Ian Rankin launches campaign to boost number of Braille books

Published on Sunday 4 January 2009 21:04

BEST-selling author Ian Rankin will today launch a campaign calling for more books to be made available for the visually impaired.

The appeal is being made to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille and a campaign to raise 2 million to rehouse the nation's leading Braille printing press.

Rankin, whose son attends the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh, is calling on writers, publishers and retailers to come together to improve the acces-sibility of both fiction and non-fiction in Braille, large print and audio formats.

Richard Hellewell, chief executive of the Royal Blind School, said: "The impact Louis Braille has had on the lives of the visually impaired is immeasurable. The ability to read and write is an extremely important gateway to opportunity for blind or partially sighted people, enabling them to be more independent.

"Braille is used all over the world but outside our community there is little knowledge or understanding about its use. We see National Braille Week as a great way to raise awareness, which we hope will inspire interest and support for Braille."