News Release

30th March 2007

RIGHT TO READ FOR LOCAL CHILDREN WHO ARE BLIND, PARTIALLY SIGHTED AND HAVE DYSLEXIA

Over one hundred blind, partially sighted and dyslexic children travelled from across the UK to Westminster on Wednesday 28th March to meet Michael Fabricant and other MPs to support their Right to Read. Blind, partially sighted and dyslexic children are missing out at home and at school because they often can't get hold of books in a format they can read such as large print, audio, braille and electronically.

Michael Fabricant says "Reading is the key to children learning. I was shocked to hear that children who are blind, partially sighted or have dyslexia are missing out on their education because they can't read their textbooks or leisure books. 2008 has been designated as the National Year of Reading and I will be raising the issue with Government and asking them how they will ensure that children in Lichfield, Burntwood and the rest of my constituency who are blind, partially sighted or who have dyslexia will be able to get hold of more books they can read during 2008. One of the easiest and most cost effective ways of doing this would be for publishers to make their books available in electronic form. The script size can then be enlarged at will and, in the case of those children with no sight, computers can now read the text out loud. Electronic text can also be converted to braille."

John Palmer, Chairman of the Right to Read Alliance, said: "It's nothing short of a scandal that these children are being denied something as basic as the right to read. Recent research reveals that only 12 per cent of maths and eight per cent of science GCSE textbooks are available in large print or braille. The Right to Read Alliance is calling on Government to act urgently and set up a nationally co-ordinated system for providing schoolbooks for children unable to read the small text in their school books."

Teachers are reduced to spending hours photocopying, enlarging and retyping pages from textbooks to turn into braille or large print, so that their pupils don't go without. Yet despite teachers' best efforts many blind and partially sighted children and those with dyslexia still get their books later than their classmates. Nine out of ten teachers surveyed by RNIB said this affected blind and partially sighted pupils both educationally and socially, often leaving them struggling to catch up with sighted classmates and feeling less independent.

Children's Laureate Jacqueline Wilson is a fervent supporter of the campaign and is speaking at the lobby. She said: "Reading means the world to me and that's why I came along to talk to my MP - it's vital that the Government does its bit to make more books available to children with sight problems and dyslexia. I want us authors to all work together with the common aim of getting our books out to absolutely everyone who wants to read them."