By Athina Karolidou
In a landmark step towards greater inclusivity, an agreement signed towards the end of 2023 between the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) of the United Kingdom and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has significantly expanded access to literature and education for the blind and print-disabled communities globally. By joining WIPO's Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) Global Book Service, the RNIB has added its ever-growing collection of accessible books to the ABC catalogue, raising the total number of available titles to 1 million, with many promises to continue on the same path and to add more in the future.
WIPO’S ABC Global Book Service was specifically established for making published works accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted. A wide assortment of materials and genres are provided in multiple formats, with the main ones being braille, audio, large print and eBooks. Due to this service, print-disabled individuals have the opportunity to peruse not only fiction but also educational textbooks, resource papers and children’s books.
Alison Long, the Director of Consumer and Business Services at RNIB, publicly declared that the RNIB is “thrilled to join ABC’s Global Book Service to increase the number of accessible books available for blind and partially sighted readers. We are advancing our shared goal of making books and educational materials available to everyone, regardless of their abilities and linguistic background. Knowledge and stories can be enjoyed by all, and play a vital role in creating a more inclusive society.”
The significance of such an initiative becomes clearer and can be even better appreciated considering the vast number of people affected by visual impairments worldwide. According to a study published in The Lancet in 2017, an estimated 253 million people globally live with some form of visual impairment, of which 36 million are completely blind. Due to the fact that, historically, making books accessible in different formats was not at the forefront of society’s mind, the World Blind Union (WBU) estimates that people who are blind in developing countries have only a one in ten chance of getting an education and thus progressing into a satisfying lifelong professional career.
It’s easy to understand how making the written word accessible plays an indispensable role in fostering inclusion and providing equal access to information, education and entertainment for people with disabilities. With initiatives such as this one, accessible books have become available for people all over the world to enjoy as these books are offered online and in more than eighty languages.
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