The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) is a public-private partnership which was launched in 2014 by the World Intellectual Property Organization. The ABC was created with the intent of being "one possible initiative, amongst others, to implement the aims of the Marrakesh VIP Treaty at a practical level." ABC's goal is "to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats – such as braille, audio, e-text, and large print and to make them available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled."
Context The World Health Organization estimated in 2018 that worldwide 253 million people are visually impaired, with more than 90% of them living in developing and least developed countries. The World Blind Union (WBU) estimates that only 10% of people who are blind are able to go to school or have employment. World Blind Union (WBU) estimates that less than 10% of all published materials can be read by people who are blind or visually impaired, with the lack of accessible books being a significant barrier to getting an education and leading an independent life.
Work The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) operates through three channels:
The ABC Global Book Service: hosting an online platform that allows for the cross-border exchange of books in accessible formats. The Service contains over one million titles in over 80 languages, with English, French and Spanish being the predominant languages. Training and Technical Assistance: establishing projects in developing and least-developed countries to "provide training and funding for the production of educational materials in accessible formats in national languages for students who are print disabled." Accessible Publishing: promoting the production of "born accessible" publications by all publishers. Born accessible books are usable by both people who are print disabled or sighted. ABC encourage accessible publishing through the ABC Charter for Accessible Publishing and the ABC International Excellence Award, which 'recognizes outstanding leadership and achievements in advancing the accessibility of digital publications'''.
Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) Global Book Service The ABC Global Book Service is a free service that puts into practice the provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty. It allows participating libraries for the blind, referred to in the Marrakesh Treaty as Authorized Entities (AEs), to search, order and exchange books in accessible digital formats across national borders. Through the Service, Authorized Entities that are located in countries that have implemented the provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty are able to perform these exchanges without requiring further authorization from rights holders.
Through their participation in the Service, AEs are able to make the accessible books that are shared by all other AEs available to their own patrons. By pooling their collective resources in this way, libraries can vastly increase their selection of books in large-print, audio books, digital braille and braille music.
In April 2021, ABC launched an additional application that allows individuals who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled to have direct access to search and download books in accessible formats from the ABC Global Book Service. This new application is offered to Authorized Entities located in countries that have ratified and implemented the provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty.
List of authorized entities that have joined the ABC Global Book Service CountryOrganizationAntigua and BarbudaThe Unit for the Blind and Visually Impaired (UBV)ArgentinaAsociación Civil Tiflonexos (Tiflonexos)AustraliaVisAbilityVision Australia (VA)AustriaHörbücherei (HBOE)BangladeshYoung Power in Social Action (YPSA)BelgiumLuisterpuntbibliotheek previously known as Flemish Library for Audiobooks and Braille LPB L'CEuvre Nationale des Aveugles (EQLA)Ligue Braille (LBB) BhutanThe Muenselling Institute (MI) Bolivia (Plurinational State of)Instituto Boliviano de la Ceguera (IBC)BrazilFundação Dorina Nowill para CegosBulgariaThe National Library for the Blind "Louis Braille 1928"Burkina FasoUnion Nationale Des Associations Burkinabé pour la Promotion des Aveugles et Malvoyants (UNABPAM)CanadaBC Libraries Cooperative 2009, National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS)Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec (BAnQ)Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA)ChileBiblioteca Central para Ciegos (BCC)Fundación Chile, Música y Braille ChinaChina Braille LibraryChina Braille Press ColombiaInstituto Nacional para Ciegos (INCI) CroatiaCroatian Library for the Blind (CLB)CyprusPancyprian Organization of the Blind Czech RepublicCzech Blind United (SONS) DenmarkDanish National Library for Persons with Print Disabilities (NOTA)Dominican RepublicAsociación de Ciegos del Cibao de la República Dominicana (ACICIRD) Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (BNPHU)Fundación Francina Hungría (FFH) EgyptBiblioteca Alexandrina (BA)EstoniaThe Estonian Library for the Blind (EPR)FinlandCelia Library (CELIA)FranceAccompagner Promouvoir et Intégrer les Déficients Visuels (previously known as Groupement des Intellectuels Aveugles ou Amblyopes) (apiDV)Association Valentin Haüy (AVH)BrailleNetGroupement des Intellectuels Aveugles ou Amblyopes (GIAA)GermanyGerman Center for Accessible Reading (previously known as German Central Library for the Blind) (DZB)GreeceThe Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL-Link) (AMELIB) GuatemalaBenemérito Comité Pro Ciegos y Sordos de Guatemala (BCPCSG) HungaryThe Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (MVGYOSZ)IcelandThe Icelandic Talking Book Library (HBS)IndiaDAISY Forum of India (DFI)Chennai Publishing Services