HarperCollins is the first NZ
publisher to release two book titles that are in a format accessible to the visually impaired; as part of
the international pilot project TIGAR. The Trusted Intermediary Global
Access Resources (TIGAR) project was initiated by the World Intellectual
Property Office (WIPO) to enable the sharing of titles internationally for the
blind, the visually impaired and also for those who are unable to turn the
pages of a book.
Somewhat
appropriately, the first two New Zealand titles to be released for visually
impaired readers outside of New Zealand are ‘The Magician of the Hoad’ and ‘The
Word Witch’ by the famous NZ author and, sadly, recently deceased Margaret
Mahy.
Copyright Licensing New Zealand
(CLNZ) and The Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind have come together to
participate in the TIGAR pilot project and are extremely pleased to be able to
confirm the first two New Zealand titles. Paula Browning, CEO of
Copyright Licensing New Zealand earlier today commented that “it feels pretty
good to know that the books we have grown up with in New Zealand, will be
available to the visually impaired and print disabled not just in New Zealand
but worldwide.” Browning went on to say that “HarperCollins releasing titles
from Margaret Mahy is just the beginning. Over the coming weeks / months
we expect more to be confirmed from other participating publishers.”
Until now the number of books
available to the print disabled has been extremely limited. Some key
international publishers have signed up to the pilot including French
publishers Hachette and Editis, Bloomsbury in the UK and HarperCollins in the
US. Organisations in Canada and South Africa have also agreed to participate.
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