The New York State Talking Book & Braille Library (TBBL) serves New York State (except for New York City and Long Island.) So if you live in Westchester County and meet the criteria set by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (Library of Congress), you can access: 

• Digital talking books and digital talking book players
• Print braille books
• Fiction and nonfiction audio and braille books
• Subscriptions to more than 70 magazines

Eligibility

Individuals are eligible if they have difficulty reading standard printed materials because of one or more of the following:

• Blind persons whose visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses, or whose widest diameter of visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees.*
• Persons whose visual disability, with correction and regardless of optical measurement, prevents the reading of standard printed material.*
• Persons unable to read or unable to use standard printed material as a result of physical limitations.*
• Persons having a perceptual or reading disability and unable to read printed works to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability.*

This includes individuals who have had a qualifying disability from birth, individuals who are disabled because of medical conditions or trauma, and individuals who become disabled as they age. Individuals who have a temporary disability may qualify for service on a temporary basis. Individuals who are blind or have a print disability and who have been honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States receive special priority.

* They must be certified as such by a "competent authority." This can include the following: Doctors of medicine or osteopathy, ophthalmologists, optometrists, registered nurses, therapists, and professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or private welfare agencies including an educator, social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, or school psychologist.

Application Required

You must fill out an application and return it to the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library, Cultural Education Center, 222 Madison Ave., Albany, NY 12230-0001. You may also email it to tbbl@nysed.gov

The application in English is available here. La solicitud en español está disponible aquí.

Once Accepted

Once the application has been received and confirmed, TBBL will register the applicant for service. This typically takes a few business days. They will then send you: 

• A packet with a welcome letter and a Guide to Library Services, which explains how to use the library according to your own particular reading needs.
• The equipment you requested.
• If requested, several books in subject areas that you like.

Once you're registered for TBBL, you will also be able to access the BARD service to download digital content!