Sugamya Pustakalaya

What is Sugamya Pustakalaya?

Sugamya Pustakalaya is an online accessible library for people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print-disabled. Sugamya Pustakalaya brings together nearly 7 lakh books in accessible formats; DAISY audio, DAISY full text, EPUB, Braille-ready files, Word, HTML, plain text and RTF, and lets a registered reader download them free of cost to a phone, computer, DAISY player or Braille display. The name means "accessible library", and it exists to end the "book famine" faced by readers who cannot use ordinary printed books.

According to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Sugamya Pustakalaya is an initiative of DEPwD together with the Daisy Forum of India (DFI) and Tata Consultancy Services, powered by TCS Access Infinity. For readers in Uttarakhand there is a direct link: the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), Dehradun is a national institute under DEPwD located in the state, and works with visually impaired readers who want to use the library. Accessible copies are provided under the copyright exception that allows books to be converted for persons with disabilities, which is why membership is limited to print-disabled readers.

Main features

• Nearly 7 lakh titles in accessible formats, added from libraries and organisations for the blind.
• Free registration and free downloads: no fee to join and no charge per book.
• Books read on any device; phone, tablet, computer, DAISY player or refreshable Braille display.
• Physical Braille copies available through member organisations with a Braille press.

Who is eligible to use Sugamya Pustakalaya?

You can register if:

• You are a person with a print disability — blindness, low vision, or another condition that makes reading ordinary print difficult.
• You join through a Daisy Forum of India member organisation, which verifies your eligibility. In Uttarakhand, NIEPVD Dehradun works with visually impaired readers.

You are not eligible if:

• You are a general reader without a print disability. A sighted member of the public cannot apply for an individual login, because the library's accessible copies are provided under a copyright exception meant only for print-disabled readers.
• You want to use the books commercially or to share them with people outside the print-disabled community, this is not eligible use and breaches the copyright exception.

There is no income limit and no age bar. The single condition is a verified print disability and membership through a recognised organisation, which protects the copyright basis on which the accessible books are made available. Print disability here is read broadly: it covers blindness, low vision, and physical or learning conditions such as dyslexia or a motor impairment that make holding or reading an ordinary printed book difficult.

What can a reader do on Sugamya Pustakalaya?

A registered reader can search nearly 7 lakh titles, keep a personal online shelf, and download each book in the format that suits them. The DAISY audio and full-text formats work with screen readers and DAISY players; EPUB and Word suit phones and computers; and the Braille-ready file (BRF) can be read on a refreshable Braille display or embossed on a Braille press. Readers who need a physical Braille book can request one through a member organisation that runs a Braille press. Because the catalogue is built from many libraries for the blind, it spans textbooks, literature and general reading.

How much material and which apps does a reader get?

According to the Sugamya Pustakalaya portal and the Daisy Forum of India, a registered reader can search a catalogue of more than 6.5 lakh accessible titles (about 6,53,000 books) added by libraries and organisations for the blind across India. The portal also integrates search across more than 4 lakh titles from Bookshare, the world's largest online library for the print-disabled, and from the Accessible Books Consortium, so an Uttarakhand reader effectively reaches well over a million accessible books through a single login. Reading is possible on almost any device: the Simply Reading app from the DAISY Consortium and the Bookshare Web Reader connect directly to the catalogue on Android phones and tablets, while DAISY audio plays on a dedicated DAISY player and BRF files read on a refreshable Braille display. Every title and every download stays free.

How to apply for and register on Sugamya Pustakalaya

1. Reach a member organisation. Contact a Daisy Forum of India member organisation. In Uttarakhand, NIEPVD Dehradun is a national institute for the visually impaired that can guide you; other DFI members across India also enrol readers.
2. Get your eligibility verified. Provide proof of your print disability (such as a disability certificate) so the organisation can confirm you qualify under the copyright exception.
3. Have your account activated. The organisation registers you on sugamyapustakalaya.org.in and activates your login, free of cost.
4. Search and download books. Sign in, search the catalogue, add titles to your shelf, and download them in DAISY, EPUB, BRF or another format, or request a physical Braille copy from a member with a press.

How do I access books after registering?

Once your login is active, you read entirely online: sign in on the portal or a compatible app, search by title, author or subject, and download the accessible file to your device. On a phone or computer a screen reader voices the text; on a DAISY player the audio book plays with navigation by chapter and page; and on a refreshable Braille display the BRF file is read by touch. Because the account is national, a reader who moves within or beyond Uttarakhand keeps the same login and shelf.

What are common questions and issues?

• I cannot register directly on the site: registration is done through a member organisation that verifies your print disability; contact NIEPVD Dehradun or another DFI member rather than trying to self-enrol.
• A book is not in my preferred format: many titles come in several formats, but not all; check the title's format list, and request conversion through your member organisation where possible.
• I need a physical Braille book: ask a member organisation that runs a Braille press to emboss the BRF for you.

Key facts about the scheme

• Sugamya Pustakalaya is DEPwD's online accessible library, built with the Daisy Forum of India and TCS.
• It holds nearly 7 lakh books in DAISY, EPUB, Braille-ready and other accessible formats.
• Registration and downloads are free, limited to print-disabled readers.
• NIEPVD Dehradun, in Uttarakhand, is a national institute that supports visually impaired readers.

Why NIEPVD Dehradun matters for Uttarakhand readers

The National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD) at Dehradun is the natural first stop for a print-disabled reader in Uttarakhand. As a national institute under DEPwD located in the state, it works directly with visually impaired people, can verify a print disability, and can help produce or emboss Braille material. A reader who is unsure how to enrol, or who needs a physical Braille copy rather than a digital file, should approach NIEPVD or another Daisy Forum of India member rather than trying to self-register on the website; self-enrolment is deliberately not possible, because a member organisation must confirm eligibility before a login is activated. Once activated, the account is national and portable, so a student who registers through NIEPVD and later moves to another state keeps the same login and reading shelf.

Help and information

• Member organisation: your point of registration and support: NIEPVD Dehradun for many readers in Uttarakhand.
• Portal: sugamyapustakalaya.org.in carries the catalogue and the FAQ.
• DEPwD: the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities oversees the initiative.

Registration and downloads are free. No reader should be charged to join Sugamya Pustakalaya or to download an accessible book.