Innovating to empower persons with disabilities

Encouraging, incentivizing and implementing empathy-triggered innovations on empowering persons with disabilities through making services accessible and available to them.

Multimedia Talking Books

Ensuring access to every single visually impaired person in the nation to education content and reading materials through the adoption of international standard technology.

Daisy Multimedia Talking Book.

Visually impaired Vashkar Bhattachajee couldn’t read or write. He grew up learning books mostly narrated by his parents. He always had to depend on others to read for him since he couldn’t see or read himself.

A ray of light in the dark

“I have been teaching in this special school for visually impaired children at primary level for last 15 years, but never have I seen the kids so happy. When they hear this regular MP3 player play, they can actually feel the books coming to life. This happened in late 2015 when our school received these multimedia players containing multimedia talking books that could read out the text written in the curriculum book. Parents are thankful since they no longer have to spend hours reading the text to their children. Previously, we could give the students only second-hand braille printed books to study from. But, this time we received brand new books for all the children. Now, I know for sure that my students can compete with any able kid. My husband is a teacher at a secondary level school and he was saying that a similar kind of product will soon be coming to his school” said Asma Khatun, a teacher at the physically handicapped training center.

A ray of light in the dark

“I have been teaching in this special school for visually impaired children at primary level for last 15 years, but never have I seen the kids so happy. When they hear this regular MP3 player play, they can actually feel the books coming to life. This happened in late 2015 when our school received these multimedia players containing multimedia talking books that could read out the text written in the curriculum book. Parents are thankful since they no longer have to spend hours reading the text to their children. Previously, we could give the students only second-hand braille printed books to study from. But, this time we received brand new books for all the children. Now, I know for sure that my students can compete with any able kid. My husband is a teacher at a secondary level school and he was saying that a similar kind of product will soon be coming to his school” said Asma Khatun, a teacher at the physically handicapped training center.

Ensuring inclusive education

Service Innovation Fund of ensuring inclusive education (Access to Information) has facilitated a project by Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) named ‘Multimedia Talking Book’ specially designed for visually impaired students. Any students with access to computers, tablets, or android mobiles can use these books for acquiring knowledge. Visually challenged students can learn their lessons by listening to them. Previously, it was difficult to provide the braille books at the beginning of the year but now National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) partnered with a2i ensuring the revised multimedia talking books and braille books along with other textbooks within 1st January every year in the hands of visually challenged children. The partnership with NCTB and the Department of Social Services in the Ministry of Social Welfare has enriched the initiative and taken Bangladesh one step ahead in attaining the sustainable development goal-4 which focuses on inclusive and equitable quality education for all. At the moment, Multimedia Talking Books can also be used in regular schools to ensure inclusive education and can be developed into an interactive e-book as well.

Awards and Recognition

Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) has won several national and international recognition for developing the DAISY standard Multimedia Talking Book. In 2013, it received Manthan Award for South Asia in the E-Inclusion category. In the same year, it was awarded the ‘Youth Solutions! Technology for Skills and Employment’ honor by World Bank and Microsoft Sri Lanka. It went on to achieve the Accessible Books Consortium Award for Accessible Publishing Initiative at the International Excellence Award 2015 held at London Book Fair (LBF).