Accessibility · 7 min read
Where to Find Accessible Books and Audiobooks for Blind and Print-Disabled Readers
A starting list of free and membership sources for accessible books and audiobooks, including public-domain texts and recordings and national library services for blind and print-disabled readers.
Short answer: public-domain books and recordings are free from projects such as Project Gutenberg and LibriVox, and eligible readers can also borrow accessible formats from services such as Bookshare and national libraries for blind and print-disabled people. Check each organisation's website for current rules, since eligibility and fees differ by country.
Free public-domain texts
Project Gutenberg offers a large collection of public-domain books as plain text, HTML and EPUB. These simple formats tend to work well with screen readers and text-to-speech, because they contain real text and a clear reading order rather than page images. Most of the classics on the PageWalker books page are available there in their original language.
Free public-domain audiobooks
LibriVox publishes free audiobooks of public-domain books, read by volunteers. The recordings are a good source of human narration for classics in several languages. Quality varies between readers, so sample a chapter before you commit to a whole book, and look for a reader whose pace and accent you enjoy.
Membership libraries for print disabilities
Bookshare, run by the non-profit Benetech, provides accessible ebooks to people with qualifying print disabilities, including blindness and low vision. Membership requires confirmation of eligibility, and the cost and availability of titles depend on where you live, so read the current terms on the Bookshare website.
National and public library services
Many countries run a library service for blind and print-disabled readers. In the United States, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled offers braille and audio books to eligible people through a network of local libraries. In the United Kingdom, RNIB provides a library of audio and braille books. Public libraries in many places also lend large-print books and audiobooks, and can tell you which services you qualify for.
The Marrakesh Treaty also makes it easier for organisations in participating countries to share accessible-format books across borders, so a library may be able to supply titles in languages other than the local one. Ask your library what it can obtain for you.
Formats worth knowing
- EPUB and HTML work well with most screen readers and let you change the text size and colours.
- Audiobooks in common audio formats play in any player, and many let you change the speed without distorting the voice.
- Braille-ready files and DAISY books are often provided by libraries for blind readers and include structure for navigating chapters.
- Large print is often available for popular classics through public libraries.
Combine them for language learning
A powerful routine is to listen to a human recording of a chapter, read the matching text with your screen reader, and then play the story as an interactive adventure. That is three ways into the same vocabulary. See our guides on listening-first reading and learning a language as a blind or low-vision reader for a method, and the accessibility page for what PageWalker can and cannot do today.