Striving For Equal Entry To Information, One Ebook At A Time
Argyro Spyridaki based the non-governmental group Studying to the Others (Diavazo Gia tous Allous) in 2015, when she realized that equal entry to information and training needs to be an inalienable proper for each human. Because of this, the mission of Studying to the Others is to make sure equal instructional alternatives by offering books to individuals who might lack entry to them. She has a level in Political Science, a Grasp’s Diploma in Transport Coverage, {and professional} expertise in each administrative analysis and journalism. For the previous couple of years, she has been the Basic Supervisor of Studying to the Others and can be Chair of the group’s Board of Administrators.
How did all of it begin? Is there something that you just want extra individuals knew about Studying to the Others or the problems you are attempting to unravel?
Studying to the Others was born throughout a dialog I had with a good friend of mine, who was born blind. We had been discussing literature once I instructed that he learn The Home of Sleep by Jonathan Coe. He replied, “, I would like to learn it, I’ve learn Coe earlier than, however this specific guide is not obtainable within the audiobook library for the blind.” I used to be shocked as a result of I believed that each one printed books obtainable for sighted people are additionally revealed in Braille for these with visible impairments. In fact, that isn’t the case.
My good friend requested me to learn it with him. So, I returned residence, grabbed the guide from the bookcase to examine the variety of pages, and began excited about how we might learn it. I used to be pondering of various methods; then, I believed possibly I might document it to additionally donate it to the audiobook library for the blind.
And similar to that, I spotted that if I used to be keen to do that, possibly different individuals could be keen to do the identical. I created a Fb web page known as “Studying to the Others” and invited volunteer readers to document books to complement the audiobook library for the blind. It took off, and the primary large assembly of volunteers befell in January 2015. That is how Studying to the Others was born, however now our targets have expanded.
To eradicate social obstacles related to stereotypes and discrimination concerning blindness and variety generally, our purpose is to tell, elevate consciousness, and educate [the public] on equal entry to training for all and the acceptance of variety. We need to encourage particular person and collective motion to construct a tradition of inclusivity that is not imbued with concern, ignorance, or negativity towards variety however equally accepting and supportive of people from socially susceptible teams.
What’s your most profitable program, and why? Give us your finest instance of the best way you have seen your group’s work make a distinction.
The preferred program amongst our volunteers is audiobook recording—a course of that permits them to contribute one thing helpful to individuals with visible and print disabilities. [1] The books we document have been requested by people with visible impairments. They embody college textbooks that our beneficiaries want to finish their research or take admission examinations, in addition to literary works.
But, our best social influence comes from our Therapeutic Readings program for senior people, the place we create significant connections between our volunteers and beneficiaries and supply companionship to individuals who usually really feel remoted and socially excluded. In any case, it is considered one of our main packages; as of now, we maintain firm to 180 senior people in residential care houses, ten in Athens and one in Crete. Our educated volunteers pay weekly visits to the care houses’ residents, or these residing alone at residence, to learn them a particular guide passage and focus on it. The passage sparks dialog, permitting constructive moments from the previous to resurface.
An instance of our work making a distinction was when a few of our senior beneficiaries from a care residence in Crete determined to alter the time they visited their church to attend the group readings from our volunteers. These readings deliver pleasure to our beneficiaries and our volunteers, so the influence of our work has been extraordinarily encouraging.
For our workforce, our awareness-building initiatives in collaboration with faculties and companies are very particular, as we witness them domesticate social consciousness and solidarity and stimulate reflection amongst youthful generations and professionals.
Inform us a bit extra about how your NGO enriches audiobook libraries for the blind and promotes public consciousness.
In 2023, Studying to the Others recorded a complete of 36 books; proper now, we’re concurrently recording 14 books for people with print disabilities. Studying to the Others’ digital audiobook library “Athena” is beneath building and can quickly be obtainable to the general public. That is the place we are going to add all of our recorded books; our beneficiaries will be capable of entry them with a small subscription payment.
