In Yekaterinburg, Russia, a campaign titled “Talking Book” aims to increase the access of literary works to people with vision disabilities.
The initiative, launched by the regional office of the National Council for Corporate Volunteering (NSCV), involves corporate volunteers translating literary classics from print to audio in the recording studio of the Sverdlovsk Regional Library for the Blind.
Over 170 volunteers from 14 different companies have already joined the project.
Literature by Vladimir Ocheretin, German Drobiz, Nikolai Nikonov, Mamin-Sibiryak, Mikhail Naiditsch will be made available for listening by about 10,000 users on a special device called tifloflash player.
“The choice of the authors is not accidental. These are our Ural writers and poets. We strive to ensure that as many of our readers as possible have the opportunity to get acquainted with their work. Specific works have not previously been translated into formats accessible to people with visual impairments, so we welcome the support of volunteers,” said Anastasia Kharlamtseva, head of the publishing and media technologies department at the Sverdlovsk Regional Library for the Blind.
The “Talking Book” project will run from June to November 2021. Its results will be announced on November 13, 2021, coinciding with the International Day of the Blind.
