Reading Support

[jesse_the_k]

I have difficulty reading print books. Holding them and turning pages are painful. My optimal reading distance is around 2 feet (any closer and my eyes cross). Here's how I cope:

When I’m seated:

The Atlas book stand, which handily supports anything from a piece of paper to a dictionary. I use this for newspapers, comics, paperbacks, hardbacks and my iPad for when I read the web and ebooks.

When I’m reclining.

The LEVO G2 tablet stand with dual clamp tablet cradle holds my iPad. The clamp is strong enough (and the adjustment flexible enough) that I can read it overhead when I’m lying down. I've finally updated to iOS 13, and I can now read hands-free: once I'm in a book, I can announce "swipe right" to get to the next page.

When my eyes are tired.

I read with my ears! What my library doesn't have, Libro.fm can usually supply me.

What are your reading hacks?

ETA update Atlas link 23 February 25

Comments

eyeballs why you bad???

[esteefee]

awesome resources, thanks.

Re: eyeballs why you bad???

[jesse_the_k]

...to answer the question, so we can look totally spiffy in our glasses?

Re: eyeballs why you bad???

[esteefee]

that's true, I have many awesome frames.

[sonia]

Good to know about some options! I discovered recently that my right arm doesn't like extended periods of holding up a binder full of sheet music. I'm hoping it recovers fully, but meanwhile I discovered that holding up a paperback book is pretty much the same motion, therefore ouchy. Bodies, *sigh*.

[jesse_the_k]

Holding a binder full of music sounds exhausting. An accordion-playing friend of mine has designed a "monopod" that screws in to the bottom of her accordion, which has enabled her to continue performing for the last 30 years.

Music stands are wonderful things!

[sonia]

The monopod is cool!

A few folks use music stands in rehearsal, but the space is crowded and we were always tripping over them. If I had been having an otherwise wonderful time, I would have added my folding music stand to the stuff I carry to rehearsal on my bike, and added setup and takedown time to arrival and departure fussing. But it's not currently worth it to me.

[mdlbear]

Good set of links. I've been known to use either a music stand, or a tablet holder on a mic stand boom.

[jesse_the_k]

In fact, music stands are the ancestor of my tablet stand -- my dual squeeze-cam controlled arms are an improvement over the knurled-sleeve versions I remember when I was adjusting the mic stand (always lower).

[jesse_the_k]

COLLET!

(That's the name of the knurled sleeve.)

/had to consult with MyGuy, a former engineer.)

[vass]

Those are good technologies!

I haven't actually found anything particularly helpful for me.

But I do want to flag up one I saw on Twitter or Tumblr or somewhere: some people simply cut their large mass market paperbacks' spines and tape them up, so now it's a two volume or three volume novel. This horrifies people, of course. But if it's one's own book, and it helps, why the hell not? I am eyeing my copy of Marx's Capital speculatively.

That's a brilliant approach!

[jesse_the_k]

Because paperbacks work best when the spine is thinner than 2cm.

Who better than Marx to divide the wealth among all readers?

[bibliofile]

I know a couple-few people who find audiobooks (ebook or otherwise) much more suitable than anything on paper.

Yay for stands to hold your devices for you.

Indeed.

[jesse_the_k]

In fact, I have just qualified for Bookshare.org, which provides ebook access -- parallel to the Library of Congress' accessible services
https://www.loc.gov/nls/

LOC does audio and braille; Bookshare does ebook. LOC qualifications are mutually exclusionary: vision OR physical impairment, while Bookshare acknowledges my reality, vision AND physical disability.

Capitalism, amirite?

[dirty_diana]

mostly audiobooks at the moment. I have a bed desk too, which isn't specific to book reading but helps me look at my screen from bed.

[lightgetsin]

Are you eligible to get services from the National Library Service? They say "for the blind and dyslexic" but I have heard secondhand that they are a bit more inclusive than that. Can't promise, though, and it may depend on whom you ask. In any event, if you are, it's a tremendously useful library of nearly 100,000 audiobooks. I mostly download directly to my phone. They get many books direct from publishers now.

[jesse_the_k]

In fact, I have just qualified for Bookshare.org, which provides ebook access. NLS qualifications are mutually exclusionary: vision OR physical impairment, while Bookshare acknowledges my reality, vision AND physical disability.

Also NLS does braille and audio, while Bookshare does ebooks.

Capitalism, amirite?

[lightgetsin]

Yes, bookshare is also good. I was a member for about ten years (and I actually went into their office in Palo Alto a few times when I lived out there and did some volunteering) but I don't read as many ebooks these days. They are good people over there.