Furthermore, we’re collaborating with Panteion College and AMELib (Accessible Multi-modal Digital Library), the place we add all of our recorded college textbooks so that each pupil has quick access all through their attendance.
An especially helpful device for elevating public consciousness concerning the usage of audiobooks is our social media channels, the place we promote the books we document and the educated volunteers who voice them, sharing their experiences of the recording course of.
Do you could have a strategic plan, and what key issues are you making an attempt to perform? What are the areas of alternative in your group? What might you do higher?
We have now already established our strategic plan for the following three years. Our strategic priorities are divided into three axes. The primary axis includes the creation of equal studying alternatives by aiming to document 150 literary works and 60 college textbooks, in addition to the creation of a digital audiobook repository that might be accessible to each particular person with visible or print disabilities from anyplace in Greece. As well as, we purpose to maintain 330 seniors and sufferers firm by means of particular person or group studying periods.
The second strategic axis issues the creation of an inclusive tradition by constructing consciousness throughout the group. Therefore, we need to proceed our awareness-raising initiatives in faculties and firms. We additionally need to create a information on the right use of inclusive language concerning incapacity and variety to eradicate phobic social perceptions of individuals with disabilities and break down discriminatory and unfavorable stereotypes related to [disabilities].
Our third and last axis focuses on inner organizational restructuring. Within the subsequent few years, we are going to consider rising our community of volunteers, increasing our Board of Administrators—the best governing physique of an NGO—and, lastly, refining our strategies of measuring the influence of our work.
As you possibly can perceive, our strategic plan is essential to us. It should information us in our subsequent steps, serving to us keep true to our imaginative and prescient and mission; we hope to encourage the individuals near us in order that, collectively, we construct a society with equal entry to information and training for all.
What are your most pressing wants? What about funding and personal donations? What sort of sources enable you do what your different sources of funding do not cowl?
For us, this can be very essential that we proceed to assist customers with blindness and print incapacity, senior people, and sufferers and to pursue change in social tradition with out letting the group’s funding get in the best way of our initiatives and the social targets we want to obtain.
As you possibly can perceive, donations from foundations are additionally essential since they cowl the best portion of our packages’s implementation. Nonetheless, it is the person and firm donations, the funds that may be allotted to check new pilot packages or to cowl the instant and pressing wants of our beneficiaries, that enable us to turn out to be extra inventive and efficient. Due to this fact, we ask individuals to go to our web site, get to know us, and, supplied that we earn their belief, assist us in any means they will.
In any case, as an NGO, our wants will not be simply financial. Many firms assist by offering us with the sources we want, reminiscent of laptops every so often. The workspace that we use was additionally donated, in addition to our bookcases. Not too long ago, a regulation agency donated 4 printers, which we actually wanted. In fact, individuals can assist us by donating used books that they now not want, which we are going to use throughout our studying initiatives or resell to create a small earnings.
Past monetary assist, voluntary companies from varied professionals, like attorneys, IT specialists, and graphic designers, are very useful. Equally essential is the donation of stationery, crops, and different gadgets that streamline our day-to-day work and make our surroundings extra nice.
What would make the best distinction in serving to your group get higher at what it does? How can extra individuals get entangled?
To enhance our group, upgrading our technological infrastructure would make the most important distinction. By buying new, extra fashionable gear and software program for our recording studio, we’d be capable of supply higher audiobook recording companies.
There are a lot of ways in which people can get entangled and assist our work. To begin with, by means of volunteering, you possibly can supply your time and expertise to recordings, readings, administrative assist, graphic design, and the rest you possibly can consider. Furthermore, donations, by means of the annual membership subscription or a bigger contribution, help considerably in guaranteeing the sustainability of our initiatives.
Moreover, you possibly can share our work with your pals and acquaintances throughout your get-togethers or in your social media channels and assist our viewers develop. Lastly, as a part of their company social accountability packages, firms can work with us to co-organize an awareness-raising exercise for his or her workers or a fundraising occasion for our group. And, as talked about above, specialised companies primarily based on every particular person’s experience, reminiscent of authorized recommendation, graphic design, or IT, are essential for the continuation of our work.
