FORMATION OF BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PRINTING LITERATURE IN BRAILLE TYPE AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article brings up the problems of the lack of standardized requirements in Ukraine for publications printed in Braille type and in universal design using Braille type (simultaneously enlarged flat-print font and relief-dot Braille font), as well as emphasizes the need to form and standardize such requirements for modern publications that are considered accessible to people with visual impairments (blind and partially sighted). In addition, the article attempts to form the basic requirements for parameters of relief-dot characters of Braille type, the system of markings and accentuations, specific features of text placement on the page, presentation of footnotes/comments, content display, etc. In previous publications, we paid attention to the specifics of editing such publications, which bears a direct association with the issues raised in this article.

The requirements proposed in the article were formed based on the analysis of the relevant standards of various countries and taking into account modern traditions of printing in Braille type. However, the requirements formulated in the article require professional discussion, regulation, documentation and further standardization of requirements for publications accessible for reading by people with visual impairments (blind and partially sighted).

As Ukraine is reforming various sectors, in particular the educational, towards European integration processes, the development, formation and regulation of relevant standards that will govern the rules, principles and requirements for accessible publications, in particular for the category of people with visual impairments (blind and partially sighted) is relevant. After all, reading high-quality literature printed in Braille type can improve the level of literacy of people with visual impairments and increase the quality of their education. There are several (mainly non-state) publishing and printing houses in Ukraine that offer both educational and fiction literature in accessible formats, including Braille type. However, the lack of unified and standardized requirements for this type of publications in Ukraine impedes high-quality printing and generally makes it impossible to monitor the quality of printed publications.