As technology moves forward so does the ability to choose exactly how you want to read your books and magazines. There is a lot of equipment out there designed to keep you reading but just in case you're not sure where to start, here are some ideas.
Reading audio
To read books, magazines and newspapers on DAISY, audio CD or MP3 you'll need a player. This could be a standard CD or MP3 player for basic audio content or a DAISY player for more complex audio books structured in DAISY format. With many CD or USB memory stick players all you need to do is simply insert the CD or USB stick into your machine, press play, then relax and enjoy. These low cost players can open up a door to your favourite high street magazines and newspapers available through National Talking Newspapers and Magazines as well as your local talking newspapers. We sell various audio players in our online shop.
If the book you want to read isn't a novel, but something meatier, such as a cookbook, the Bible, newspapers, or even study books, then DAISY is for you. Most books recorded in DAISY fit on just a single CD - so you get a lot on one CD! You can choose a DAISY audio book player to sit nicely on a table next to your chair or a portable one for when you're out and about. New to DAISY? Then read our guide to choosing your DAISY audio book player.
Reading print
By making some simple changes to your home or work space you can still continue to enjoy reading print.
Lighting
The right level of lighting can make reading easier as well as making your home a safer place. Our guide to improving the lighting in your home highlights the value of lighting whether it's a desk light for detailed activities or a floor standing light next to your armchair.
Magnification
Changing the size of your text to make things easier can be done in a variety of ways depending on what you want to do. Our guide to choosing your magnifier is designed to help you understand the various types of magnifiers that can be used for specific tasks such as reading letters, recipes, menus, bills or any printed document or image.
eBooks
Another way to continue to read and have access to thousands of books is eBooks. eBooks can be read using an eBook reader such as Kindle or using special software on your computer, find out more about the accessibility of eBooks.
Reading braille
No matter what age you are, braille is a great way to continue to read and write. Simply put, braille is the alphabet and numbers, designed primarily to be read by fingers rather than eyes.
There are a number of excellent ways to help you learn to read braille beginning with our Dot-to-dot for touch learners and Finger print for when you are ready for Grade two. Our braille product catalogue tells you everything we offer in braille.
Reading for children
With the help of great teaching aids from our educational resources shop, young readers will soon be hungry for books and magazines. Shared reading books make the perfect introduction to reading for young people and include large 16 point font, beautifully designed images with a braille overlay, most importantly fun books they will want to read again and again. Getting access to text books for all subjects is made easier with our Load to Learn service which is packed with books in electronic format which allow you to change the font and colour or have it read out loud with text to speech software.