A library for the visually impaired in Haiti

BACKGROUND

Haiti has 80,000 visually impaired people, of which 15,000 are totally blind. Despite the constitutional recognition of the rights of people with disabilities in work, health, and education in 1987, much remains to be done to improve their living conditions and their integration into society (lack of specialized institutions, insufficient financial aid, social exclusion, inadequate means of transport). These needs have become even more significant since the January 2010 earthquake, which resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of people suffering from visual impairment.

With the creation of the Roger Dorsinville Library for the visually impaired in Port-au-Prince, LWB and its partners provided a space for consultation and a collection of audiobooks, which represents a significant progress in the integration and inclusion of visually impaired people in the cultural sphere.

OBJECTIVES

• to act in the favor of the integration of visually impaired people in the cultural sphere;
• to record new audio books from the Haitian literary heritage in both French and Creole;
• to promote access to culture through partnerships with Haitian radio stations to disseminate works over the airwaves and thus reach non-literate populations and those without access to libraries.

BENEFICIARIES

The visually impaired community in the capital, Port-au-Prince

Financial partners

Executive partners