0
At the age of 51, Francisco Antônio Saraiva de Lima from Ceará rediscovered, in São Paulo, something he believed he had lost forever: the pleasure of reading. A resident of Itaquera, he lost his vision at the age of 40 after health complications that kept him away from work and plunged him into a long period of depression.
The rapprochement with books came unexpectedly — through a pair of smart glasses that transform written text into audio in real time.
Francisco’s first contact with technology came by chance. He remembers that he was in the city center when he was approached by a library employee. “She arrived and asked if I wanted to meet glasses that read books. At first, I didn’t want to. I was a little sad, a little unwilling. But, she spoke kindly, and I accepted. I’m glad I did.”
The invitation changed his entire routine: since then, he has been attending Mário de Andrade for almost seven years, has read dozens of titles and recommends the experience to everyone. “The book cured me of depression. When you hear the words, you feel like you’re seeing them again.”
The equipment, which looks like a small computer attached to the stem of common glasses and costs up to R$16,000, scans any type of text — from novels to comic books, from newspapers to menus — and immediately transforms it into speech. It also recognizes images, faces and even banknotes. It’s cutting-edge technology, but what it gives back is something essential: autonomy and belonging.
Accessibility and inclusion are taken seriously in the city of São Paulo. Each of the 54 libraries has at least two glasses, which can be used within the units.
With them, people can bring or take any of the more than 5 million copies from the shelves and have access to the work, without depending on books translated into Braille or audiobooks, democratizing access to municipal libraries in the city of São Paulo.
The impact of this technology goes beyond conventional lending of Braille books or audiobooks. By allowing the visually impaired person to directly choose any book on the shelf — magazines, comic books, newspapers or manga — it provides immediate access to the content, a dimension of autonomy and inclusion.
“Today I read, talk, learn”
At the Mário de Andrade Library, librarian Aline Barbosa Petelin is one of those responsible for transforming the act of reading into a possible experience for those who can no longer see.
Aline explains that the main equipment is small, “like a small computer” attached to the side rod of a common pair of glasses. “The person points their finger at the text, and it reads it out loud. It also recognizes some images and can identify previously registered faces.”
The technology, according to her, is most used by those who have lost their vision throughout their lives or have low vision — as use requires pointing the device at the text, which makes it less practical for people blind from birth, who tend to prefer Braille or audiobooks.
Francisco learned how to use the equipment with the help of the team and now masters the controls. “I learned how to point, how to listen, how to move. Now I read whatever I want”, he explains with pride. Among his favorite books, he cites Mazzaropi stories and biographies of people who overcame challenges, “because everything in the book is real”.
For him, the library became more than a reading space — it became a meeting, welcoming and learning point. “I tell everyone on the subway: go to Mário de Andrade, it’s close by and it’s worth it. I pick up books for my nephews. Those who don’t go are missing out on good things”, he says.
With humor and gratitude, Francisco summarizes what technology has given him: “Knowledge is life. Today I read, talk, learn. The book opened my mind again — and my heart too.”
Inclusion spaces
Highlighting the importance and obligation guaranteed by law of the inclusion of people with disabilities in cultural democratization and the right to come and go, São Paulo’s municipal public libraries consolidate themselves as spaces of inclusion, accessibility and citizenship.
The impact of the measures has been significant in promoting autonomy for people with visual impairments.
With the use of scanner glasses, for example, the reader is no longer restricted to just the adapted collection (Braille or audiobook), but can choose books in normal ink, comic books, magazines or newspapers. This expands reading possibilities and promotes cultural inclusion.
Aline is proud to cite the example of Francisco, one of the most frequent readers: “He comes almost every day. He reads books here and those he brings from home. The equipment gave him back something that seemed lost: the pleasure of reading.”
The librarian says that another visitor, Pedro, learned how to use the device and now moves around the city with more safety and independence. For her, experiences like these reinforce the purpose of the public library: to democratize access to knowledge.
“Reading is a right, and when technology combines with inclusion, the result is transformative”, he highlights.
The equipment can be applied not only to books, but also to newspapers, magazines, street signs, restaurant menus, store names, cell phone messages, road signs and leaflets.
It is a small intelligent camera that, attached to the arms of any pair of glasses, scans and reads, in addition to the most varied types of texts, barcodes, colors, banknotes and even faces that are previously registered, in real time.
In addition to scanner glasses, municipal libraries in São Paulo offer other accessibility resources for reading, such as:
• Collection with almost 21 thousand accessible items: including books in Braille, audiobooks, spoken books.
• 1,255 audiobooks, 10,914 spoken books and 8,704 books in Braille.
• Six libraries function as regional hubs specializing in Braille collections, with free shipping via postal mail (cecograma).
Other inclusion initiatives
Libras Intermediation Center for the hearing impaired
For the hearing-impaired public, all libraries offer the Libras Intermediation Center (CIL) service, which allows assistance mediated by interpreters. The cultural program also has translation into Libras, promoting access to events and activities.
Libraries feature dedicated collections and accessible infrastructure
The Libraries’ accessible collection has almost 21 thousand items, including 1,255 audiobooks, 10,914 spoken books, 8,704 books in Braille and digital books with artificial intelligence narration.
Six libraries function as regional hubs for braille collections, offering specialized loans and free delivery via cecogram (no-cost postal delivery), expanding the reading reach. They are: Álvares de Azevedo, Brito Broca, Mário Schenberg, Paulo Setúbal, Mayor Prestes Maia and Vicente Paulo Guimarães.
In addition to the technological resources, there is training for librarians and other employees, who received specialized training to ensure that all visitors are served with empathy and respect for their needs.
Architectural accessibility has also advanced significantly, with ramps, adapted bathrooms, tactile flooring and service counters with adequate height.
Digital accessibility
In the digital field, the platform offers more than 17 thousand titles with read-aloud features, font adjustments, contrast, spacing and background color, as well as audiobooks and a specific accessibility menu.
The Municipal Library System website is also accessible, with audio description and automatic translation into Libras, through the Hand Talk application, ensuring inclusive navigation for blind and deaf people.
Some libraries also have computer rooms and telecenters, which offer free access to the internet and digital resources, expanding the possibilities of digital inclusion for people with disabilities.
Inclusive programming
With hundreds of cultural activities taking place monthly in municipal public libraries, the equipment reaffirms the spaces as cultural hubs, with accessible programming being part of a fixed format.
For example, at the Nuto Sant’Anna Library, in Santana, North Zone of São Paulo, a “Página 21” reading club is held, aimed especially at people with Down syndrome, every Thursday at 3:30 pm, promoting moments of exchange and appreciation of diversity, social integration and creative, cultural and logical stimulation.
The program BebeLêtecasaimed at early childhood, is another assertive case of inclusion, with tactile books and programming accessible in Libras and/or with audio description.
The story “Crawling with stories”, by the company SImbora! Education, Culture, Reading, Literature and Play, which has been circulating in libraries since August, uses, among the books for the activity, books in Braille for children with visual impairments.
The general inclusive programs in municipal public libraries also include memory workshops for seniors every Monday at 9:45 am at Lenyra Fraccaroli and every Wednesday at 2 pm at Alceu Amoroso Lima; and the workshops on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday by Viriato Corrêa, in partnership with Instituto Pinheiro, aimed at the elderly, including English and Spanish, creativity and social networks.
