Twinkl collaborates with CustomEyes Books to make books more accessible for children

This exciting collaboration will see Twinkl’s Rhino Readers collection transformed by Guide Dogs’ CustomEyes Books to allow those with visual impairments to have access to customised copies to better support their learning.

The importance of reading

A recent study conducted by The Reading Agency, found that around 5.8 million people (16% of adults) in England and Northern Ireland score at the lowest level of proficiency in literacy (at or below Level 1) and that 31% of adults don’t read in their free time, rising to 46% of young people (aged 16 to 24).

It was also found that reading extensively and for pleasure can foster the development of stronger reading habits and increase literacy skills at a greater rate than through formal literacy lessons.

Twinkl believes in the importance of reading for pleasure and understands the incredible impact it can have on a child’s development and the importance of having access to tailored materials to support children and young people’s individual learning needs. 

 Even ten minutes a day discussing something they have read can improve their confidence and desire to continue reading. These small interactions are what strengthen a child’s relationship with reading by showing them that it is something that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Who are CustomEyes Books?

With a lot of books still remaining inaccessible to those with visual impairments, Twinkl are striving towards a more diverse and accessible reading program that will allow more children to enjoy reading and support their development and learning. That is where the collaboration between Twinkl and CustomEyes Books will further enable this endeavour. 

CustomEyes Books is an expansion of the ongoing work conducted by Guide Dogs as part of their ongoing commitment to support adults and young people, along with their families across the UK.

CustomEyes Books enables children and young people with a visual impairment to have access to books, specifically designed to be tailored to support their development. From font size, spacing, colour and more, each book can be tailored to suit your child’s needs.

With a growing collection of over 4,200 books readily available in their library, from mid September the full 96 original storybooks from the Twinkl Rhino Readers collection will be added through this new collaboration. 

Nigel Betts, National Operations Manager for CustomEyes Books said:

“We know how it important it is for a child with a vision impairment to develop the skills they need to lead an independent life and we don’t believe a vision impairment should stop any child from knowing the joy of learning to read. This is an amazing partnership with Twinkl and it’s great that children with sight loss or dyslexia can enjoy the Rhino Readers collection and share exactly the same books as their friends and classmates.”

Rhino Readers

Twinkl understands the importance of resources being reflective of children’s individual needs and that is why with the support of CustomEyes Books, the Rhino Readers collection will become even more accessible. The Rhino Readers collection is a range of engaging and original books, which have been carefully created by teams of experienced educators to be fully decodable to support children throughout their reading journeys from decoding to fluency. The Rhino Readers collection is also perfectly aligned with the DfE-validated Twinkl Phonics scheme, supporting educators and their pupils throughout their reading journey.

Covering a range of topics and genres, the books are accessible both in print and online through e-books using the Twinkl app, meaning you and your child can explore these books at your leisure at any time, from anywhere, both on or offline. In addition, many books are available with audio to support readers further.

Joanna Basher, Product Owner of Rhino Readers at Twinkl, said,

“The Rhino Readers team are all thrilled that CustomEyes Books are producing bespoke versions of the Rhino Readers books for children with visual impairments.”

“We’re committed to making our reading scheme accessible to all children, and our collaboration with CustomEyes Books is a vital part of this. I’m delighted that we’ll be able to engage with more children, help them learn to love reading and create even more unstoppable readers.”

Further information about Twinkl’s Rhino Readers can be found on our website, additionally, CustomEyes Books have made a simple to use form online, to make customising your child’s books selections as easy as possible.