LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: Week 11 to 17 March 2024, Video Transcription: Achievements of the organization for the month of March, Analysis and Responses.

LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: March 11-17, 2024, Video Transcription: Achievements of the organization for the month of March, Analysis and Responses.

Achievements of the organization for the month of March (10 mins.) Play the VIDEO.

My vision is much worse than most people, my eyes are very sensitive to light and are deteriorating and this causes me to be in a lot of pain almost every day. Jehovah has helped me understand and accept that my problem is not going to go away. But he also wants you to remember that we're in this together.

Jehovah does not focus on the fact that I have a disability, he focuses on what I am capable of doing, worshiping him, and helping others. In this world, people who have some limitations sometimes think that they are of no use, but Jehovah has ensured that a person whom he does not see is prepared and has everything necessary to help others through his word.

As many of us Rachel, Wayne and Thabo greatly value the hard work that the faithful and prudent slave does to give us the spiritual nourishment we need, the technological tools used by blind and visually impaired people have improved over the years, under Under the leadership of the governing body's writing committee, our organization uses these tools to produce spiritual food in more formats that blind people can use.

In this report we will look at some facts about publishing for blind people, and what new tools are available to our blind brothers and how they help them in preaching, but first let's look at the differences between having a visual impairment and being blind.

On the one hand, there are people with visual disabilities who can still see a little and can carry out their activities outside the home, without the help of a cane or a guide, it is possible that they can read using a large print edition or increasing the size of the letter on an electronic device. On the other hand, blind people do not see enough to move outside their home without the help of a cane or a guide, some do not see anything at all, and others can only perceive shadows or very powerful lights.

There are approximately 43 million blind people throughout the world, and among them are 13,000 of our brothers. Many more of our brothers and sisters are among the hundreds of millions of people who have a visual impairment. What have we done so far to care for them in a spiritual sense? At first it was printed with a machine that engraved the sheets one by one individually, over time the machinery improved, and it was much easier to produce complete publications such as watchtowers, books, pamphlets and treatises, and in 1988 we produced the first edition of the translation of the New World Holy Scriptures in English Braille. 

When I started pioneering we did not have a Braille Bible and to be honest, I did not expect to have one, being able to read it whenever I want, and being able to use it to encourage the brothers is an incredible gift from Jehovah. Today, our organization prints publications in braille in 48 languages, but we are also helping blind people who do not know how to read or write in braille. A few years ago we published the booklet learn to read braille, it is now available in 10 languages ​​and soon It will be in more.

In recent years, blind and visually impaired people have more options to read and study the Bible. Thanks to new tools, in 2009 The Watchtower began to be produced in electronic format in braille, and since 2014 it can be downloaded on our website. Thanks to a braille computer called a braille notator, the reader can know what points are in each line.

Well, let's think for example of the book "Enjoy Life." The entire paper publication occupies 12 volumes, but now it is all in a small device, it is fantastic because you can take it with you and have it whenever you need it, a screen reader is a program that can be installed on an electronic device or a computer, reads out loud what is on the screen, so you understand what is on the page and can even navigate through it.

Another thing that has been very successful among blind people is the use of Al-tex, the additional image information are more detailed descriptions of the images in our publications: Image on page 16 a sister and her little daughter wash clothes hand, a couple from the congregation brings them food. The first time I heard the information about the images, it was beautiful, I felt like I was really part of the congregation.

Now I can also comment on the images, and I feel safe when I do it. Sometimes the brothers tell me that I commented on something that they had not even realized, and when the brothers tell me that I get very very happy, because I feel I have been able to encourage them with my comments in braille, and screen readers have been a real lifesaver for our brothers, but nowadays we receive a lot of spiritual nourishment through videos.

So what are we doing so that blind or visually impaired people can enjoy the videos too? At the 2020 Regional Assembly, the first videos with audio descriptions came out, which are short phrases that are added to the video and that explain out loud what is happening on the screen. Let's put ourselves in the place of a blind person and look at how useful it is. They are the audio descriptions.

It is night in the King's bedroom, the wind moves the curtains, the king is asleep, but agitated he sees himself without a crown, he sees an immense and brilliant image, a ball of fire, destroying the feet of the image. I felt as if the faithful and prudent slave was saying to me, we know that every day you have to make an effort to understand some things, we want to make your life easier. Now I understand perfectly what Jehovah wants to teach me, now the person next to you does not have to tell you everything that is happening, I am independent again like before.

Audio descriptions are the best, now it is very difficult for me to enjoy a video if it does not have audio descriptions. And they also help me a lot when I have to explain the lessons of each video to the people in the territory. Jehovah loves me very much and since he knows that I cannot see, he gives me just what I need to serve him. 

We are currently producing videos with audio descriptions in 92 languages, they are being very useful, but they are also helping the brothers in a way that we did not expect. As? Although they were originally prepared for blind people, brothers and sisters who can only download audio from the assembly program are also using them. Thanks to the audio descriptions they can perfectly understand what is happening in each scene of the video. 

In Psalm 23, David wrote Jehovah is my shepherd, I will not lack, just like David we all feel that Jehovah our loving shepherd, guides us and protects us, is what we feel when we read the Bible and extract its lessons, thanks to the publications on paper, in audio and on video, through his organization Jehovah ensures that everyone without exception, including blind and visually impaired people, can say with confidence, I will not lack.