It's called the great book famine.
Many visually impaired people do not have the same access to newly released books according to the Association of Research Libraries, and only seven per cent of books are published with accessibility options.
But despite the data, according to The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA), reading resources for visually impaired and disabled Canadians are growing by the day.
“Canada has a fairly robust system between publishers, CELA, and the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS), so within the accessible reading ecosystem, Canada is pretty well served,” said CELA communications manager Karen McKay.
NNELS provides an accessible library for reading disabled individuals similar to CELA, and McKay said that the acquisition of accessible readings for CELA and NNELS is becoming more streamlined each year with the biggest challenge being production.
The worldwide lack of braille book production vastly called “braille book famine” has been studied for many years and is a real challenge that CELA faces, according to McKay. However, McKay explained that making braille 30 years ago was much more of a barrier for authors or publishers due to the expensive cost and long process, but now, modern technology and organizations are able to break down the barrier.
CELA has provided a collection of accessible readings for individuals with “print disabilities” since 2014. McKay said that the Canadian Copyright Act (CCA) defines a print disability as a visual, physical, or mental disability that prevents an individual from reading traditional print. The CCA allows CELA to reproduce published material into alternative formats, and CELA guidelines also permit temporary access for individuals with temporary print disabilities.
But print is not the only option. According to McKay, CELA has over one million public library books and 150 magazines in their collection converted into braille, audio, PDF ePublications, and other formats such as virtual braille.
Technology influencing brail production
The CNIB's Beyond Print (Formerly Canadian National Institute for the Blind) are Canada’s braille experts as the only certifying body in the country for braille production under Braille Literacy Canada, according to CNIB Beyond Print director Christen Thomas.
“We're on a mission to ensure that Canadian readers with print disabilities have access to all kinds of reading materials from books, to magazines, and other information, and this really enables people to ensure their education, entertainment, and general engagement in society,” said Thomas.
With over a century of braille and accessible reading production experience, CNIB Beyond Print creates audiobooks, braille, ebooks, and electronic braille for libraries such as CELA and NNELS across Canada according to Thomas.
Veteran CNIB volunteer and CNIB national braille convener, Darleen Bogart, explained that the CNIB Beyond Print has revolutionized braille education by providing a transcription program with 22 lessons across 15 hours a week.
People around the world have access to the program, and students receive reports by email that must be perfect before advancing to the next lessons in order to ensure total accuracy.
However, Bogart said that instead of using a manual brailler like in the past, a six-keyed keyboard for creating braille cells allows for much greater accuracy and ease of use compared to the beginning of braille writing.
“It saves so much time, it's incredible,” said Bogart. “Plus the fact that if you make an error, you can catch it, you can change it – the old way you’d have to start all over again.”
Thomas also said that an increased awareness surrounding accessibility has allowed funding to launch innovations in braille such as a digital braille reading device that can convert any text into braille.
But despite the growing awareness of braille book famine and the state of accessible reading, Thomas believes there is still work to be done.
“There's still tons of work to do, but we are seeing momentum, and there's more awareness in general about the importance of this work too,” said Thomas.
For more information on the Centre for Equitable Library Access, please visit https://celalibrary.ca/.
For more information on the National Network for Equitable Library Service, please visit https://www.nnels.ca/. And for information on CNIB Beyond Print, please visit https://cnib-beyondprint.ca/about-us/.
