Fully Accessible Knowledge: Audio Books for the Blind
If you want to talk about technology creating a feel good humanitarian story, then look no further than audio books for the blind.
Our society has always been visual and is becoming increasingly so: from newspapers and books to computer screens, blind people have faced the struggle of accessing information that is readily available to most other people. The ability to read a book or newspaper is taken for granted by many of us, but it is a pleasure that is often denied the blind.
Additionally, using a computer and the internet to obtain information is much more difficult for visually impaired people. While it’s true that Braille is one method for visually impaired people to enjoy the written word and gain knowledge, conventional feel-reading can be expensive and, therefore, not very helpful to many blind people.
With one seemingly simple advancement, doors to gaining information, being entertained, and staying current with the news were thrown open: enter audio books for the blind.
For the first time, visually impaired people could go online and download their choice of books. The mass production of audio books for the blind, the opportunity came to learn in a way that had never been available before. In addition, the audio books were inexpensive or even free, making them accessible to most blind people.
Technology really can help improve and enhance people’s lives: in the case of audio books, it has helped blind and visually impaired individuals obtain knowledge in a way that they couldn’t just five or ten years previous.
Art, music, drama, history, geography, economics, current events, fiction, biographies, poetry – no genre, subject, or style is off limits when it comes to audio books. Visually impaired people have access to the world of knowledge that was previously housed in books, newspapers, or magazines.
In the area of education, audio books have been particularly helpful and effective. Core subjects of reading, writing, math, and science are able to be learned through audio books, making easy access to education a right enjoyed by the blind and visually impaired.
Audio books for the blind also provide an opportunity for entertainment. Now, blind and visually impaired people can simply hear a story for pleasure, and the choices are diverse. Thousands of books – all different forms of fiction and nonfiction, contemporary or classic, popular, and more obscure – are available for the enjoyment of blind people.
Technology has come a long way in helping impaired or disabled individuals, and audio books for the blind are a perfect example of how modern technological advances can do good in the world.
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