Every year on April 23, the world comes together to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors. World Book and Copyright Day was created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to encourage everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading.
The American Foundation for the Blind joins with the World Blind Union in highlighting the importance of books and promoting our shared vision of an inclusive society, where people with visual disabilities can freely access and share printed materials across borders without discrimination.
In recognition of World Book and Copyright Day, we urge the Senate to ratify and properly implement the Marrakesh Treaty, which would address the book famine faced by people with vision loss and other print disabilities. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing last week on the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559). This historic legislation would make available an additional 350,000 accessible books for people living in the United States.
What better way to celebrate World Book Day than by contacting your senators and urging them to make the joy of reading accessible to all?
