Imagine walking into your favourite library or bookshop, eagerly selecting the latest books from your cherished authors, and then borrowing or purchasing them with ease. For a sighted person, this scenario is an everyday reality. However, for many blind individuals, it remains a distant dream.
The Current State of Accessible Books
Depending on where you live, novels and other books are typically not available for blind people and those with print disabilities. It is estimated that less than 10% of books are accessible to blind individuals, although this statistic may be somewhat outdated. Regardless, this figure highlights the need to prioritise accessibility in publishing this form of literature. The lack of accessible books poses a significant barrier to obtaining an education and leading a full, independent and productive life.
Worldwide Vision Impairment Statistics
Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a visual impairment, which includes conditions ranging from mild vision problems to severe vision loss. This number is expected to rise dramatically in the coming decades due to factors like ageing populations and increased prevalence of eye conditions. These ailments can be caused by various factors such as limited access to eye care, malnutrition, and deficiency of essential vitamins, among others.
Economic and Social Inequalities
Vision impairment can vary significantly between and within countries due to disparities in the availability, affordability of eye care services, and education levels. In low and middle-income countries, unoperated cataracts are a leading cause of vision impairment, whereas in high-income countries, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration are more prevalent.
Regrettably, vision loss is linked to socioeconomic disadvantage; 90% of people with vision loss live in low to middle-income countries. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that only about a third of the countries worldwide have copyright provisions that enable books and other materials to be converted into accessible formats for the blind.
The Marrakesh Treaty
Recognising the urgent need for reform, a convening in Marrakesh, Morocco, was organised to address book famine by permitting the exchange of copyright-protected works globally. In 2016, approximately 120 countries ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, which is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
This groundbreaking global agreement expanded the scope for converting literary and musical works into accessible formats for people who are visually impaired or print-disabled individuals. Additionally, the works covered under the treaty include ebooks, audiobooks, newspapers, journals, illustrations and images.
Accessible Book Consortium: Bringing Reading to the Blind
To implement the Marrakesh Treaty, WIPO set up the Accessible Book Consortium (ABC). The consortium’s mission is to increase the global availability of books in accessible formats – such as braille, audio, e-text, and large print – and to ensure these materials are available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print-disabled.
The World Blind Union is one of many organisations advocating for accessible books and is an integral member of the consortium. Through the ABC, WIPO has printed textbooks in accessible formats for the blind in India, created a digital library for the blind in Argentina and promoted inclusive publishing work in Mexico.
A Milestone in Human Rights
Beneficiaries of the treaty have highlighted that it represents more than just an agreement about books; it is a landmark human rights achievement. Acknowledging this, music legend Stevie Wonder addressed delegates at the United Nations in New York during an event commemorating Nelson Mandela International Day in 2016.
“…I believe we must make this technology more available and accessible to every single blind person or person with disability all over the world.”
Cobhams Asuquo, a blind performing artiste and UNICEF Ambassador, highlighted the importance of this issue during the ABC’s 10th anniversary in Switzerland in April. Explaining why this issue is so critical, he said, the work the ABC does “is levelling the playing field” and removing reading barriers for the blind.
Charting a Course for Tomorrow
By removing these barriers, we pave the way for a future where, when you visit a bookstore, you might see a blind person immersed in a piece of literature. This possibility could extend even to developing countries across the globe.