Do you know that the millions of people in Sri Lanka do not have access to the most basic knowledge stored in printed forms such as books and periodicals? The people who are directly affected with this serious disadvantaged condition include, those who are blind/visually impaired, people with learning disabilities and individuals who are unable to hold or turn pages of a printed book due to limited functionalities of upper limbs. This community is expanding as the Sri Lankan society experiencing rapid aging. Only about 0.2% of currently available reading materials are ever made in accessible formats such as Braille, audio, large-print to be used by this community, leaving more than 99% of published material inaccessible to them. Unfortunately, this discrepancy widening each year, due to slow process of reproduction of accessible materials.
To end this ‘Book famine’, printed publication must be produced in alternative formats in an accelerated pace and distributed through a reliable library platform. Drawing on the social justice and human rights paradigm, the DAISY Lanka Foundation (DLF) engages in
- promoting inclusive publishing
- developing standards/guidelines for accessible content production and
- facilitating a fair distribution platform in Sri Lanka.
Our Mission
To develop solutions for accessible publishing and equitable access to knowledge for people with print disabilities in partnership with publishing and technology industries, standards bodies, and government.
Our Vision:
A nation without barriers to the knowledge