If you want to talk about technology creating a feel good humanitarian story, then look no further than audio books for the blind.
From textbooks and newspapers to magazines and best-sellers, our society is extremely visual. Added to that is the overwhelming use of computers and the internet, which are primarily visual mediums. What is taken for granted by most of us – even simply flipping through a magazine – is a struggle for those who are blind or visually impaired.
Additionally, using a computer and the internet to obtain information is much more difficult for visually impaired people. While it’s true that Braille is one method for visually impaired people to enjoy the written word and gain knowledge, conventional feel-reading can be expensive and, therefore, not very helpful to many blind people.
Finally, though, a technological advance for blind and visually impaired people was developed. Audio books for blind people allow many more people to easily obtain information, hear stories, and stay current with the world’s news.
With the mass production of audio books for the blind, and others, visually impaired people for the first time are able to really go online right now and download dozens of different audio books for themselves. With this, they have the ability to learn for free or cheaply in a way that has not been available to them before.
It is clear that audio books for the blind have really helped many people obtain an education that they would not have had ten or in some cases even five years ago, and it is yet another example of how the technological world we live in has created huge advantages for people everywhere.
Art, music, drama, history, geography, economics, current events, fiction, biographies, poetry – no genre, subject, or style is off limits when it comes to audio books. Visually impaired people have access to the world of knowledge that was previously housed in books, newspapers, or magazines.
Audio books for the blind have been a great boon for education. Core subjects of reading, mathematics, writing, and science are available in audio form, giving every student and every lover of knowledge access to education.
There is more to audio books than education. They can be accessed solely for the pleasure of hearing a story. Thousands of titles are available in audio formats, including popular and contemporary authors, classics, fiction, non-fiction, and much more.
With all the technological advancements being made, it is easy to forget the people that are an integral part of the equation. Audio books for the blind are an example of technology at its best and most helpful.