As part of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)’s Christmas campaign, ‘Letters to Santa’, the charity has teamed up with Metro newspaper to launch the first ever braille cover for a nationally distributed newspaper. The special edition of the paper hopes to shine a light on how much of society remains inaccessible to visually impaired people and call for greater inclusion. 

In the UK, there are thought to be around 20,000 braille users made up mostly of people who have had sight loss from birth or an early age. Braille provides an "active" reading and writing method for people who cannot access print. 

“In a world with few media ‘firsts’ left it has been a privilege to work with Metro and RNIB to bring the UK’s first ever braille cover wrap to fruition.” explained Jonathan Newton, Chief Client Officer at JAA, “It is both inventive and important as we aim for a more inclusive society for blind and visually impaired people.”

As part of the campaign, Metro distributed 15,000 special editions of the paper across nine central London locations including Kings Cross station. The cover wrap featured a braille message for blind or partially sighted people highlighting that we are some way from a truly accessible world. 

“For many blind and partially sighted people, Braille is a vital tool opening the door to independence, learning literacy and most of all, the enjoyment of reading. Our aim is to create an experience that means no child misses out on the magic of Christmas, and RNIB’s Letters from Santa is just one part of this work.” explained David Clarke, Director of Services at RNIB. 

He continued: “As a Braille reader, I am delighted that the Metro has created the first ever Braille national front cover which highlights RNIB’s Christmas campaign to provide blind and partially sighted children with a personalised letter from Santa himself in the format they want, including in Braille.”

The paper circulated on International Day of Disabled People where the RNIB hoped to use paper to highlight the issue of accessibility in pursuit of a more inclusive society for the visually impaired.

“There are so many simple, everyday experiences and interactions that we take for granted. That’s why it’s such an important moment to have the front of a national newspaper in braille.” said Bryn Attewell, Executive Creative Director at GOOD Agency, “We realise the world is some way from being truly accessible, but by having the cover of the Metro designed exclusively for people who are blind or visually impaired, it not only shows what’s possible but also brings home the reality of how sight loss impacts daily life.”

The inside cover of the paper included a QR code where readers could scan to find out more about how people who are blind or partially sighted see things differently and learn what the braille cover says.

The media first was brokered by John Ayling & Associates, the original independent media agency with the creative managed by The Good Agency.