The Nigerian Copyrights Commission, NCC, has reiterated its commitment towards supporting visually impaired Nigerians to convert books to formats accessible to their community in accordance with the Copyrights Act 2022.
NCC Director General, Dr John Asein made this known in Uyo the Akwa Ibom State capital at an event to celebrate the 2025 International White Cane and Safety Day with the theme: Vision Beyond Sight: Celebrating Independence, Resilience and Recognizing Achievements of the Blind.
The NCC Director General assured that the commission is working to role out regulations that would ensure that visually impaired persons are independent in converting books to accessible formats for their use.
The DG noted that the Commission is committed to promoting inclusivity and providing opportunities for persons with disabilities to contribute to the creative industry, emphasizing the importance of creativity and innovation among persons with disabilities.
He noted that the commission “Is looking at a draft regulations for authorised entities. It is a frame that will ensure that those who want to produce books or publications in braille or other accessible format are more organized and trusted.”
“Hopefully, the confidence of publishers and authors will be brought in and we will be able to get more books for the blind to access in their format.”
“This year’s theme is a clarion call for them (the blind) to know that however they find themselves does not mean that they cannot contribute to the society.
“For instance, the men who invented the white cane and the braille reading system were blind. So we have a lot of inventions from the blind.
“We have a lot of known people who are blind medically and legally and they are doing very well. So, they just need to be given the right opportunities and the ambient to be able to create.
“You can imagine the number of children that we are losing their vision because we are not given them access like other children for them to be able to bring what they have inside of them. So we must provide for the blind community to help them reach their potentials.”
Dr Asein appealed to government at all levels to ensure that all schools and libraries have books in formats accessible formats for the visually impaired students, giving them a sense of belonging and inclusivity.
He called on government to enforce the disability law, expressing that such move will make every public buildings to be accessible to people with disabilities and it will further deepen inclusivity.
“Every public buildings built with public funds should be made accessible to everyone, particularly for people with disabilities because it is a big challenge for them to access buildings with stairs.”
The Director-General also distributed white canes to visually impaired individuals, urging them to tap into their creative potential.
He encouraged the blind not to be ashamed of the white cane noting that it is a symbol of identity that calls for assistance with courage.
Speaking earlier, National President National Association of the Blind, Mr Stanley Oyebotun while calling on Government for capacity building for the physically impaired clusters, advocated education and sensitization of the society on the use and assistance with regards to the white cane
The visually impaired individuals, who expressed gratitude to the Commission, pledged to utilize the white canes to enhance their mobility and independence.
