admin
About Us

Historical Background and Mission

The Stamperia Regionale Braille ETS is a non-profit organization of the Third Sector that has been operating in Sicily for over forty years. It was established in 1978 (Regional Law 52/1978) as an internal structure of the Italian Union of the Blind (UICI). With Regional Law 4/2001, its institutional purpose was recognized as an autonomous entity with its own statutes and Board of Directors, becoming an Onlus in 2002. Following the Third Sector reform in 2022, it adapted its statutes for registration in the RUNTS (Single National Register of the Third Sector), assuming the status of ETS in continuity with its previous Onlus qualification.

It was born from the initiative of the UICI to respond to the educational and cultural needs of the visually impaired in the region. Activities began in June 1980 in Caltanissetta with the printing of various Braille publications. Over time, it expanded its production: in 1985, it started printing the first Braille school textbooks, and in 1996, it began producing large-print texts for the visually impaired. Year by year, educational production has become the core business of the Printing House.

The Sicilian Region has mandated the Printing House to produce texts, magazines, educational materials, and any other aid contributing to the cultural, social, and professional integration of the visually impaired. Consequently, every year over 2,500 texts are produced and provided free of charge to Sicilian visually impaired students across all levels of education, including university. These texts are redesigned and laid out with a typhlopedagogical approach to make them fully accessible.

In 1997, the Printing House moved its headquarters to Catania, adding electronic formats and audiobooks to its catalog. It was the first in Italy to trial Nero-Braille joint printing: a process where enlarged characters are superimposed with corresponding Braille, creating a text shareable between blind, visually impaired, and sighted individuals. For children, it produces various tactile books and aids using diverse materials to stimulate touch and cognitive development.

The Printing House also focuses on accessible design and autonomous mobility, providing research, consulting, and micro-design services to remove architectural and sensory barriers. This activity is aimed at:

  • Public bodies, universities, and educational institutes.

  • Museums, foundations, and nature reserve managers.

  • Transport infrastructure companies (airports, railways, subways).

  • Construction companies and technical professionals.

Since 2008, it has also managed the Multimedia Tactile Center (Polo Tattile Multimediale) in Catania, a multifunctional facility open to the public and schools.

Art. 6.1: The Braille Regional Printing House, in addition to Braille volumes, can produce typhlo-technical and typhlo-didactic materials, large-print books for the visually impaired, and any other educational material, including computer-based aids, to support school inclusion and social integration.