Rosa María
Yataco Marín
Room for people with visual disabilities of the Great Public Library of Lima, Peru
There is concern in the blind community regarding the teaching, use and investment in Braille, due to the belief that technological devices such as screen readers or electronic books can replace it. The main advantage of this literacy system is that it allows better retention of the information read, at the same time, it allows active reading; favors the ability to perceive context and details; helps organize information and locate main ideas; and strengthens the use of written language in terms of spelling, punctuation and writing.
It is for these reasons that the National Library of Peru seeks to promote reading in said system, through the “Delfina Otero Villarán” Room for People with Visual Disabilities, of the Great Public Library of Lima. In 2013, with the creation of the Marrakesh Treaty and its ratification by Peru in 2016, it was possible to have the necessary legal support to reproduce works protected by copyright in some accessible reading format for people with visual disabilities. In 2018, with the acquisition of a braille printer, the Braille System Text Printing Service began to be provided, but locally.
Since its decentralization in December 2021 to July 2023, the Braille Text Printing Service has responded to more than 600 requests from children, youth, adults and older adults with visual disabilities from various regions of the country, covering the three regions of Peru such as the coast, the mountains and the jungle, both in urban and rural areas.
With the implementation of the Treaty in 2022 and once the National Library of Peru achieved recognition as the first authorized entity in the country by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Room for People with Visual Disabilities began the decentralization of its services, expanding the reach of its beneficiaries throughout Peru, through the creation of the Tiflos BNP program, which includes 2 decentralized services for access to books and reading in accessible formats ( https://bit.ly/3YwkHXo).
It is through the Text Printing Service in Braille System, visually impaired people can access works or any type of text in said literacy system completely free of charge and in the comfort of their home. In order to request a print order, a service, the visually impaired citizen must complete a form (https://impresionesbraille.bnp.gob.pe) and choose from among the more than 400 titles of literature, law, social sciences books, self-help, education, health sciences and art, which appear in the catalogue.
The user can choose between picking up their print at the library (Lima), or receive it in the comfort of their home through the delivery service (Lima) or via the cecograma postal service, which has a nationwide reach; all completely free. In Peru, the cecograma service is provided by Postal Services of Peru (Serpost).
Thanks to the Braille System Printing Service, many citizens have accessed works of their choice and that they really want or need to read, which is requested for academic, work or entertainment purposes; The most in-demand works are youth and children's literature, Peruvian and Latin American literature, and Peruvian food recipes (https://bit.ly/3QxXpOW).
It should be noted that the Braille Text Printing Service received the "Inclusion and Disability Recognition" from the "Inclusion and Disability" Best Practices Contest for Inclusive Management - 2022, organized by the National Council for the Development and Inclusion of People with Disabilities (CONADIS), for contributing to the comprehensive development of people with visual disabilities (https://bit.ly/47BCQXU).