IrelandNCBI Library and Media Center (NCBI)IsraelThe Central Library for Blind and Reading Impaired People (CLFB)JamaicaJamaican Society for the Blind (JSB)JapanNational Diet Library (NDL)National Association of Institutions of Information Service for Visually Impaired Persons (NAIIV)KazakhstanThe Republican Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired CitizensKenyaKenya Institute for the Blind (KIB) KyrgyzstanThe Library and Information Consortium (AFB)LatviaLatvian Library for the Blind (LNerB)LithuaniaLithuanian Library for the Blind (LAB)MalawiUniversity of Malawi, Chancellor College (UOFM)MalaysiaSt. Nicholas' Home, Penang (SNH)MaltaMalta Libraries (ML)MexicoDiscapacitados Visuales I.A.P. (DIVIAP) Republic of MoldovaNational Information and Rehabilitation Center of the "Association of the Blind People of Moldova"MongoliaThe Mongolian National Federation of the Blind (MNFB) The Braille and Digital Library for Blind, Metropolitan Library of Ulaanbaatar (UBPL)MyanmarMyanmar National Association of the Blind (MNAB)NepalAction on Disability Rights and Development (ADRAD) NetherlandsBibliotheekservice Passend Lezen (BPL)DediconNew ZealandBlind Low Vision NZ previously known as Blind Foundation (BLVNZ)NigerL'Union Nationale des Aveugles du Niger (UNAN) Nigeria NorwayNorwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille (NLB)PakistanThe Pakistan Foundation Fighting Blindness (PFFB) PalestinePalestine Association of Visually Impaired Persons (PAVIP)PolandCentral Library of Labour and Social Security (DZDN)PortugalBiblioteca Nacional de Portugal (BNP)QatarQatar National Library (QNL)Republic of KoreaNational Library for the Disabled in Korea (NLD) RomaniaFundația Cartea Călătoare (FCC) Republic of MoldovaNational Information and Rehabilitation Center of the "Association of the Blind People of Moldova"Russian FederationBashkir Republican Special Library for the Blind named after Makarim Husainovich TukhvatshinRussian State Library for the Blind (RGBS)St. Petersburg Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SPB)Saint LuciaSt. Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA) Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesThe National Public Library of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (NPLSG)Sierra LeoneEducational Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ECBVI)South AfricaSouth African Library for the Blind (SALB)SpainOrganización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE)Sri LankaDaisy Lanka Foundation (DLF) SwedenSwedish Agency for Accessible Media (MTM)SwitzerlandBiblioteca Braille e del libro parlato della Unitas (UNITAS)Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA)Bibliothèque Sonore Romande (BSR)SBS Swiss Library for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Print Disabled (SBS)TajikistanThe National Library of Tajikistan ThailandNational Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, TAB Foundation (TAB) The Christian Foundation for the Blind in Thailand (CFBT) TunisiaLoisirs et Cultures pour les Non et Malvoyants (IBSAR)Bibliothèque nationale de Tunisie (BNT)UgandaUganda National Association of the Blind (UNAB)UkraineOstrovskyi Central Specialized Library for the Blind (CLBU)United Kingdom Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)Torch Trust for the Blind (TT)United States of AmericaCalifornia State Library, Braille and Talking Book Library (CSL)The Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS)American Printing House for the Blind (APH)Braille Institute of America (BIA) UruguayFundación Braille de Uruguay (FBU)Viet NamSao Mai Vocational and Assistive Technology Center for the Blind (SMCB)ZimbabweZimbabwe National League of the Blind (ZNLB)
Training and Technical Assistance The Accessible Books Consortium provides training and technical assistance to organizations in developing and least developed countries on the production of accessible format books. According to the ABC: "the ABC model for capacity building aims to equip organizations in developing and least developed countries with the ability to produce educational materials in national languages to be used by primary, secondary and university students who are print disabled." This allows participating organizations to convert textbooks into accessible formats, such as DAISY, ePUB3, and digital braille. Such assistance has been provided to organizations including in Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
In February 2021, ABC launched an online course providing similar training on the production of books in accessible formats, in part to 'ensure the continuation of its assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic'''.
Accessible publishing The Accessible Books Consortium encourages the production of accessible eBooks through the use of the accessibility features of the EPUB3 standard.
ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing List of winners: Year Winner Publisher Category Winner Initiative Category2022Kogan Page (UK)Mr. Ashoka Bandula Weerawardhana (Sri Lanka)2021Taylor & Francis Group (UK)National Network for Equitable Library Services (NNELS, Canada)2020Macmillan Learning (USA)Fondazione LIA (Italy)2019EDITORIAL 5 (ED5) (Brazil)eKitabu (Kenya)2018Hachette Livre (France)DAISY Forum of India (India)2017SAGE Publishing (UK)Tiflonexos (Argentina)2016Elsevier (UK)Action on Disability Rights and Development (ADRAD) (Nepal) and DK Braille Concept Development Team (part of Penguin Random House) (UK)2015Cambridge University Press (UK) and Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) (Bangladesh)
ABC Charter for Accessible Publishing Signatories The Accessible Books Consortium Charter for Accessible Publishing contains eight principles designed to encourage publishers are following accessibility best practices. The Accessible Books Consortium partners include