On May 22nd, 2024 Fondazione LIA celebrates its first 10 years of history. It was initiated by the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) in 2011 with the “LIA Project,” which aimed to create the first catalog of natively accessible digital books available in traditional distribution channels in Italy. Thus was born www.libriitalianiaccessibili.it, a growing and continuously updated catalog of new Italian accessible publishing titles, which today gathers more than 35 thousand titles certified by LIA.

In 2014, AIE established a foundation (Fondazione LIA) to pick up its legacy and ensure its continuity over time. In 2017, the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired joined LIA as an institutional member, and in 2019 the Italian Library for the Blind in Monza and the Italian Dyslexia Association joined. The catalog of accessible books has grown over time to today’s milestone, achieved thanks to the foundation’s publishing members and the support of the Ministry of Culture.

Rodolfo Masto, president of Fondazione LIA, wished “many more anniversaries like this one to a reality that is a promoter of significant change.” Masto especially recalled LIA’s commitment to “a number of initiatives of important social value that, thanks to the support of institutions, have trained librarians, boys and girls with visual disabilities and people at risk of digital divide in accessible reading, but have also contributed to raising awareness on the issue thanks to Reading in the Dark for schools and for the general public.”

Innocenzo Cipolletta, president of the Italian Publishers Association, said, “Fondazione LIA encompasses some of the characteristics that best distinguish our Association and its goals: technological innovation, support for publishers, internationalization, and support for the spread of reading among all segments of the population. Our support to LIA, which is now a European reference for accessibility policies in the publishing field within a network of the most important international realities, is a fixed point.”

Mario Barbuto, president of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, offered “warmest wishes for the 10th anniversary” and extends special appreciation to LIA “for its daily work to promote and guarantee the right to read for those with disabilities, like the more than two million blind and visually impaired people in Italy.”

Today, Fondazione LIA has expanded its activities and deals with digital accessibility on every aspect. On one hand, it works alongside institutions and the entire publishing supply chain to enable people with visual disabilities to have full access to book production, with the same quality of reading and possibility to choose from new publications that all readers have. On the other hand, LIA offers services to companies, working alongside Italian and foreign ones that want to put the person at the center of their design, creating digital ecosystems that are accessible to all.

Check out the interview to LIA’s team:

Inclusive Publishing Partner LIA Celebrates 10th Anniversary