Sparsh: Braille Books Project for Blind and Visually Impaired students

Visually impaired children usually get only textbooks, with little access to storybooks or general books that spark joy and curiosity. Braille storybooks and Tactile books are being sent to schools and institutions for Visually impaired students across the country.

A chance remark by a well wisher of BFA stared this impact mission- why was BFA not sending books for visually impaired students?

After conducting research into the needs of visually impaired students, Books For All (BFA) launched the Sparsh Project for schools in urban and rural villages in October 2023. As in the case of WHL, the idea is to to give the joy of reading to to visually impaired students and inculcate reading habit among them.

With engaging narratives and general knowledge books in raised print, Books for All is making storytelling inclusive and joyful—where reading happens through touch, not sight. Tactile Books, introduced in 2024-25, combine raised images, textured surfaces, and bold shapes empowering blind learners to understand stories, math, science and geography.

In less than a year, SPARSH has reached 120 institutions in 22 states & 2 UTs, 4500+ visually impaired students, including those inremote regions like Chitrakoot (UP), Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh

Working closely with the National Association for the Blind (NAB) and trusted partners like Raised Line Foundation (Noida) and AICFB (Rohini), we have  also supported 25+ institutions in Delhi NCR with Braille & tactile resources.

“I can feel the tiger’s whiskers and read about its jungle—this book is made for me.”
— Child, Class 5, NAB School, Delhi

From classroom corners in NCR to Himalayan schools, SPARSH is creating an equitable reading experience, one story at a time.