Helping people find their lives again - RNIB
Helping people find their lives again - RNIB
Helping people find their lives again - RNIB
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Focus on books<br />
Only five per cent of all books published make it into accessible<br />
formats and we continue to campaign for change and <strong>find</strong><br />
solutions for technical challenges. We made some excellent<br />
progress this year. In December JK Rowling’s latest book The<br />
Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in braille and DAISY on<br />
the same day as the standard print edition. All six books<br />
shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize were available in braille<br />
and giant print in time for the winner to be announced. Overall,<br />
the number of books published simultaneously in more than<br />
one format has dramatically increased from just eight in<br />
2006/07 to 300 by the end of 2008/09.<br />
We are working with leading publishers on an innovative new<br />
project called FOCUS to increase the number of large print<br />
books available on the high street. Currently over 50 bestsellers<br />
are available in bookshops as well as in braille from <strong>RNIB</strong>.<br />
Over 41,000 <strong>people</strong> are now listening to <strong>RNIB</strong> Talking Books –<br />
the highest number since the DAISY service began in 2002.<br />
Children with sight problems in Wales now have a wider<br />
selection of books to read. <strong>RNIB</strong> Cymru invited 7-15 year old<br />
children to record <strong>their</strong> favourite books in <strong>their</strong> own voice – now<br />
all are available in audio, braille and large print.<br />
TV<br />
<strong>RNIB</strong> played a crucial role in the design of the Government’s<br />
Targeted Help Scheme to help <strong>people</strong> get used to digital TV. The<br />
scheme is for registered blind or partially sighted <strong>people</strong> over<br />
75, and anyone in receipt of Attendance Allowance or Disability<br />
Living Allowance, to obtain and install the equipment needed to<br />
receive digital TV.<br />
Following discussions with <strong>RNIB</strong>, we were delighted that the<br />
broadcaster Sky agreed to audio describe 20 per cent of its TV<br />
programmes, double the amount currently required by law. In<br />
fact 15 per cent of all TV is now audio described and we are<br />
pushing to increase targets for all broadcasters to 20 per cent.<br />
The beautiful game<br />
Last year more football games were audio described for fans<br />
with sight loss than ever before. For the first time, fans in<br />
Northern Ireland were able to enjoy Soccer Sight’s quality live<br />
commentary, designed for <strong>people</strong> who cannot see what’s<br />
happening on the pitch, at all the international games.<br />
Our work in 2008/09 15
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