On Thursday 23rd April I had the absolute pleasure of attending a Celebration of Reading event at the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

Being a non-Londoner, I took advantage of being in the city and paid a quick visit to the British Library beforehand, marvelling at the giant book pages suspended from the shop ceiling!

Next stop was the impressive Grimaldi building, home to the RNIB since 2023. After a welcome drink and natter, Sir Jim Harra, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, gave a brilliant and moving introduction to the RNIB, the vital work they do and the impact it has on those they work with.

We were then divided into smaller groups to commence a tour of the facilities. Our tour guide was the wonderful Sabrina Nixon, Head of Corporate Partnerships, who alongside making sure we kept to our schedule (no easy task for a chatty group!), took the time to point out the myriad features of the building that enhance accessibility, including tactile markers on the banisters to indicate the beginning and end of staircases, and alternating floor surfaces to differentiate between spaces. It was no surprise to learn that the office space has won multiple awards for accessibility provision.

Our first stop was a visit to the Heritage Centre, where Tom and Lara provided fascinating insights into the history of some of the tools that have shaped access to books for the blind and partially sighted community, such as early Talking Books machines and braille typewriters. We were able to get hands-on with some Lego Braille Bricks, and tried out a variety of glasses that allowed us to see through the eyes of those affected by visual impairments. Tom and Lara’s passion and enthusiasm for what they do was palpable – I could easily have kept chatting all day!

Once Sabrina managed to wrangle us away, we were ushered into the Talking Books recording studio, where Daryl (Head of Specialist Content) talked us through the Talking Books development journey. We were also honoured to be joined by actress Finty Williams, who has narrated many titles for RNIB and shared some brilliant stories.

After that we headed to the Product Store, where we met Leonard and Roy (who has been volunteering with RNIB for an incredible 57 years!). They showed us some of the assistive aids the RNIB has developed, such as Speechlabels (allowing the user to record audio labels for everyday items such as groceries and medication) and electronic magnifiers (portable devices with a range of zoom and high contrast colour options) – I was particularly impressed with the gauge that fits onto the side of a mug and emits a sound when liquid hits it!

Our next stop was the home of the award-winning Radio Connect, where we met host Toby and his gorgeous guide dog Boston. Toby talked us through the variety of content the station offers 24 hours a day, which ranges from news and interviews to book reviews, practical support and guidance and beyond – all complimented by a killer soundtrack of course.

The final stop on our tour was to see Mandy, the Low Vision Eye Care Lead, who we visited in the “Living Room”, a space that was kitted out with adaptive features that are used to aid blind and partially sighted people within their homes. Mandy demonstrated some of these, and we chatted about eye care provision in the UK – yet again, I was bowled over by the knowledge and passion of the RNIB team.

The day was rounded off with some tea and cake, and closing remarks from Sir Jim.

It was a real honour to be given an inside look at this remarkable facility, and to meet likeminded people who care deeply about accessibility to reading.

For the next month, all donations to the RNIB’s Talking Books programme will be doubled – they are aiming to reach £50,000 to open up even more stories and resources for people with sight loss. You can find out more here: Reading without limits for people with sight loss – Big Give