Delays in School Books For Blind and Partially-Sighted

Friday 15 February 08

According to RNIB Northern Ireland many many blind and partially sighted young people lose out over books. Few school books are published in braille or large print, meaning pupils with sight loss were missing out both educationally and socially.

Teachers and support staff spend long hours re-formatting text and pictures into suitable formats, it said.

The Department of Education said it was working on implementing recommendations given in an April 2007 study. The RNIB said teachers need a centralised transcription service which makes use of new technology.