That All May Social Media

That All May Read. That's the slogan of the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled. I think about those words a lot. In 2018, the National Health Interview Survey found that over 32 million American adults experienced vision loss--that's loss of vision that can't be corrected, even with glasses or contacts. A different source, the American Printing House, estimates that over 55,000 children under the age of 21 had the same diagnosis. In a world that has become increasingly visual -- with eye-popping memes and long, drawn-out hashtags, marketing floods our consciousness from early in the morning to late every night, day after day after day. When we aren't intentional about reaching everyone, we omit huge chunks of the population. You can make your social media more accessible for others using the tools and ideas below.

Accessibility for All

One of the many beneficial programs offered by the Mississippi Library Commission is our Talking Books Services. Mississippi residents who are unable to read standard print due to a visual, physical, or organic reading disability are eligible for this free public library service. The National Library Service administers the program nationwide and has created this nifty video of their patrons talking about using the service.



If you live in Mississippi and you or someone you know would benefit from the service, please call us at 601-432-4116 or toll free at 1-800-446-0892. If you live outside Mississippi, don't despair! You can call the National Library Service toll free at 1-800-424-8567.

If you haven't had a Coca-Cola in the past year or so, you might have missed seeing your name on a can. (Their Share a Coke campaign still hasn't printed a can with Elisabeth on it, but I've made my peace with that.) In Mexico, they realized that the visually impaired population was missing out on the fun, so they got to work. Check out the charming video below to see these unique cans.



Another neat way people are making the world more accessible for the visually impaired is a new Twitter feature. People using their IOS and Android apps can now add descriptions, also known as alternative text, to pictures they post on the app. Screen readers and Braille displays pick up these descriptions, opening up a previously unseen part of the internet for those who can't see.

BlindNewWorld is a fantastic new campaign aimed at changing the way sighted people intentionally or unmeaningly marginalize the blind. Started by the mother of a blind man, it challenges peoples' misconceptions and stigmas about the visually impaired.

We hope we've opened your mind to new ideas in accessibility for the visually impaired. Until next time, happy reading!