Culture & Education | Monday 7 January, 2019 3:00 am |

To highlight challenges faced by young people with disabilities in finding relevant content to read, the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), has exhibited a selection of ‘IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities’ at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2019, which runs until January 13.

 

The exhibition is part of Sharjah’s cultural programme as the fair’s guest of honour, and aims to sensitise both publishers and visitors about the challenges faced by young people with disabilities in finding accessible and high-quality content in terms of both language and design.

 

The exhibition is in line with NDWBF 2019’s theme, ‘Books for Readers with Special Needs’, to which the fair organisers – National Book Trust (NBT), have dedicated a pavilion to project efforts and achievements of the special needs community in India to develop a better understanding about them.

 

The UAEBBY has exhibited a selection of 20 English titles from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)’s 2015 and 2017 collections put together by IBBY’s national sections.

 

Marwa Obaid Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY, said: “Our participation at New Delhi World Book Fair 2019, as part of Sharjah’s delegation, is aimed at discussing ways to facilitate access to quality content and varied titles to young people with disabilities. Currently, there is a shortage of titles that appeals to their taste or fulfills their needs.”

 

“For that purpose, we brought this internationally travelling exhibition to India, to increase awareness among families, and academic and cultural organisations in this part of the world by showing them some of the best books created worldwide in this category, and selected by IBBY due to their qualities of creativity and accessibility.” She added

 

 

The exhibition included books designed in formats such as Blissymbol, Picture Communication Symbols, Braille, sign language, tactile and textile books. It also contains novels featuring young people with disabilities as key characters, protagonists and heroes. Books catering to adults with developmental delays, language disabilities or reading difficulties, were also on display.

 

About Biyearly

 

Biyearly, IBBY’s National Sections from around the world nominate books for inclusion in ‘IBBY Selection: Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities’.  Fifty titles are selected from the nominations, where they get summarized in a special catalogue. Since 1997, eleven catalogues were created and can be found on IBBY’s website: http://www.ibby.org/subnavigation/archives/outstanding-books-for-young-people-with-disabilities/. Additionally, all the published books in 40 languages from the catalogues can be accessed on Toronto Public Library’s website: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca.

 

UAEBBY is the national branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Operating in more than 77 countries, IBBY is the main board based in Switzerland and founded in 1953. The organisation is an international network of institutions and individuals from around the world who are committed to promoting and encouraging the culture of reading and bringing children and books together.