Amazon Partners with GLS to Distribute Devices in Support of Blind or Print Disabled Individuals
Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (GLS) is distributing Amazon Fire tablets and Echo devices to patrons who do not have access to devices for braille or audio books. The items are compatible with BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) and My Talking Books through Alexa. Amazon donated 100 devices to the nonprofit Friends of GLS, a volunteer group that supports GLS through fundraising and organizing social events for blind or print disabled individuals.
“The Amazon Fire tablets and Amazon Echo devices will enable patrons who might otherwise not be able to afford these items to access reading materials through Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled,” said Kristin White, director of GLS. “We are grateful to Amazon for this impactful donation.”
“At Amazon, our culture is built around solving problems, and working side-by-side with community partners like GLS, to provide solutions and services to our communities,” said Terreta Rodgers, head of Community Affairs, Atlanta Region. “Through this donation, we are helping Georgians leverage technology to improve daily living, enhance independence, and explore new ways of using Amazon technology.”
Patrons in need of a device can request one by contacting Kristin White at (404) 231-7155 or applying here: forms.gle/ZfuGmHctrGSmizwy5. GLS will complete a short interview and application with each patron that will be forwarded to the Friends of GLS Board for review during their monthly meetings. Patrons will be notified within a month of applying if they have been chosen to receive a device.
GLS will provide devices until they run out.
“I will be using the Fire tablet to access the BARD app, and since it’s an Amazon device, I’ll be using the Kindle app to access other books,” said Danny Housley, a GLS patron who received a device. “With these devices, people will have a new way to access information.”
Bridgette Suttle also received a Fire tablet. “I appreciate Amazon and GLS for this Fire tablet because it will make the books I love to read easy to access,” she said. “I will also be able to access the internet and shop. I’m grateful for this wonderful opportunity.”
Georgia Library Service (GLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled is a free braille and talking book library service for individuals who are blind or whose physical abilities require the use of books and magazines in audio, braille or other adapted formats. GLS may be contacted at 1-800-248-6701 or [email protected]. Visit GLS Atlanta Library on the first floor of One Margaret Mitchell Square, NW in Atlanta.
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon.
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