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“To people without sight The Reader's Digest is like a wonderful friend who fills their hands with the treasures of instructive talk and world-wide news. For a few days each month, I am surrounded not by the half life of the dark, but the full, surging life of the world.”
—Helen Keller.
Since 1928, APH has provided publications free of charge to our nation's blind and visually impaired citizens through the generosity of our supporters. These three publications are provided free to eligible readers:
- Braille Reader's Digest® — over 1,600 readers per month.
- Recorded Reader's Digest® — over 26,000 readers per month.
- Newsweek® Talking Magazine — over 11,000 readers per week.
Additional projects receiving support include:
- Scholastic News® (formerly Weekly Reader®) (Subscriber must pay a fee for Scholastic News) — over 1,100 readers per week.
To subscribe to these magazines, please download and mail a copy of the Subscription Request Order Form (.txt). You may also subscribe by calling the APH Magazine Department toll free at 1-800-223-1839.
Reader's Digest and Newsweek are sent at no cost to eligible blind U.S. citizens living at home or abroad. The subscriber has the option to pay the subscription charge, but is under no obligation to do so; contributions to defray production costs are welcome—Donate now online. A friend or relative of the subscriber may send a gift subscription. The full charge must be paid for a gift subscription. Non-U.S. citizens must pay the full subscription charge.
For further questions, please contact the APH Magazine Department at 1-800-223-1839 or email magazines@aph.org.
Note that cassette editions require a special tape player that you can get from your state or regional library.
Reader's Digest®, Braille
$171.00 per year (optional donation)
- Contains the full contents of articles, with advertising removed, in three braille volumes.
- Transcribed in English Contracted Braille.
Reader's Digest® Talking Magazine, Cassette
$17.00 per year (optional donation)
- Contains the full articles with no advertising, on one 4-track, 15/16 inches per second cassette tape (requires a Talking Book-type tape player).
- The cassette becomes the property of the user and should not be returned to APH or your regional library.
Reader's Digest®, Large Print
Reader's Digest®, Large Print Edition is not published by APH. It is available directly from:
The Reader's Digest Large Print Edition
P.O. Box 8177
Red Oak, IA 51591
1-800-807-2780
www.rd.com
Newsweek® Talking Magazine, Cassette
$51.00 per year (optional donation)
- Contains the full contents of articles, with advertising removed, on one 4-track, 15/16 inches per second cassette tape (requires a Talking Book-type tape player).
- The cassette becomes the property of the user and should not be returned to APH or your regional library.
- No braille or large print editions of Newsweek® are available.
Scholastic News®, Large Print and Braille
Fees vary based on the edition
APH offers several versions of Scholastic News (formerly Weekly Reader) in both large print and braille. We offer: 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, Senior (Grades 4th, 5th, and 6th), Junior Scholastic and Science World.
For costs and subscription information, contact APH at 800-223-1839. Note that we do not offer Scholastic News free-of-charge.
How to Obtain a Talking Book-Type Tape Player
A Talking Book-type cassette tape player is designed to play specially recorded tapes that are available only to eligible readers. These players are available on a free loan basis from the library in your state that serves visually impaired or physically handicapped readers.
How You Can Help
Reader's Digest® on cassette and in braille and Newsweek® on cassette are available free of charge to qualified visually impaired or blind readers. This service is made possible by generous donors. Donate now online.