Eligibile individuals and/or institutions need only to print, fill out, and return an Application Form ( bottom of page) to LBPD in order to become certified to receive service.  The top portion of the form, the Certificate of Eligibility, must be signed by a "certifying authority" other than the applicant's immediate family.

Who is a "certifying authority"?

In cases of blindness, visual disability, or physical limitations, "certifying authority" is defined to include:

• Doctors of medicine and osteopathy
• Ophthamologists
• Optometrists
• Registered nurses
• Therapists
• Professional staffs of hospitals, institutions, and pulic wellfare agencies (e.g. social workers, case workers, counselors, home teachers, and superintendents)
• In the absense of any of these, the form can be signed by a professional librarian or by any person whose competence under specific circumstances is acceptible to the Library of Michigan Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped or by NLS ( contact LBPD if you have questions about "certifying authority")

In the case of a reading disability from organic dysfunction, "certifying authority" is defined as:

• Doctors of medicine or osteopathy ONLY, who may consult with colleagues in associated disciplines

Once the application has been received and approved by the Library, the applicant is contacted by telephone by a Library staff member to discuss the service and to answer questions.  Materials are generally mailed out to new consumers, free via the U.S. Postal Service, although consumers are encouraged to come into the Library to meet the staff and to learn how to operate the recorded cassette equipment.

Service can be provided on a temporary or permanent basis.  If an individual moves out of the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled service area, the service is transferred to the appropriate cooperating library in the National Library Service network.

Confidentiality

All records for registered individuals and institutions pertaining to this service are confidential.

Application Form (printable in 2 formats)

Print, fill out, and return the application form to LBPD.:
View/print the Library Application Form in the following formats:

• PDF version: opens in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Need Adobe Acrobat Reader? Click here to download it for free!
• HTML version: opens in your browser window

Note: it takes approximately one week to process a form once it is received by LBPD.

 
 
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