Children with vision impairment face a long-standing challenge: more than a third of blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom (UK) struggle to make ends meet, and have little access to audiobooks. Producing audiobooks is expensive and time-consuming, while parents around the world read bedtime stories to their children every night, says the RSBC.

The newly launched Bedtime Donations app turns these everyday moments into something powerful. When a parent reads a story aloud from the app's library, it's transformed into a free audiobook with the help of safe AI. The library includes hundreds of copyright-free stories across 15 categories: all sourced from Project Gutenberg, adds the Society.

Research consistently shows that bedtime stories play a crucial role in a child's development — improving language skills, strengthening emotional bonds and helping children process the events of their day, says the Society.

"Every child deserves to enjoy the magic of a bedtime story — but for blind and partially sighted children, the choice of accessible audiobooks is still far too limited. The Bedtime Donations campaign is about changing that. By encouraging parents, caretakers, volunteers and well-known voices to share their bedtime stories, we're building a library of free, accessible books that will help children feel included, inspired and connected to the magic of storytelling," says Julie Davis, CEO of RSBC.

Prominent UK actors, comedians and TV personalities including Jon Richardson, Ralf Little, Jon Culshaw and Mathew Baynton are among a growing list of celebrities lending their voices to the campaign, adds the Society.

The app features two main modes: Reader and Listener. In Reader mode, parents and caretakers select from a curated library of short, child-friendly stories to read aloud. Once a story is recorded and meets internal quality guidelines, it becomes available through the help of safe AI in Listener mode for blind children to enjoy, says the Society.

Inclusivity is at the heart of the idea. Therefore, it was important that the app and website design were developed in collaboration with accessibility experts. All colours used in the app and website meet WCAG Level AAA standards, maintaining a minimum contrast ratio of 7:1 for optimal visibility. In addition, carefully chosen fonts and built-in voice recognition on both iOS and Android ensure an inclusive and user-friendly experience for everyone, adds the Society.

"The app is designed to make reading and listening as smooth as possible. AI-powered voice cleaning removes background noise for a clearer, more enjoyable experience. Features like coverage scoring and built-in guardrails ensure the narration stays true to the original text, promoting better reading engagement," Jens Brater explains, Managing Director and Lead Developer of digital agency BuzzWoo who supported the project.

Inclusivity is at the heart of the project — it was important that the app and website design were developed in collaboration with accessibility experts. Starting with UX, these accessibility experts ensured all colours used in the app and website meet WCAG Level AAA standards, maintaining a minimum contrast ratio of 7:1 for optimal visibility. In addition, carefully chosen fonts and built-in voice recognition on both iOS and Android ensure an inclusive and user-friendly experience for everyone, says the Society.

"At Innocean Berlin, we believe in alleviating a brand's pain. To do so requires going far beyond the brief, and that’s what we did with RSBC. Bedtime Donations is a powerful platform that takes an important step towards making stories more accessible to children with vision impairment and their families, through sheer dedication, latest technology and inclusive design," says Gabriel Mattar, CCO of Innocean Berlin.

Bedtime Donations champions the warmth and authenticity of human voices, bringing them directly to blind — as well as to sighted — children. Designed to grow over time, the app can host stories across multiple languages and genres, making it as diverse as the children it serves, concludes the Society.

For more information, visit www.bedtime-donations.com. You can also follow the Royal Society for Blind Children on Facebook, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of Facebook