In realising the vision of the Bible being present for all people, Bible institutes around the world are not only doing basic ministries such as Bible translation into local languages and Bible distribution. They also continue to innovate and expand their services to those who have been neglected, such as people with visual disabilities. Efforts to transliterate the Bible from Latin script to Braille script, ensures that the visually impaired have easy access to God's word while offering love, care and friendship.
The Indonesian Bible Society (LAI) as an institution mandated by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) to translate, print, and publish the Bible for Christians, also has a commitment to care for people with disabilities. This message was emphasised by Rev Anwar Tjen, Head of the LAI Translation Department during his visit to Sentra Wyata Guna (SWG) Printing, Bandung. Also present during the visit were Aloma Sarumaha, representing the Director General of Catholic Guidance, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Antonius Ary from the Bliblika Indonesia Institute. The group was enthusiastically received by the Head of SWG Printing Iri Sapria.
This visit to SWG Printing in Bandung followed up on the visit of the Catholic Bimas-Ministry of Religious Affairs to LAI about a week earlier for a Braille Bible printing partnership. For information, in order to fulfil the request from the Catholic Religious Guidance Agency-Ministry of Religious Affairs, for the procurement of 37 sets of Braille Bibles to be distributed to 37 dioceses, SWG Printing has carried out the typesetting and the process is almost finalised. However, as the copyright holder of the New Translation of the Bible, LAI has never received a letter of request for the translation from the relevant parties.
Pdt. Anwar also reminded all parties to respect the text licensing guidelines as written in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Act. As the copyright holder of the basic text of the New Translation of the Bible, parties who wish to reproduce or transliterate need to apply for official permission from LAI.
Furthermore, since the printed Braille Bibles have absorbed considerable resources and funds (in this case the budget was issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs through the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation), the initial corrective step that can be taken by the relevant parties is to write to the LAI Management to use the TB Bible in order to fulfil the request of the Director General of Catholic Guidance. At the next stage, Rev Anwar on behalf of LAI proposed that in the future to respond to the needs of Christians with visual sensory disabilities for the Bible, including the Deuterocanonical edition, a partnership between LAI and the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs could be considered and agreed upon. The level of this partnership can be discussed further (whether with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Director General of Social Rehabilitation or simply with the SWG).
According to Rev Anwar's explanation, all parties from both SWG and Bimas Katolik accepted and immediately sent a letter requesting permission to transliterate the New Translation of the Bible into Braille. In the future, the SWG said that all licensing processes related to the use of LAI and LBI texts (for Deuterocanonical) will always be carried out formally and transparently to the LAI and LBI.
After the meeting, Iri Sapria, as the Head of SWG Printing invited the group to visit their printing press which produces various Braille materials (magazines, educational teaching materials for the blind, health counselling materials, education, skills, as well as holy books, including the Bible and the Quran). This visit gave LAI an insight into the behind-the-scenes work done by SWG to address the needs of people with disabilities. The production process of the Braille materials is done well by utilising manual lettering machines, foreign-made machines and lettering machines made by the nation's children (Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November, Surabaya).
Hopefully, through the partnership between SWG Printing and LAI, friends with visual impairments throughout Indonesia will find it easier to obtain Braille Bibles and other quality spiritual readings, so that they can meet their Saviour personally and their faith will be strengthened in living their daily lives in the world.
As LAI approaches 70 years of ministry in Indonesia, the partnership between SWG and LAI may be proof that through LAI, God continues to do great things for His people. Biblical greetings to all.
