Pilar Garcia said she wasn't impressed with the magnifying glass offered by technicians aboard the Braille Institute's Mobile Solutions Van.
Though she bought one of the hand-held devices, her real interest was in the books on tape and free tape recorders offered by the Santa Barbara-based institute.
It's difficult for the 86-year-old Fillmore woman to read, said her daughter, Alice Bilvado. Garcia is blind in one eye and has limited vision in the other.
Like others with severely impaired vision, Garcia doesn't have access to things that could make her life easier. That's where the institute's van, which travels as far as Palm Springs, comes in handy.