To learn more about ABC, please visit http://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/portal/en/

Accessible Books Consortium

Access to printed materials for print disabled persons

Since its establishment in 1998, JAMCOPY’s licences have exempted blind and print disabled persons from being required to pay for the copying of printed materials in braille, large print or other accessible formats.

In June 2011, JAMCOPY was the first in CARICOM, and among the first in Latin America and the Caribbean, to enter into an MOU with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) when the Trusted Intermediary Global Accessible Resources (TIGAR) Project was established. TIGAR sought to widen the choice of accessible versions of books available to print disabled people in each participating country and facilitate more efficient production of new accessible versions by reducing duplication.

TIGAR has now become the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) Global Book Service, “an on-line catalogue that allows participating libraries for the blind and organizations serving people who are print disabled to obtain easily the accessible content they need.”

The ABC is a public-private partnership led by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) which includes organisations that represent people with print disabilities such as the World Blind Union (WBU); libraries for the blind; standards bodies, and organisations representing authors, publishers and collective management organisations.

IFRRO, the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations, of which JAMCOPY is an active member, is a leading partner in ABC.