Innovative Practice 2020 on Inclusive Education and ICT
Providing accessible books and learning materials to blind students
| Name of Innovative Practice: | Audiobook Programme |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) |
| Country of Implementation | Bangladesh/ Chittagong |
| Start Year | 2013 |
PROBLEMS TARGETED
Students with visual impairments in colleges and universities of Bangladesh have difficulties in studying due to a lack of accessible books and study materials.
SOLUTION, INNOVATION, AND IMPACT
The project uses international publishing standards, such as Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY), Electronic Publishing (EPUB 3.0), and open-source technology, to convert textbooks into accessible formats. College and university students can access either e-books that are readable through any screen reading software, or audio versions of books, making it a cost-effective solution for accessing educational reading material. The project is run by a team composed of over 80 per cent people with disabilities.
YPSA also works closely with Bookshare, a virtual library of accessible books (another Innovative Practice of the Zero Project 2020), and the Accessible Book Consortium, a global alliance of organizations working to make books accessible to persons with disabilities. Through this global cooperation, the project has created an immense library of already-accessible books available to students in Bangladesh, benefiting more than 10,000 people.
The organization has also made suggestions to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board on accessible publishing.
Recording an audio book.
FUNDING, OUTLOOK AND TRANSFERABILITY
There is no charge to the end user for the books as the project is funded by external donors, most notably the World Intellectual Property Organization (a body of the United Nations) and the Accessible Book Consortium. YPSA also received technical assistance and training from the DAISY Consortium and a2i (Access to Information) of the Bangladesh Government.
YPSA plans to make more books accessible and to make them more widely available. The Government of Bangladesh funds many such initiatives under the banner of Digital Bangladesh. YPSA is also working to establish a National Accessible Library to make more books available to everyone.
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