The Talking Book Program (TBP) is one of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s most beloved programs. TBP provides free library services to qualifying Texans with visual, physical, or reading disabilities. TBP is part of the National Library Service to the Blind and Print Disabled, a program administered by the Library of Congress. While TBP is well-known for their assistance to those with visual disabilities, many people are unaware that TBP is also a great resource for students with dyslexia.
Alicia Topolnycky, TBP Engagement Specialist, sat down with us to talk about how TBP can help students with dyslexia.
Alicia Topolnycky, TBP Engagement Specialist
Q: In what ways can the Talking Book Program help students with dyslexia?
A: The Talking Book Program provides dyslexic students access to more than 169,000 audiobooks and audio magazines, completely free of charge. TBP’s collection includes literary classics that might be assigned reading at school, bestsellers, and fiction and nonfiction books in all genres, with more titles being added daily. The collection includes books for all ages and all reading levels. Students with dyslexia who listen to their books have an advantage in the classroom. Those who regularly listen to audiobooks can build better phonological awareness. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Central Arkansas found that reluctant readers who participated in an audiobook club at school became more excited about reading and their test scores improved. With TBP, a world of learning and imagination can open up for students with dyslexia.
Q: Who should schools contact here at TSLAC if they’d like to implement this program?
A: Schools can find the School Classroom Application Form on our website at www.texastalkingbooks.org. They will then email the completed form to our Reader Services team at tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov. If schools have any questions about signing up, they can call our team at 1-800-252-9605.
Q: Can parents also sign up for their child? How do you register?
A: To register, parents/guardians will need to submit an Individual Application form that states their child has a qualifying visual, physical, or reading disability. The form must then be certified by a non-family member called a “Certifying Authority,” who is any professional staff of a public or welfare agency, or any medical professional, who can confirm that the student’s disability prevents them from reading standard print materials.
Eligibility must be certified by one of the following: Doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, ophthalmologist, optometrist, psychologist, registered nurse, therapist, or professional staff of hospitals, institutions, public or welfare agencies (such as an educator, social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, certified reading specialist, school psychologist, superintendent, or librarian). Applications cannot be certified by family members.
The application form is available in English and Spanish, as a fillable PDF, on our website www.texastalkingbooks.org.
With TBP, a world of learning and imagination can open up for students with dyslexia.
Alicia Topolnycky
Q: How old do students need to be to qualify for the program? What documentation do they need?
A: There is no minimum age for patrons of the Talking Book Program. Parents do not need to include any medical documentation or health insurance information in their application. Simply fill out the easy four-page application form, get it certified by a Certifying Authority, and send it to us.
Q: What type of device do they need to have to run BARD, and what if they don’t have a compatible device?
A: Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) works on any smartphone or tablet that has the Apple App Store or Google Play Store; including Chromebooks. BARD Express is available on any Windows-based desktop or laptop personal computer. If you don’t have one of those compatible devices, we can mail you one of our Digital Talking Book Machines, or DTBMs, along with some cartridges that are loaded up with your favorite audiobooks. The DTBM works offline and on-the-go.
Q: How many students in Texas are using TBP in this way?
A: There are currently more than 6,000 patrons under the age of 18 actively using TBP all across Texas.
Q: What resources are available to students and teachers?
A: In addition to thousands of books and magazines in audio format, TBP provides physical large print books and large print accessible games. Students and teachers can also benefit from personalized service from reader consultants and librarians, who can create custom bibliographies on nearly any topic from our available titles. Bilingual staff is available to assist those patrons who speak Spanish.
Q: What is the most common question you are hearing from families and schools, about TBP for students with dyslexia?
A: Families and schools are curious about how TBP compares with other audiobook services, especially those aimed at students with reading disabilities, like Learning Ally and Bookshare. All three services are available only to students with qualifying disabilities, have a robust number of titles in their collection, and are compatible with many playback devices. All three never have wait times; unlike some local libraries that deliver audiobooks through Libby or Hoopla. The difference is TBP doesn’t have textbooks nor a read-along component (where the text of a book scrolls across the screen while the audiobook plays), while Bookshare and Learning Ally do.
Q: What else would you like to share with our readers?
A: TBP has a department called the Disability Information and Referral Center (DIRC) that offers health-related information and answers to questions about disabilities. They have information about dyslexia resources, scholarships/grants, local support groups, medical equipment, assistive technology and more. The DIRC can be contacted by anyone in the state of Texas: you do not need to be a registered patron of TBP to use the DIRC’s free reference service.
Q: Where should people go for more information?
A: For more information about the Talking Book Program, make sure you visit our website www.texastalkingbooks.org, or call our Reader Services team at 1-800-252-9605. To stay in the loop about book clubs, author talks, the summer reading program and more events and services, parents can sign up for either our adult or youth monthly email newsletter! Educators who are interested in attending a CPE-eligible comprehensive training on the Talking Book Program can contact me at atopolnycky@tsl.texas.gov.