This week around International Literacy Day, the Royal Society for Blind Children, London (RSBC) and Innocean Berlin are launching the Bedtime Donations app – a unique app that creates easy access to the power of books for visually impaired and blind children.
When a parent reads a story aloud from the app’s library, it’s transformed into a free audiobook with the help of safe AI. The library includes hundreds of copyright-free stories across 15 categories, all sourced from Project Gutenberg. The app is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.
Just two hours after launch the app was already the #1 app download on Apple Store UK.
Research consistently shows that bedtime stories play a crucial role in a child’s development – improving language skills, strengthening emotional bonds, and helping children process the events of their day. Children with vision impairment face a long-standing challenge. More than a third of blind and partially sighted people in the UK struggle to make ends meet, and have little access to audiobooks – producing audiobooks is expensive and time-consuming.
“Every child deserves to enjoy the magic of a bedtime story – but for blind and partially sighted children, the choice of accessible audiobooks is still far too limited. The Bedtime Donations campaign is about changing that. By encouraging parents, caretakers, volunteers, and well-known voices to share their bedtime stories, we’re building a library of free, accessible books that will help children feel included, inspired and connected to the magic of storytelling,” stated Julie Davis, CEO of RSBC.
Prominent UK actors, comedians and TV personalities including Jon Richardson, Ralf Little, Jon Culshaw and Mathew Baynton are among a growing list of celebrities lending their voices to the campaign.
The app features two main modes: Reader and Listener. In Reader mode, parents and caretakers select from a curated library of short, child-friendly stories to read aloud. Once a story is recorded and meets internal quality guidelines, it becomes available through the help of safe AI in Listener mode for blind children to enjoy.
Inclusivity is at the heart of the idea. Therefore, it was important that the app and website design were developed in collaboration with accessibility experts. All colours used in the app and website meet WCAG Level AAA standards, maintaining a minimum contrast ratio of 7:1 for optimal visibility. In addition, carefully chosen fonts and built-in voice recognition on both iOS and Android ensure an inclusive and user-friendly experience for everyone.
“The app is designed to make reading and listening as smooth as possible. AI-powered voice cleaning removes background noise for a clearer, more enjoyable experience. Features like coverage scoring and built-in guardrails ensure the narration stays true to the original text, promoting better reading engagement,” noted Jens Brater, managing director and lead developer of digital agency BuzzWoo, who supported the project.
“At Innocean Berlin, we believe in alleviating a brand’s pain. To do so requires going far beyond the brief, and that’s what we did with RSBC. Bedtime Donations is a powerful platform that takes an important step towards making stories more accessible to children with vision impairment and their families, through sheer dedication, latest technology and inclusive design,” added Gabriel Mattar, CCO of Innocean Berlin.
Bedtime Donations isdesigned to grow over time. It can host stories across multiple languages and genres, making it as diverse as the children it serves.
Credits:
Client: Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC)
Head of Marketing & Comms: Lesley Temple
External Affairs Director: Lily Rose
Marketing Executive & Business Partner: Helen Whittaker
Interim Creative and Digital Marketing Manager: Gorga Mllaurie
PR Consultant: Nicole Martin
Agency: INNOCEAN Berlin
European Chief Creative Officer: Gabriel Mattar
Executive Creative Director: Ricardo Wolff
Creative Directors: Jose Suaid & Sebastian Pattis
Art Director: Fran Misetic
Copywriters: Ana Zuric & Divya Mirlay
Senior Designer: Elise Chastel
Senior Motion Graphic Designers: Julia Sachse & Alexander Aleksidze
Creatives: Daniel Manzi & Pedro Paes
Web Designer: Vladimir Osokin
Client Service Director Europe: Alessia Bellini
Account Director: Lisa Osokina
Social Media Strategist: Molly Snowden
Senior Producer: Allison Markert
Book Researchers: Anni Rostomashvili, Francesco Cabassi, Raissa Rochesso & Yusuf Elebiary
App Development Company: Buzzwoo
Music: DaHouse
PR: Jessica Fuchs Communications
