Who doesn’t like to read? A little free time in the evening or at noon, and soon you reach for your newspaper, a newspaper, a book or who knows a course. People with a visual impairment also enjoy reading. They use their fingers (Braille books) or ears (Daisy audiobooks) for this, and for the visually impaired, there is literature in large print. And of course digital reading can no longer be ignored for this target group. Through this adapted reading, blind and partially sighted people participate fully in society. A few turnover centers and libraries ensure that you do not have to get bored if you can no longer see (well).
- Possibilities for reading restriction: Reading in Braille, large print and spoken reading
- Christian Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBB)
- Dedicon, read without limits
- Multi-text
- Library service Fit Reading
- Tactile View: Convert images to relief
Possibilities for reading restriction: Reading in Braille, large print and spoken reading
In almost all Flemish and Dutch libraries there is a range of large print books and sometimes limited audiobooks or even some Daisy books. For a very large selection of books and adaptations if you are visually limited, you can contact various specialized organizations such as turnover centers and libraries.
Blind and visually impaired people have various options for reading:
- With a video magnifier / TV reading magnifier
- With a braille display and / or speech synthesizer and / or magnification program on the computer
- With a Daisy player (device, app, smartphone, …)
- With an independent and compact reading device
They can do this at various organizations and libraries.
Christian Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBB)
The CBB from Ermelo mainly makes Christian newspapers and magazines available in spoken and digital form, in Braille and in large print. If you would like to read diaries, the Bible, psalm books, songbooks and other Christian publications, the CBB is the right place. It is possible to request a catalog from the CBB free of charge. The Passend Lezen library service also cooperates with the CBB, because the CBB produces books in spoken form and newspapers and magazines in Braille and large print for them. In addition, the CBB also converts church literature into different reading forms for companies, governments, other organizations and associations.
Dedicon, read without limits
The largest turnover organization in the Netherlands makes adapted reading forms for all people with a reading disability. Dedicon offers a range of books, magazines, newspapers and magazines. Based in Grave, Dedicon uses spoken, digital, magnified and Braille formats to convert material for school, work or leisure. In addition, Dedicon makes sheet music in Braille and spoken form available for musicians with a visual handicap. Finally, Dedicon has various tactile books and children’s books in large print in the range for children.
Multi-text
Multitekst (http://www.multitekst.eu) from Wijk Bij Duurstede was founded by a blind man who converts texts for fellow sufferers into digital, spoken or Braille format or large print. Multi-text also corrects digital texts.
Library service Fit Reading
The Passend Reading library service from The Hague is open to anyone with a reading disability. Not only visually handicapped readers can go here, but dyslexics or bedridden persons, for example, are also very welcome. The organization offers tens of thousands of books that you can order from home. But newspapers and magazines are also available in all types of reading formats. You can even download radio plays from the site. The organization is also committed to converting literature into large print, spoken form and Braille, for example articles, inserts, letters, contracts, instructions for use, meeting documents, … In addition, it is possible to have all kinds of maps and plans printed, if necessary combined with large print. Finally, it is possible to register as a customer of the Library Service Passend Lezen via the website.
Tactile View: Convert images to relief
Sometimes it is difficult or impossible to read images for partially sighted or blind students. The company “Thinkable” (http://thinkable.nl) from Huissen has devised a solution for this. Tactile View is special software that converts images into relief for people with a visual impairment. Relief images can be scanned and interpreted by this target group. A comprehensive international web catalog is available for this purpose, although it is also possible to print images on swelling paper. The image is then drawn with a special black or dark gray marker on swelling paper that you can put in an oven. The image comes out as a relief image after heating. The software is accessible to blind and partially sighted persons via a screen reader, but also to sighted persons by means of the mouse or keyboard. Moreover, you can simplify the image via various drawing tools and the image can be printed on almost any Braille printer. The software is already available in many languages, only needs to be purchased and activated once via e-mail and supports numerous file formats as well as operating systems.