Authors and Publishers
CNIB is Canada's largest producer of alternative format materials offering access to thousands of titles in braille, printbraille and talking books; descriptive videos; newspapers; and magazines; as well as telephone, reference and online services. The collection consists of the type of books and reading materials found in a public library collection.
The Library exists to address barriers to access to information. Today, less than five per cent of published literature in Canada is available in formats that can be read by people living with vision loss, such as braille or audio.
CNIB also produces student materials via contractual agreements with the educational sector.
Three million people in Canada are print disabled (have a learning, visual, or physical disability that would prevent them from reading a book). The Library serves many of these Canadians through partnerships with public and academic libraries.
How the publishing community can increase access to information:
Three million people in Canada, and millions more worldwide, cannot read regular print due to a disability. As this market has the same reading and information needs as the general public, including the desire to purchase books, a significant market for published materials is largely ignored.
How can publishers decrease the information gap?
publishing at the source in audio, large print, accessible e-text, and even braille formats.
Provision of electronic text or audio files to alternate format producers to reduce time and labour in producing the book. This process is particularly crucial for student textbook materials.
Facilitate resource sharing globally among libraries serving people who have a print-disability. For example, the same book may be produced in braille in numerous countries. This is a barrier to decreasing the information gap.