On April 23, the Forum on the Protection of Reading Rights of the Print-disabled was held in Taiyuan. The forum was organized by the Copyright Administration of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Department of Publicity and Culture of China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF), and co-hosted by China Braille Press, China Braille Library, and the Secretariat of the Copyright Society of China (CSC). Zhu Yongxin, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Executive Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy; Zhang Chunlin, Chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the CPPCC; and Cheng Kai, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and Chairman of CDPF, attended the forum and delivered speeches. Yan Xiaohong, Chairman of CSC, among other guests, was also present at the event.

The forum is one of the key events of the 4th National Conference on Reading and the 2025 National Intellectual Property Publicity Week. With the theme of “Copyright Safeguards Rights, Technology Empowers Reading”, it focused on the Marrakesh Treaty and the Barrier-free Environment Creation Law. This event delved into the practical experiences of safeguarding reading rights through copyright and the innovative orientations of empowering reading with technology, aiming to protect the reading rights of persons with print disabilities from all aspects.

Mr. Zhu Yongxin emphasized that the extent of care and support extended to persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups serves as a crucial yardstick for measuring a nation’s civilization. Reading equity forms the bedrock of social equity. Just as the material well-being of individuals with disabilities should be enhanced, so too should their intellectual and cultural lives be enriched. Going forward, we should adopt “barrier-free environments and compassionate reading initiatives” as one of the foundational principles in advancing universal reading and accessible reading, thereby further fortifying efforts to safeguard reading rights. We should elevate the quality of reading experiences and ensure that accessible reading resources permeate down to the grassroots level. By enhancing cultural services, we can foster a scholarly atmosphere conducive to accessible reading. Moreover, we should nurture reading leaders and strengthen the support and care extended to individuals with print disabilities. It is incumbent upon society as a whole to work in unison, providing better accessible reading facilities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups and crafting a better accessible reading environment. This collective endeavor will empower them to explore the world and convey beauty through reading.

According to Mr. Zhang Chunlin, Shanxi has consistently regarded promoting universal reading and establishing a scholarly atmosphere in the province as pivotal tasks in accelerating the development of a culturally strong country. The province is committed to establishing a comprehensive and efficient reading system that benefits all, ensuring widespread coverage and participation. Shanxi will further develop a copyright service system for accessible reading, create a more inclusive reading environment, and refine its volunteer service system in this regard. These efforts aim to continually strengthen the protection of cultural rights for individuals with disabilities, enhance the scholarly atmosphere in special education, and ensure that this demographic can better integrate into social life and share the fruits of cultural development.

Mr. Cheng Kai highlighted that safeguarding the reading rights of individuals with disabilities is a fundamental aspect of improving the system to protect their rights and interests. It also serves as a significant manifestation of the people-centered development philosophy in the realms of cultural development and human rights protection. He expressed the hope that, in the future, all stakeholders will come together to support higher-quality education, create a smarter accessible reading environment, and cultivate more compassionate reading volunteer services. These efforts aim to enhance the educational background and reading abilities of individuals with disabilities, promote their active participation in universal reading and accessible reading, and contribute wisdom and strength to building a culturally strong nation.

Mr. Wang Zhicheng, Director General of the Copyright Administration of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, stated that the Publicity Department and the National Copyright Administration of China have consistently placed great emphasis on the concerns and aspirations of individuals with print disabilities regarding equal access to works and education and are dedicated to upholding and safeguarding the reading rights of special groups. In the next step, the Copyright Administration will continue to refine supporting mechanisms and strengthen institutional guarantees, focus on enhancing guidance and supervision to regulate copyright order, and deepen international exchanges and cooperation to promote overseas dissemination. Together, these efforts will advance the protection of reading rights and contribute the unique strength of copyright to cultivating a scholarly China and a culturally strong nation.

At the forum, there were voices supporting further deepening copyright services, strengthening collaborative efforts, and effectively promoting the standardized development of accessible publishing services. These calls were made by heads of institutions including CSC, WIPO Office in China, Posts & Telecom Press, the Copyright Division of the Publicity Department of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee, Jiangxi Provincial Disabled Persons’ Federation, China Written Works Copyright Society, and China Braille Press. Renowned author Zhang Ziying appealed to fellow writers to extend greater humanistic care to individuals with print disabilities and create more outstanding works tailored for them. Representatives from tech enterprises such as the Alibaba Foundation and Tencent’s Rights Protection and Monitoring Center shared their experiences in leveraging technology to empower accessible reading and enhance the reading experience and efficiency for those with reading challenges.

As a key outcome of the forum, the copyright bureaus and disabled persons’ federations of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Shanxi, along with institutions such as China Braille Press, issued the Joint Initiative for Accessible Reading in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei-Shanxi Region to promote the co-development, sharing, and common use of accessible reading resources across these regions. Additionally, twelve tech and cultural enterprises, including Tencent, Alibaba, iQiyi, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Yuewe, joined forces with China Braille Press to launch the “Copyright Empowerment: Technology Without Limits, Enjoying Reading Freely” public welfare project to assist the visually impaired, collaboratively advancing accessible reading.

Several tech and cultural enterprises, including Beijing Kingsoft Office Software, Inc., Fujian Foxit Software Development Joint Stock Co., Ltd., Tencent Music Entertainment Group, NetEase Cloud Music, and Yuewen, donated accessible reading software, membership services, and reading resources to institutions such as China Foundation for Disabled Persons, Shanxi Foundation for Disabled persons, and China Braille Press.

Students from Taiyuan School for the Blind and Shanxi Provincial Secondary Special Education School, as well as the Zuoquan County Blind Publicity Team, presented wonderful performances. Over 160 representatives from different professions, including cultural publishing, copyright management, work disability, and special education, attended the forum.