vision Loser's Guide to Services in Prescott Arizona

Compiled January 2008 by Susan Gerhart to accompany blog "As Your World Changes" at http://asyourworldchanges.wordpress.com. Resources are divided into National Organizations, Arizona Social Services, and Prescott news links. Please send additions and corrections to slger@apodder.org.

Social Services

Warning: Web searches often turn up out-dated information.

Sun sounds.org with an April 2008 reading of the Arizona selected book by Nancy Turner
New Horizons Independence Center disability-related referrals and services, staffed by disabled individuals. Phone 928.772.1266 E-Mail: nhilc@cableone
Directory of AZ services for blind and visually impaired persons in HTML, also available in pdf
(Inactive)Northern Arizona Vision and Hearing Loss Center formerly known as "Blind Center", seems no longer holding events.
Second Sight rehab, phone 928-771-0465
Prescott Transit Authority, (homebound elderly and/or disabled adults) 9284455470 8004457978
MORRIS, GEORGEANNE—Rehabilitation, Teacher / Low Vision Therapist 9287755857 FAX: 9287758502 Email: georgeannemorris@yahoo.com

Information Resources

When you cannot read print any more, RSS of news sources is a wonderful replacement. Unfortunately, the local information resources are still challenged by RSS feeds but here are a few to try or to use as websites:

Yavapai County Library Network serves Prescott branches and surrounding towns, excellent new facility with many CD audio books, drop-off points, online catalog, and meeting rooms. Also has a lightly used RSS feed. Information desk is 928-777-1520.
City of Prescott website has a useful RSS feeds on events and council activities.
Prescott Daily Courier Newspaper with local news RSS delivers headlines but not articles using some (my) RSS clients. Local event news is available but predominantly for obituaries and real estate.
Prescott enews alternative news source
Google Alerts for common searches such as "Arizona low vision" or "Arizona visually impaired" or "Prescott Arizona" but the latter finds mostly sports

National Organizations

National Library Service for Blind, Arizona library system with tape systems available through Yavapai Library Network and soon digital books for download
Bookshare.org, digital library for print disabled
American Federation for Blind has a senior services overview
American Council for the BlindActive, state convention and exhibits at Sky Harbor May 2-3 2008, great podcast series at ACB Radio.org
National Federation of the Blind Arizona Note: Tri-city date is incorrect area code, not currently active. NFB operates NewsLine of national newspapers, including Phoenix and Tucson, also downloadable through Bookshare

Wish List

More RSS feeds for Prescott area and for Arizona vision-related topics
Mobile optimized web pages that are easier to read, e.g. m.gmail.com or the accessible page from amazon
Google and other tips for handling attachments, see below, as DOC and PDF often require conversion to TXT.
Handy Google gmail tip for attachments: use Gmail mobile web page to get more direct access to the inbox with options below the table. Click the attachments link then Save Link As a DOC or PDF attachment and Google will convert it to HTML for easier reading, just as in the "View as HTML" link in search results. Very handy to avoid launching a heavy-duty application to read only text from a document.

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