New TV show to read along with the visually impaired

Richard & Judy's Best Read has kicked off on Channel 4 TV and, thanks to a joint initiative with the National Library for the Blind (NLB), visually impaired people are able to read along too...Did you know that only 5% of books published in the UK every year ever make it into a format that the 2 million blind and partially sighted people in the UK can read?Channel 4's Richard & Judy programme has joined forces with the National Library for the Blind (NLB) and top publishers to ensure that blind readers are able to join in with their popular Best Read book club.

With such a limited number of books produced in formats that visually impaired people can read, such as Braille, Audio and Giant Print, blind and partially sighted people are often excluded from popular reading activities.However, the third annual Best Read book club will feature ten books which will also be available for visually impaired people to read along with their sighted friends.

As charities such as the National Library for the Blind are the main producers of books in alternative formats they are dependent on donations and funding to produce books for blind people.Featured publishers have agreed to fund the cost of transcription of the book club titles into Braille, meaning that visually impaired people will be able to fully participate in the programme and take part in reading groups to discuss the chosen titles.

Amanda Ross, Exec Producer has insisted from the beginning that this is a condition of acceptance to the book club.Claire Briscoe from the National Library for the Blind said: " We are very excited about the work we are doing with the Richard & Judy programme, and also the support we are getting from publishers. As a charity with no regular government funding we can only continue our work thanks to generous donations and the support of projects such as the Richard & Judy Book Club."

She added: "We believe that visually impaired people should be able to read the same books, at the same time and at the same price as sighted people and we hope that publishers will continue to support our work bringing the magic of reading to blind people throughout the UK."NLB are producing each Braille book in time for the appropriate Richard & Judy programme. Visually impaired people wishing to borrow or buy a copy, or who wish to find out more about the initiative should contact NLB on 0161 406 2525 or email reader.advice@nlbuk.org