DHAKA: People with visually impaired have been given Braille books for free at Ekushey Book Fair 2019.

Since inception of the Ekushey Book Fair in 1972, book-lovers but the visually impaired have been deprived of this opportunity. 

Visually impaired Sarawat Hossain Bushra, a 11th class student of Siddeshwari Girls College, said through the books published in Braille, we know about country, people of the country and liberation war. Earlier, we need cooperation of others to read poems, stories, novels and other books.

Nazia Jabeen, founder and publisher of Sporsho, has been working on Braille book since 2009 after her husband lost his vision temporarily. 

She booked Stall 83-84 on Bangla Academy premises with 69 Braille books for people with visually impaired. 

For the first time, Sporsho, a Braille books publisher, published Braile book in English. 

Samira Sadik, a volunteer at stall of Sporsha and also teacher of International Turkish Hope School, said Braille method books are especially designed for the visually impaired people. But the cost of producing these books is very high. But, in self initiatives, we are going forward with cooperation from friends.

Nazia Jabeen said not only in Dhaka, many visually impaired people from outside Dhaka are coming the book fair to read and get books published in Braille. Even visually impaired can work at this stall, here they will be able to get familiar with each other. Instead of selling their books at the fair, Sporsho gives books away for free. 

Citing many obstacles in publication of the Braille books, she said if patronized, Sporsha Braille will go a long way ahead. This year, we have published books in English. In the future, we want to work on a larger scale basis.

BDST: 1604 HRS, FEB 8, 2019
RS