ILD Books
Kiwayne Jacobs (left), British Council Caribbean Media Officer and Nadene Newsome, Education Project Manager, pose with the first consignment of books donated to the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, courtesy of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland.  ©

Kiwayne Jacobs

On September 8, 2017, The British Council donated more than 200 books in braille and giant-print to the Salvation Army School for the Blind, courtesy of UK sight loss charity Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The consignment includes titles by J.K. Rowling and David Walliams.

The British Council reached out to RNIB Scotland with the help of Flag Up Scotland Jamaica to provide braille and large-print books for the students. There is an unconscious bias that reading is purely visual and so if you have experienced sight loss, or are blind, then you don't read. We wanted to challenge the discrimination and marginalisation of visually impaired and blind persons in Jamaica. We received 55 boxes of that staff and students are currently enjoying.

 

 

“There is a very limited access to books in alternate formats for low vision and totally blind children in Jamaica, so we are very grateful for initiatives such as this. Granting a child with visual impairment an enabling environment means they can break that glass ceiling,” shared Iyeke Erharuyi, School Principal. 

This activity has raised the profile of the UK and UK authors locally. It represents the work the British Council is doing around equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), which is at the heart of our work globally and promotes the UK's international reputation for excellence in cultural relations. 

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