Zaki's story
His thirst for stories cannot be met through his visual disability as he needs enlarged print books which libraries rarely have and his eyes tire quickly so he can only read in short bursts.
When Zaki was about 5 years old, we were handed a leaflet about how Zaki could become a Calibre Audio member, and we have never looked back! Zaki would listen to a story all day long, if he could! Stories calm Zaki and give him great comfort, they educate him about the world but also let his imagination run wild, make him laugh and leap for joy. They are what he turns to every single day and this is purely because he is lucky enough to be part of a charity that can offer these to him via audio rather than print.
“Calibre constantly offers new releases to keep their library up to date alongside what might be appearing at your local print library. This makes my son feel included in contemporary book culture. The choice Calibre offers within their library is so broad that there's something for everyone. They are also partnering with other libraries to increase titles on offer to their members.
“My son gets visually fatigued during the day and needs time away from any visual clutter and chaos to rest and recharge. He loves that he can listen to stories during this time, he says they're like his friends, keeping him company.
“Calibre has dedicated volunteer narrators who consistently deliver. Through audio listening, Zaki has been exposed to a wealth of voices and accents and has become very good himself at the Irish accent in particular! I am in no doubt that Calibre has given him this understanding of the English language. People are always commenting on how broad Zaki's vocabulary is and the extent of his general knowledge. Again, I feel Calibre has played a role here because of the breadth of literature Zaki has heard from an early age. Calibre is careful to ensure books are appropriate for younger readers by grouping them into KS1, KS2, and KS3 so that the children themselves can scan the library and select books for themselves.
“Last year, Zaki and I joined a small team to collectively climb the equivalent of Ben Nevis to raise funds for Calibre. Zaki feels very proud to have done this and wants to spread the word about the positive work Calibre does to empower the print disabled community.”