The annual World Book Day is approaching, and immersing itself in the joy of reading has become a way of life for many citizens. In fact, like many able-bodied people, visually impaired people are also eager for the pleasure of reading, but the number of books, movies and audiobooks that can meet the needs of visually impaired people is still insufficient, especially due to objective restrictions on copyright and other aspects, it is difficult for visually impaired people to access the latest and best-selling books and film and television works in time, resulting in a disconnect with the times.
In October last year, the Marrakesh Treaty on Facilitating access to Published Works for The Blind, Visually Impaired or Other Print Disabled (hereinafter referred to as the Marrakesh Treaty) was approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and the reporter learned that the Marrakesh Treaty will officially enter into force in China in May, when the "book shortage" for the visually impaired in China is expected to be alleviated and more opportunities for education and integration into society.
Today (22), when the reporter visited the Guangzhou Library, he saw that many citizens chose to enrich their lives with reading. In order to make it easier for the visually impaired to enjoy convenient reading services, the first floor of the Guangzhou Library has also specially built a visually impaired service area, set up a visually impaired auxiliary reader, and raised a lot of Braille books for the visually impaired to choose and read. According to reports, in recent years, Guangzhou Library has continued to promote reading activities for the disabled, in addition to the specially built reading area for the visually impaired, it also held "oral image" training, and installed a barrier-free induction navigation system on the first and negative floors, equipped with nearly 40 sets of handheld receiving devices for the visually impaired to use, and provide voice navigation.
At present, visually impaired people want to read, generally through blind people reading materials, listening to audiobooks, and listening to barrier-free film and television works. Among them, reading Braille is the only way for visually impaired people to independently read and write. Audiobooks and barrier-free film and television works have a lower threshold for use, and visually impaired people do not need to learn Braille, but can also use it, which is easier for visually impaired people to accept. In particular, audiobooks, through intelligent software recognition, convert e-books into audiobooks have become an important means for many visually impaired people to obtain information. Barrier-free film and television works are the means of adding narration to film and television works through oral film plots, so that visually impaired people can appreciate film and television works through hearing.
Although the access to reading may seem to be quite rich, before the entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty, Braille books were the only legal form of barrier-free adaptation without the permission of the copyright owner. In addition to Braille, more convenient audiobooks, electronic texts, barrier-free film and television accessible version adaptations need to obtain the authorization of the copyright owner, this process is not only long, but also the cost of licensing is not small, which has caused a huge demand for audiobooks and barrier-free film and television works, it is difficult to meet the needs of visually impaired people to read, and publications for visually impaired people are also very scarce in the world. After the entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty, authorized entities were allowed to produce accessible formats of works without the authorization of the copyright holder, subject to the relevant conditions.
The reporter's review of the Marrakesh Treaty found that the Marrakesh Treaty not only stipulates that the beneficiaries of the treaty include visually impaired persons and other persons with print disabilities in a broader sense, in addition to the blind; the accessible format version of the work used by the beneficiaries includes large format versions and audio books in addition to the traditional Braille version; it also stipulates that Contracting Parties should impose appropriate restrictions on the right of reproduction, the right of distribution and the right of dissemination of information networks in their copyright law to facilitate the production and use of accessible format copies by beneficiaries. Facilitate the production and availability of accessible format copies for beneficiaries by authorized entities in a non-profit manner.
According to reports, the Marrakesh Treaty is the only human rights treaty in the field of copyright in the world to date, which aims to provide blind people, visually impaired persons and other print disabilities with access to and use of works through copyright limitations and exceptions, so as to guarantee their equal access to culture and education. This is a powerful guarantee to alleviate the scarcity of works in accessible formats and help solve the problem of the global book shortage for people with print disabilities. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress ratified the Marrakesh Treaty in October last year, and in May this year, the Marrakesh Treaty will enter into force in China.
According to statistics, there are 17.32 million visually impaired people in China. As members of the social family, people with print disabilities are also eager to appreciate excellent works, have easy access to information, and have a diverse cultural life needs. With the entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty, chinese visually impaired persons will have more access to educational materials and printed materials in accessible formats, improve access to education, achieve social integration and cultural participation, and enhance a sense of well-being in life.
Text/Guangzhou Daily, New Flower City Reporter: Jia Zheng
Photo/ Guangzhou Daily, New Flower City Reporter: Mo Weinong
Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Li Fenghe