Sharing Digital Braille Between Countries—It’s as Easy as ABC!

APH is happy to announce its participation in the Accessible Book Consortium (ABC), an international network for sharing accessible digital files across national borders. The Marrakesh Treaty, which the US has signed, enables “authorized entities” in participating countries to share accessible materials for use by eligible persons with visual impairments or print disabilities.

The consortium’s catalog currently contains approximately 635,000 titles in 80 languages, from organizations in 76 countries around the world. The catalog includes materials in a variety of file formats, ranging from DAISY and BRF to MP3, PDF, and others.

As a member of the consortium, APH can request materials from any other participating organization, and we are now offering this service to EOTs, TVIs and others.

If you are seeking material on behalf of a student and are unable to locate an accessible digital file from a provider in the US, just contact Resource Services at resource@aph.org or 800-223-1839 ext. 705. We will be happy to research the item and see if a participating ABC member has the material in the format you need. (Given the limitations of access to the materials, the consortium is currently making the catalog search available only to member organizations, and there is not a public search website at this time.)

We are now accepting requests from APH ex officio trustees, TVIs, state education agency staff, and school administrators—on behalf of eligible students in K-12 or higher education. Just contact us if you have any questions or would like further help!