How can a volunteer use their distinctive expertise, expertise, or perspective to additional your trigger? What further expertise and expertise would one like to amass on this position?
Our volunteers are our energy. Studying to the Others started as a voluntary community—with out the assist and contribution of our volunteers, we would not be the place we’re as we speak.
Every year, we concern an open name for brand spanking new volunteers. These fascinated about readings endure a voice evaluation with a committee of companions with visible disabilities. If their voice is deemed appropriate, they transfer on to the coaching stage after which to the studio for the recording of the guide upon which we’ve agreed. The recording course of requires preparation and diligence from the volunteer lending their voice. In the long run, the result’s rewarding for all of us. The books we document are primarily books which have been requested by our beneficiaries.
As for our reside Therapeutic Readings, we concern an open name two to a few instances per yr, relying on the wants. Our volunteers fascinated about these readings are educated on Bibliotherapy strategies and the right way to correctly handle their voice in order that they do not get drained whereas studying aloud.
Afterward, we deliver our volunteers along with our beneficiaries and schedule weekly conferences, which occur beneath our fixed supervision and steering. We learn both in teams, in residential care houses, or individually in houses, to individuals who can not learn by themselves because of age, sickness, or incapacity. We maintain them firm, focus on what we’ve learn, and recall experiences and moments from the previous. In fact, the passages we select to learn correspond to the cognitive, psycho-emotional stage, and the pursuits of every beneficiary or group.
Past the above, our volunteers are additionally instrumental in our workplace’s administrative issues. We’re a small workforce, and each little bit of assistance is invaluable. Throughout their visits, our volunteers assist us with guide scanning, cellphone correspondence, and our “Library” mission. It’s a large-scale mission that goals to reconstruct and set up our library, classify our books in a means that serves us, and create a lending library the place our volunteers can borrow books and passages to learn to our senior beneficiaries. Volunteers are concerned in organizational and administrative issues all year long as our wants proceed to develop.
What we search for in a volunteer is a shared perception in our imaginative and prescient of equal entry to studying. Subsequent, diligence and workforce spirit are mandatory, as we all the time work collaboratively and as a workforce. With regards to particular expertise, we’re all the time open to individuals who need to contribute to our graphic design wants, social media channels, in addition to our fundraising efforts; we need to focus on with them methods we will work collectively and listen to their recent concepts.
What are your subsequent steps or future plans? Is the workforce at Studying to the Others excited about increasing? (Both by way of different forms of voluntary actions or in one other location/area, and so forth.)
After making use of the Idea of Change, we collectively understood that what we would like for the long run is to do our half in altering the tradition round variety and acceptance. Within the coming years, we would like there to be extra social consciousness round incapacity, blindness, and the acceptance of others generally. We need to begin speaking about social stereotypes, we need to begin speaking about disabilities extra brazenly as a company, we need to develop nearer to the social teams we serve. We wish our beneficiaries to inform us what else they want.
That is why we’ve additionally created a digital accessibility seminar, coaching firms and workers on the right way to create accessible digital communication flows for his or her web sites and their company or private social media channels. We, as a company, are additionally receiving coaching on these subjects. All of our group’s workers and, one after the other, our members are beginning to turn out to be acquainted with accessibility points.
Wrapping Up
Thanks a lot to Argyro Spyridaki for sharing the imaginative and prescient behind Studying to the Others and the way our readers can contribute. If you would like to make your organization’s atmosphere extra inclusive and your social media content material accessible to individuals with visible disabilities, you possibly can contact the group to participate within the digital accessibility seminars that their workforce organizes.
[1] Print disabilities: Issue or incapability to learn printed materials successfully, because of complete/partial imaginative and prescient loss, extreme dyslexia, higher limb disabilities, and so forth.
Editor’s Notice: This Q&A was initially carried out in Greek and translated to English for publication functions.