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G+J Magazines for the Blind and the Visually Impaired
STERN has been involved in projects relating to the blind and the visually impaired for over 30 years. In 1968, Henri Nannen (STERN) and Gerd Bucerius (Die Zeit) created a publication for the blind entitled STERN-Zeit-Blindenzeitschrift. In order to simplify "reading", the team collaborated with the University of Münster to develop contracted Braille, which has since become the standard in Germany.
The non-profit STERN-Zeit-Blindenzeitschrift project involves the publication of selected articles from the current issues of STERN and "Die Zeit" every 14 days. The 52-page magazine is regularly distributed to around 1,000 blind and visually impaired readers and is also delivered to numerous institutions. A one-year subscription costs 41.60 euros. The very popular classified ad section is free for readers. In addition, the stern cover story is available for downloading in the form of a podcast every week. This service is used by ca. 600 blind and visually impaired people.
A blind readers' version of BRIGITTE was launched in May 2002. Consequently, BRIGITTE is the first women's magazine in Germany to make its complete editorial content available to the blind. Thanks to the assistance provided by Frankfurter Stiftung für Blinde und Sehbehinderte in Frankfurt am Main (a foundation for the blind), the latest edition of the print magazine is electronically transferred to a PC or special reading device or sent in the form of an e-mail attachment on the first day that the printed version goes on sale. Blind readers can then choose to have BRIGITTE read out to them by a synthetic voice or to retrieve it and read it themselves in Braille using a connected Braille display.
BRIGITTE for the blind is exclusively available in subscription form via Frankfurter Stiftung für Blinde und Sehbehinderte, Frankfurt am Main, at the annual price of 57.20 euros, the same as the printed edition. All proceeds go directly to the Foundation.
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