The proliferation of standardised Braille opened up the world of knowledge for the visually impaired in 20th century, and now the Marrakesh Treaty — a global agreement to allow published materials in accessible formats to be exchanged freely across borders — is a significant step towards eradicating what is described as “the book famine” in the 21st century.

When the discussion of the treaty began at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in the late 2000s, it gained a large opposition primarily from major publishers in the United States and Europe. However, due to the unstinting efforts of the World Blind Union (WBU), every major country ratified the treaty, leading to its adaptation by the WIPO at Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2013. India became the first country to ratify the treaty in 2014. However, the crowning moment was when the US ratified it in February 2019, opening up a treasure-trove of books and materials to the community across the globe.

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