Project

Rationale  

Within the academic world, theology holds a modest place. Even more modest is the number of students and theologians with visual impairments. As a result, it is not always easy for blind or visually impaired theologians or students to find their way across the obstacles they may encounter. Consider questions such as: How do I learn the biblical languages if I depend on Braille and/or speech synthesis? How do I gain access to a well-organized and accessible theological library? What accommodations are needed if I want to study theology? How can I serve my congregation, the church and world with the talents and insights I have been given?

Awareness of accessibility challenges in theological studies for students with visual impairments emerged from conversations between students and lecturers/professors. While the ever-increasing availability of resources in digital formats nowadays offers new opportunities to convert materials into accessible media, most resources and software are still not accessible nor designed to meet the specific needs and requirements of PVI.

Collaboration  

Project Didymus is a Dutch collaboration dedicated to advancing the accessibility of Biblical Studies for People with Visual Impairments (PVI). It is intended as a gathering place to provide answers to the questions raised above as well as future questions in this area. We aim to offer a space for and by theologians with visual impairments, as well as for others who share an affinity with this group.

Vision  

Project Didymus’ core conviction is that Biblical Studies should be accessible to anyone, despite one’s background, challenges and circumstances in life. Our primary focus is at the blind and visually impaired. That said, there might be some overlap in needs with other disabilities, such as dyslexia.

Aims  

Project Didymus is committed to realize this vision by:

• Promoting concepts of accessibility in the scholarly community of biblical studies.
• Building a knowledge base
• Providing guidelines and instructions to study Biblical languages (Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic) accessibly, including critical texts/apparatuses
• Stimulating exchange of experiences between students, tutors and professors to prevent re-inventing the wheel in making biblical studies
• Promoting use and adoption of accessibility standards in widely used software within the field
• Leveling up knowledge and awareness of current theologians about new technology and insights that evolved after their study.

Current activities  

Currently, we are exploring ways to improve access to the original biblical languages. This includes not only transliterating digital texts for braille devices or audio formats, but also making the critical apparatus accessible, and enhancing the usability of Bible software for PVI.