Birth of Blind Education: Braille Publishing Faces Mounting Challenges

Tabriz in East Azerbaijan, once the birthplace of Iran's first school for the blind, now houses the printing center of its Central Library, which produces 1.2 million pages of Braille books annually for the country. However, sharp rises in costs and the soaring price of imported paper have made the survival of this specialized publishing house dependent on immediate, unconditional support from the responsible authorities.

Iran's Arjan Ambassador Province Service (Arjan Ambassador) - Vahid Yousefi: Tabriz has long played a role in the formation and expansion of education and special cultural services for the blind in Iran; From establishing the country's first school for the blind to working in the field of printing and publishing Braille books. This background, along with the existing capacities, doubles the necessity of paying attention to the access of the blind to study and educational resources and maintaining the position of Braille.

On the occasion of International White Cane Day, we have discussed the achievements, upcoming challenges and demands of this area in East Azerbaijan with Ruhollah Sai, the secretary of the specialized working group for the blind of East Azerbaijan Public Libraries Institution and a member of the board of directors of the national network of organizations for the blind in the country.

Why did Tabriz lose its pioneering position despite its historical background in the education of the blind, and what measures have been taken to restore this position?

Tabriz has always been the city of firsts and its cultural ID card is proof of this fact. In 1303, Iran's first school for the blind was established in this city, and modern, scientific and technical training for the blind began in Tabriz. However, due to various reasons, we moved away from this leading position and the development of this area faced weaknesses and neglects.

With the support given to the Central Library of Tabriz, we tried to compensate for this gap and provide a platform for the production of Braille books so that once again this city is a pioneer in the field of removing cultural and scientific discrimination for the blind community.

What are the achievements of the Tabriz Central Library's braille printing and publishing center during its years of activity and how was this center able to stand out at the national level?

Since 2015, our colleagues have succeeded in producing and donating one million and 200 thousand pages of educational and cultural content in Braille to the blind and partially sighted across the country. The important thing is that all the steps of printing, preparation and publishing are done by four blind colleagues in the same center, which shows the ability of these people if the necessary infrastructure is provided.

Tabriz Central Library's Braille Printing Center also won the title of the best publisher in the country's Braille printing field at the National Book Festival of the Year of People with Disabilities last year. This title was assigned to this center based on indicators such as compliance with braille writing standards and principles and the quality of binding.

What works have been produced in the braille printing and publishing center of Tabriz Central Library and what role do these works play in the access of the blind to cultural and educational resources?

The development of braille is directly related to literacy and deepening the social understanding of blind people. In this regard, a two-volume collection of Ostad Shahryar's poems in about 250 pages was prepared and printed in braille and was made available to 65 library centers that provide services to the blind across the country. Also, the poem "Haider Babaye Salam" by Ostad Shahriar was also published in Braille.

In the field of life skills and self-reliance, the book "Cooking Skills for the Blind" was published in three volumes and 440 pages and was made available to the audience. In addition, works for children and teenagers focusing on the biography of Imam Reza (AS), the book "Illustrated Encyclopaedia for Teenagers" by Abdul Hamid Najafi and two specialized books have been published in Braille with the cooperation of the University of Medical Sciences.

How has the high cost of braille paper affected the process of producing and publishing books for the blind?

Today, all publishers complain about the high cost of paper, but few understand the depth of the financial crisis in the field of braille books. While a normal sheet of A4 paper costs about two thousand Tomans, each sheet of special Braille paper weighing 140 grams and imported from Indonesia costs nearly 10 thousand Tomans; That is, more than five times that of ordinary paper.

With such costs, it becomes very difficult and practically impossible to produce books for citizens with special needs without the provision of supporting credit lines.

Considering the high costs of producing Braille books, what support is necessary for the continuation of the activities of the printing and publishing centers of these works?

Due to the heavy costs of consumables, the field of publishing for the blind needs to be accompanied and provided with stable financial resources. The increase in production costs makes the continuation of these centers difficult, and without financial support, the possibility of continuing the production and publication of Braille books will be limited.

What is the responsibility of the executive bodies and cultural institutions in supporting the publication of Braille and the access of the blind to books?

Municipalities, General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of East Azarbaijan and all relevant institutions should support the field of publishing for the blind based on their social and legal responsibility. Providing financial resources and accompanying the responsible institutions can help to continue the activity of braille printing centers and increase the access of the blind to cultural and educational resources.

What is necessary to maintain the historical position of Tabriz in the education of the blind and prevent the weakening of Braille?

Tabriz should not lose its 100-year heritage in pioneering the education of the blind due to lack of funds and lack of accompanying devices. Sustained support for braille printing and publishing centers and providing the necessary infrastructure for their continued activity is necessary to preserve this heritage and expand access to books and educational resources for the blind.

Tabriz's one-hundred-year background in the education of the blind, along with the achievements of the braille printing and publishing center of the city's central library, is a valuable capacity to expand cultural justice and equal access to books. However, the continuation of this path depends on the stable support of the responsible institutions and the provision of the required financial resources; A necessity that neglecting it can make the activities in this field face a serious challenge.

East Azerbaijan - Tabriz, which was once the origin of Iran's first school for the blind, today its "Central Library Printing Center" bears the burden of producing one million and 200 thousand pages of braille books in the country. But the huge jump in costs and the skyrocketing price of imported paper has tied the life of this specialized publication to the immediate and unconditional support of the trustees.

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