JBI International (established in 1931 as the Jewish Braille Institute of America), is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides materials in Braille, on audio cassette and in large print to the blind, visually impaired and reading and physically disabled worldwide. All services are free of any charge.

The JBI Library provides the visually impaired, blind, physically handicapped and reading disabled of all backgrounds and ages with books, magazines and cultural programs in Audio (in 7 languages), in Large Print and in Braille. Its unique programs enrich the lives of 35,000 individuals around the world.

The JBI Library provides its readers with a collection ranging from mystery novels to cookbooks to timely topics such as the production of biological weapons. It also offers a broad spectrum of fiction, biography, history, Holocaust studies, short stories, psychology and self-help, memoirs, humor and more. The JBI Library contains the largest collection of Jewish interest books (very broadly defined) for the blind and visually impaired in the world and is the only resource of its kind.

The JBI Library is an Affiliated Library of the Library of Congress and all of its services and materials are free of charge to those eligible.

There are various volunteer oppotunities available for those who wish to record books and magazines for the disabled. The library records approximately 300 books a year, including foreign titles. Apart from English, books have been recorded in Russian, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Hebrew and Yiddish.

Contact information

JBI INTERNATIONAL
110 East 30th Street
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: 212-889-2525
Fax: 212-689-3692
Toll Free: 1-800-433-1531

Source: Jewish Braille Institute International

American Jewish Organizations: Jewish Braille Institute International