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Raminta Pučėtaitė, Vilnius University Rasa Pušinaitė-Gelgotė, Vilnius University Aurelija Novelskaitė, Vilnius University
Business or Art SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CASE STUDY
Societal need for this enterprise
In Lithuania, some social groups do not have equal opportunities to access culture and enjoy the right defined by UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (adopted 2001). The problem is conspicuous in the accessibility to visual arts for blind or visually impaired people. According to the Lithuanian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, around 20,000 blind and visually impaired residents may experience the limitation of this general right. More specifically, in Lithuania, as in the rest of the world, the number of fiction books in Braille for blind children is considerably small, and literacy amongst blind people is decreasing.
eliminates the possibility for blind children to read books with relatives who do not have visual impairment and so get acquainted with both literature and fine arts.
One reason for this is the technological complexity of publishing Braille books, which makes them quite expensive. Besides, the market for these books is rather small. Therefore, audio books for blind people are much more popular, and the availability of Braille books is markedly poor. Moreover, these books are published in a limited quantity (from 1 to 10 units), which also limits the accessibility of Braille books. Braille books for blind children are usually without illustrations and adapted just for blind people. This
The scarcity of selection and quality of publications for blind people influences blind children’s motivation to study and read Braille books with illustrations, which is an important means to develop blind children’s intellectual capabilities through tactile senses, and their further development and achievements.
Another restriction to accessing culture for blind and visually impaired people is the scarcity of information adapted to their needs. For example, tourist sights and cultural objects are presented without visual information and cultural context. Therefore blind people miss the opportunity to understand the major part of cultural heritage.
