Countdown star Rachel Riley has launched RNIB Read to help make more books accessible for blind and partially sighted people.
To celebrate the revolutionary braille system, RNIB is calling on people across the UK to ‘wear dots and raise lots’ in October to support the charity’s work making more books accessible for blind and partially sighted people.
Rachel said:
I can’t imagine not being able to read any book I want at any time; to me it seems simple that everyone should have that right.
It’s really easy to take part in RNIB Read this month and help make a big difference to people who are blind and partially sighted. Simply gather your friends and colleagues, wear dots and raise lots!
Every 15 minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight and there are an estimated two million people who are living with sight loss.
Many people with sight loss feel cut off from the world around them, or that they’re unable to take part in activities outside the home. That’s why being able to get lost in a good book is so important and we’re passionate about making reading more accessible for blind and partially sighted people. For children, books are a vital educational tool and without them, their learning and social development will be disadvantaged.
However, there is a significantly limited choice of books available to blind and partially sighted people with the latest statistics revealing that just seven per cent of books are fully accessible.
RNIB offers a range of reading services including fiction and non-fiction for all ages. Their National Library Service is the largest library in the UK for readers with sight loss and issues more than 1.5 million books every year in braille, giant print and audio. The charity has also recently launched RNIB Overdrive, a brand new online library service which provides access to the charity’s collection of 23,000 unabridged audio books for download onto PC, tablet or mobile devices.
RNIB Read aims to raise money to help the charity continue to make more books available for people with sight loss. In addition to developing its own libraries, this involves working closely with the publishing and ebook industry to ensure that new books can be enjoyed by everyone.
A fundraising pack crammed with fun ideas and tips is available on the RNIB Read website and it couldn’t be easier to get involved. Visit www.readforrnib.org.uk or telephone 0845 345 0054
Countdown’s Rachel Riley wears dots to support RNIB Read