Transcripts: Organizational Accomplishments

Transcript: Organizational Accomplishments. Providing Spiritual Food to the Blind and Visually Impaired
[A white line runs across a black screen then expands into a banner of six circular images featuring theocratic activities. Writing Committee Report. Providing Spiritual Food to the Blind and Visually Impaired. Outside a sister sets up a literature cart]
Rachel: I have very low vision in comparison to the average person.
[She wears dark glasses]
It is often very painful to get through the day because of the extreme light sensitivity and the deterioration of the health of my eye.
[Rachel Rubin. United States]
Jehovah gives me the knowledge that I cannot expect this to go away. But he never lets me forget
[She witnesses to a woman]
that we’re always in it together.
[Thabo Baseki. Botswana]
Thabo: Jehovah does not see
[He grins]
a disability in me, but he sees someone who is capable of bringing praise to him, someone who is also capable of helping others.
[Wayne Jacobs. United States]
Wayne: In the world in which we live, people that are disadvantaged feel like they’re not useful, but here Jehovah has allowed someone who is unable to see to be able to be equipped to help other individuals, using his Word.
[Hermanus Van Selm. Helper to the Writing Committee]
Hermanus: Like so many of us, Rachel, Wayne, and Thabo appreciate the hard work of “the faithful and discreet slave” to provide the spiritual food we all need.
[A Bible in Braille]
Technologies used by those who are blind and visually impaired keep advancing.
[A Braille notetaker]
Under the direction of the Writing Committee of the Governing Body, our organization uses these advances to make lifesaving spiritual food more available in formats the blind can use. In this report, we will briefly look at the history of publications for the blind as well as new tools that are very helpful for our blind brothers and sisters and those they reach in the field. But first, let us consider what the difference is between being visually impaired and being blind.
[At home Rachel takes a red leash off her dog]
Those who are visually impaired can see to a limited degree and may be able to function outside their home without the use of a cane or a guide.
[Then makes coffee]
Those who are visually impaired may be able to read by using a large-print publication or by increasing the text size of an electronic device.
[She scrolls on her tablet]
However, those who are blind are not able to see well enough to function outside their home without the use of a cane or a guide. They may be totally blind, or they may be able to detect only shadows or very bright lights.
[Wayne navigates with a white cane]
An estimated 43 million people worldwide are blind. That includes more than 13,000 of our dear brothers and sisters. Many more of our brothers and sisters are among the hundreds of millions who are considered to be visually impaired.
[A girl reads large print]
What is our history of providing for their spiritual needs?
[Raymond Spatz. United States Branch]
Raymond: Printing was first done on a manually operated machine that embossed one sheet at a time. Over time, the equipment improved. This made it easier to produce complete Watchtowers, books, booklets, and tracts.
[Braille rolls off a press]
In 1988, we produced the first edition of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in English braille.
[Wayne at his desk]
Wayne: When I first started to pioneer, there was no Braille Bible. To be honest with you, it was an unexpected gift to be able to have it, to read it at my disposal whenever I want to, and also to be able to uplift and encourage others.
[He uses his Braille Bible on a shepherding call]
Hermanus: Today, our organization prints braille in 48 languages. In addition, we are also helping those who are blind but who cannot read or write braille. A few years ago, we published the brochure Learn to Read Braille. It has already been produced in ten languages, and more languages will be coming. In recent years, new tools have given blind and visually impaired readers more options for reading and studying the Bible.
[Richard Kanters. Central Europe Branch]
Richard: Starting in 2009, The Watchtower was produced as an electronic braille file, and since 2014, we’ve been making these files available on our website. These files can be downloaded on a braille computer called a notetaker that shows the reader the braille dots per line.
Wayne: Well, let’s say if we want to take Enjoy Life Forever! it’s 12 volumes to be able to have the whole publication. Now you have it on a little machine. It’s very nice because you can take your electronic device with you, then, wherever you need to go.
Richard Kanters: A screen reader is a digital program you can install on an electronic device or computer. It can read aloud what is on the screen, helping the user understand and even navigate the page or site. A feature that has received a lot of positive feedback is the use of alt text, short for alternative text. These are more extensive descriptions of the pictures in our publications.
Computer audio: Page 16 image: a sister and her young daughter washing clothes by hand. A brother and his wife bring them a meal.
Thabo: The first time I encountered picture descriptions, it was so nice. I really felt part of the congregation. I can confidently comment on the picture, and the feedback that I’ve always gotten from the brothers and sisters is that the descriptions bring out the points that they didn’t even realize with their eyes. And hearing such comments from them always gives me joy that I’m a source of encouragement to them.
[With the brothers Thabo’s sort’s literature]
Hermanus: Braille and screen readers have been a spiritual lifeline for these brothers and sisters. But today, we receive so much spiritual food through videos. So, what’s being done to make sure that the blind and visually impaired have access to videos as well?
[Jonatán Bethencourt. United States Branch]
Jonatán: In 2020 at the regional convention, we provided the first videos with audio descriptions, which are spoken phrases added to a video to explain what is seen on the screen. Let us just put ourselves in the shoes of a blind person to see the difference audio descriptions can make.
[A video without audio descriptions. Now with audio descriptions]
Video audio: Nighttime in the king’s bedroom, wind blows the curtains. He stirs in his sleep. Flashes of himself crownless; an immense bright image; a fireball crushes the feet.
[Wide-eyed Rachel and her friends watch the video]
Rachel: I felt like “the faithful and discreet slave” was saying to me, “We are going to give you one less thing that you have to fight for to understand and figure out on your own.” I’m getting the teaching point now.
Wayne: Now the person sitting next to you doesn’t have to describe to you what’s going on. You’re independent again.
Thabo: I love audio descriptions, and nowadays it’s a bit difficult for me to watch a video that does not have descriptions.
[Thabo watches a video]
It also helps when it comes to sharing with the other person the lesson that I have learned from that video.
[Sitting outside he shares a video with a man]
Jehovah loves me, and he compensates for my absence of sight with something that he knows I can truly benefit from.
Hermanus: Today, we are producing videos with audio descriptions in 92 languages. These descriptions have proved very useful, and they have had another unexpected benefit. What is it? Although originally prepared for the blind, we discovered that brothers and sisters who cannot afford to download the video format of the convention program are benefiting as well. They listen to the audio descriptions, and these descriptions give them a clearer understanding of the scenes in our videos.
[On JW.org a list of audio described videos]
In Psalm 23, David wrote: Jehovah is my Shepherd. I will lack nothing.” Like David, we all feel that Jehovah, as a loving Shepherd, guides and protects us. We feel that especially when we can read the Bible and apply its lessons using spiritual food in print, audio, and video. Through his organization, Jehovah ensures that all of us, including those who are blind and visually impaired, can confidently say: I will lack nothing.

[Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2023 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania]