Report From Germany: “Accessible Libraries: ‘A Different Sense of Reading'”

From the OUP Blog:

The German Centre for Accessible Reading, dzb lesen, unites tradition with the modern world. Founded on 12 November 1894 as the German Central Library for the Blind, it has been a library for blind and visually impaired people for more than 125 years and is thus the oldest specialist library of its kind in Germany.

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In a nutshell, our vision is: we make reading possible. In order to bring our main principle to life, we work with accessibility always on our mind. Thus, dzb lesen enables numerous ways to access literature and information and tailors its activities to the individual interests and needs of its blind, visually impaired, and print-disabled users—anyone who cannot read the usual print. To fulfill our task, we collaborate in national and international networks and exchange experiences.

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An important concept for us is “Born Accessible Content,” inclusive publishing right from the source. The process has started but there still is a lack of basic understanding and necessary skills, which is why we make many training offers to publishers and libraries alike.

Learn More, Read the Complete Article (Approx. 900 words)

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