Episcopal Press and News

Episcopalian for the Blind

Diocesan Press Service. December 10, 1964 [XXVII-6]

As a free service to the blind people of the church, Executive Council's Home Department, with the cooperation of the Episcopalian, is now distributing a Talking Book edition of the magazine.

While there are available the Church Herald for the Blind and Forward Day by Day in braille, many blind people can not read them. Braille is difficult to learn and has been replaced widely by recorded material. Based on the incidence of blindness in the total population, some 6,000 Episcopalians are legally blind. As of December 1,270 persons were subscribing to the Talking Book edition.

All requests for subscriptions should be sent to: The Home Department, Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10017.

Talking book machines (16 2/3 rpm) are available free of charge to all legally blind persons through the state agencies designated as distributors by the Library of Congress - Division for the Blind. Legal blindness is usually defined as central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses; or central visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a defect in which the peripheral field is so restricted that he can see only a very limited area at a time and can make little practical use of his vision. A person can be said to have a visual acuity of 20/200 if, at a distance of 20 feet, he can recognize symbols and objects which a person with normal vision can recognize at 200 feet.