USEFUL CONTACTS
Talking books. There are good opportunities at the local libraries for borrowing audio tape recordings of books, especially novels. There is also a local mobile library service in Salford under the books@home scheme whereby the housebound or visually-impaired can choose books in their own home - contact 0161-792-0190.
infosound brings free, accessible, impartial and relevant information to vision-impaired people across the UK, irrespective of how long they have lived with sight loss. They provide this information in audio (mainly by interviewing people who have something to say) and everything they provide is also freely available to anyone who is related to, who cares for, or who supports a sight-impaired person in any way. info@infosound.org.uk Phone No: 01273 301222
The Royal National Institute for the Blind runs a Talking Books service. Contact www.rnib.org.uk and follow their links online. They have a very wide range of books and are constantly adding to it. You can order online if you wish. The RNIB helpline is 0303 123 9999 – for general enquiries also.
Calibre. This organisation also lends audio books on cassette and MP3 disks, fiction and non-fiction. This service is totally free to people with disabilities. Contact http://www.calibre.org.uk online or telephone 01296 432 339
The National Talking Newspapers and Magazines produce audio versions of a wide range of national newspapers and magazines of general interest. It is a 12-month subscription service but only half the costs involved are passed on to the customer. Contact via or telephone 01435 866 102.
Henshaws - sometimes called hsbp (Henshaw’s society for blind people). Its main office is in Manchester. It ‘aims to make a difference locally with services that respond to need’. There are leisure and social groups; information and advice for the visually impaired is also available. Contact www.henshaws.org.uk or telephone 0161 872 1234.
Do you have visually disabled friends in other parts of the country? Salford Talking News is a member of the national Talking News Federation which supports local talking newspapers across the country. It can give you information about newstapes available in other areas. Contact www.tnf.org.uk online or telephone 0871 226 5506.
See also our Salford City Contacts page.