Tag: RNIB

People with sight loss can now access thousands of audio books through Alexa

Stuart Mitchell

Blind and partially sighted people can now say “Alexa, open RNIB Talking Books” to get instant access to thousands of RNIB audio books. Customers of the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) Talking Books library will be able to access their audio books by asking Alexa, as well as through RNIB’s usual library services. The Talking Books service has been described by many users as a ‘lifeline’ during the pandemic, with 1.33 million Talking Books sent out in the last year. David Clarke, Director of Services at RNIB, said:…

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Penguin Random House boosts RNIB library with thousands more audio books

Stuart Mitchell

One of the world’s largest publishers, Penguin Random House has bolstered the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Talking Books Library by donating all of its audio books to the charity. The new collection currently includes around 6,000 titles and will be gradually added to RNIB’s Talking Book platform in instalments on an ongoing basis. Amongst the books to be uploaded are novels from some of the world’s best-selling authors, such as James Patterson, Lee Child and Sophie Kinsella. Anna Tylor, Chair of RNIB and a regular RNIB Online…

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RNIB, the Guardian and Google unite to launch accessible storytelling website

Stuart Mitchell

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day (20 May), the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the Guardian and Google launched Auditorial, an experiment in storytelling that can adapt to suit blind and low vision readers.  Over 300 million people have a vision impairment, but 97 percent of website home pages do not meet standard accessibility requirements. The project is intended to pose questions about how the web might become a more flexible, inclusive place for people with disabilities, by enabling users to tailor websites to suit their personal sensory needs…

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Free newspaper subscription for people with sight loss during coronavirus

Stuart Mitchell

RNIB is helping people with sight loss keep up to date during the coronavirus pandemic by offering a free subscription to a newspaper or broadcast guide via its Newsagent service. RNIB Newsagent provides plain text email versions of major UK newspapers, and TV and radio guides, which can be easily read with magnification or screen reading software that many blind and partially sighted people use. This offer means that anyone who finds it difficult to read a paper or TV guide in their current print or online formats can get…

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Charity issues guidance on how sports and leisure sector can support customers with sight loss during pandemic

Stuart Mitchell

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has partnered with British Blind Sport and Metro Blind Sport to call on sports and leisure facilities to ensure that physical changes to their premises are accessible for people with sight loss. The charity has created new best practice guidance, outlining how measures introduced to keep customers safe can be made accessible. The guidance also aims to improve understanding of the challenges being faced by blind and partially sighted customers as lockdown restrictions ease. Two thirds (66 per cent) of blind and…

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