COLONIAL PARK, Pa. — With help from local organizations, Dauphin County residents with blindness and visual impairments now will have improved access to reading and other materials through Dauphin County Library System.
The new state-of-the-art equipment is a result of a partnership between three local Lions Clubs who joined forces to raise the money; Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation, provider of a matching grant; and Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania, which trained staff on how to assist users.
The effort raised $3,700, enough for all the equipment.
“As we celebrate National Library Week with this year’s theme ‘There’s More to the Story,’ it’s fitting that we introduce equipment to ensure everyone can enjoy the stories and information the library has to offer,’’ said Karen Cullings, executive director of Dauphin County's Library System.
The high-tech reading equipment includes a computer and software with the latest magnifying and text-to-speech capabilities. With the new equipment, residents can have printed materials magnified or voiced, access websites, and scan important materials.
Roughly 6,000 Lower Paxton Township residents are visually impaired or blind, and another 2,000 have reading impairments, said Richard Krieger, Lower Paxton Township Lions Club Treasurer.
“There is a need,” Krieger said, adding the Lions hope to continue partnering with the library on future projects. “We put our heads together and our resources. The equipment offers ease of use and a huge screen and has a lot of capabilities.’’
Having the equipment freely available also lets residents with blindness or visual impairments from throughout Dauphin County decide whether to acquire it for home use.
“Today’s technology opens a world of reading for fun and self-sufficiency, but access remains a challenge,” Cullings said. “This equipment opens a new door to reading for Dauphin County’s thousands of residents with blindness or visual impairments.”
