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Visually impaired people get local news faster

We are launching a pilot project with a number of partners to give more people with visual impairments faster access to local newspapers. The first 44 have been made accessible – and more are on the way.

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Photo: Det Kgl. Bibliotek

Published 17 December 2025 | Revision 18 December 2025

There is good – and not least fast – news on the way for Denmark's approximately 32,000 citizens with visual impairments.

Earlier this year, Royal Danish Library's Nota-service entered into a collaboration with Danish Media and the Danish Journalists' Association – Media and Communication to make weekly newspapers accessible to visually impaired users on the same day the newspaper is published.

This is done by processing the newspaper by a digital system which can read the newspaper out loud to the user with synthetic speech. The first 44 local newspapers can now be accessed as audio newspapers by visually impaired users of Royal Dansish Library's Nota-service.

It is expected that more than 100 local newspapers will become part of the project in 2026. Kira Stine Hansen, deputy director and responsible for Royal Danish Library's Nota-service, is very pleased to now be able to offer current local news coverage to a target group who has had difficulty accessing local material:

“

Lokal nyhedsformidling er en hjørnesten i vores demokratiske samfund. Det er vigtigt, at alle har lige adgang til nyhedsstrømmen, og vi er glade for at kunne sikre, at flere mennesker med synshandicap nu også får hurtigere adgang til lokale aviser,

- siger Kira Stine Hansen
“

Dicle Duran Nielsen, CEO of Danske Medier, is satisfied that the weekly newspapers can now reach an even broader target group:

“

Et handicap må ikke stå i vejen for borgernes adgang til faktabaseret kvalitetsjournalistik. Det nylige kommunal- og regionsvalg var et tydeligt eksempel på, hvilken vigtig rolle de lokale medier spiller for den demokratiske samtale, og derfor er vi glade for, at en lang række lokale medier nu bliver gjort tilgængelige på lyd for synshandicappede,

- siger Dicle Duran Nielsen
“

At the Danish Society for the Visually Impaired, national chairwoman Diana Stentoft is very enthusiastic about the offer:

“

Det er et meget stort og vigtigt skridt, vi nu kan tage frem mod markant større adgang til lokal information og nyheder i lokalsamfundet. Jeg er ligeledes meget glad for den store velvilje og opbakning, vi har mødt hos både Det Kgl. Bibliotek, Dansk Journalistforbund og Danske Medier. Det skaber større lighed for blinde og svagsynedes lokale samfundsdeltagelse. I mange år har vi kun fået et mindre udvalg af nyheder og informationer og ofte med så lang leveringstid, at en interessant begivenhed var afholdt, inden vi overhovedet fik information om, at den fandtes. Det har været frustrerende ikke at være orienteret om de forhold, der gør sig gældende i det nærmiljø, hvor vi lever vores liv,

- siger Diana Stentoft
“

Visually impaired users can access the audio newspapers via Royal Danish Library's Nota-service apps and website, nota.dk. The pilot project runs until the end of 2026.

Royal Danish Library's Nota-service

Royal Danish Library's Nota-Service is a national library service for the blind, visually impaired, dyslexic, and others who are unable to read printed text due to functional impairment. Royal Danish Library's Nota-service produces and distributes, among other things, books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets and sheet music in audio, Braille and electronic form. Royal Danish Library's Nota-service also provides special educational support in the form of specially designed study materials for students with dyslexia in primary and secondary education and for students with visual and reading disabilities in higher education.

44 local newspapers are available now – and more are on the way

Jutland

  • Billund/Grindsted Weekly Newspaper
  • Bjerringbro Newspaper
  • Braedstrup Newspaper
  • ElboBladet
  • Galten and surrounding area Folkeblad
  • Haderslev Weekly Newspaper
  • Hedensted/Juelsminde Newspaper
  • Holstebro Wednesday
  • Horsens Post Office
  • Kolding Weekly Newspaper
  • LigeHer.nu Aalborg
  • LigeHer.nu Brønderslev
  • LigeHer.nu Frederikshavn
  • LigeHer.nu Hjørring
  • LigeHer.nu Jammerbugt
  • LigeHer.nu Mariagerfjord
  • LigeHer.nu Thy Mors
  • The local newspaper Lemvig
  • Weddings Newspaper
  • Odder Newspaper
  • Randers Wednesday
  • Sonderborg Weekly Newspaper
  • The weekly newspaper Esbjerg
  • Ribe Weekly Newspaper
  • The Ringkøbing weekly newspaper
  • Struer Weekly Newspaper
  • The weekly newspaper Tønder
  • The weekly newspaper Vejen
  • Viborg news

Funen

  • Kerteminde Weekly Newspaper
  • Local newspaper Assens
  • Local newspaper Nyborg
  • Melfar Post Office
  • Midtfunen Post Office
  • The weekly newspaper Faaborg
  • The weekly newspaper Nordfyn
  • The Odense Weekly Newspaper
  • Weekly newspaper Svendborg

Zealand and the islands

  • AmagerLife
  • FrederiksbergLIV
  • Herlev Newspaper
  • CopenhagenLIV
  • CopenhagenLife Østerbro
  • The weekly newspaper North Zealand