Global disasters such as the Asian tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake attracted more public donations last year, due to which the smaller charities in the U.K. have suffered financial crunch. One such organisation, the National Talking Newspapers and Magazines, U.K., lost up to a fifth of its income, in the year 2005.

As the funds started shrinking, the charity that produces recorded selections from newspapers and magazines for blind and visually impaired people feared closure.

For the first time, the United Nations will be able to print material directly in Braille. The credit goes to a donation of a state-of-the-art printer by the non-profit organisation, Services for the Visually Impaired, (S.V.I.), U.S.A., along with the World Blind Union (W.B.U.).

Harold Snider, Executive Director, S.V.I., said the high-speed, heavy-duty embosser would provide the U.N. with Braille production capacity in all six of the organisation’s official languages.

Key to preventing the spread of H.I.V/A.I.D.S disease is information. A book in Braille has been launched in Namibia that gives all the essential information on H.I.V./A.I.D.S. to visually impaired people. <br><br>Over 2,30,000 Namibians are affected with H.I.V. /A.I.D.S. Lack of awareness material in suitable format has only meant no access to information, discrimination in general, resulting in a lack of access to services. This book is being seen as an answer to them. <br><br>Titled ‘H.I.V. and A.I.D.S.

He listens to audio cassettes and dictates his sermons and notes on tape. His entire sermon is done by memory and he does not use any notes. He knows very little Braille.Ronnie Tollette is the new minister for the Church of Christ (Fallon, Nevada, U.S.) and he is blind. He is also hearing impaired, he wears aids for assistance.

"I ask people in the congregation ahead of time to read a scripture from the Bible if I haven't been able to memorize it ahead of time," said Tollette.

To commemorate the birthday of the National Library Services’ (N.L.S.) Talking Book Service, the American Printing House for the Blind (A.P.H.), Callahan Museum, held a marathon recording session on 18 November 2006.

Gulliver's Travels became the first book recorded. Therefore, a commemorative version of Gulliver Travels was recorded as part of the event.

The estimate from our studio chief is that it will take about 13-14 hours&quot;, said one of its official before the event. Museum director, Mike Hudson, came up with the idea of the marathon recording session.