The Essay

There's never been a better time to go blind. The digital world transforms the way information can be appreciated, doing great things for the the sighted as well as the blind - breaking down barriers to absorbing, manipulating, and transmitting culture. But access can be denied by considerations of politics and trade, rooted in the history of copyright. Visually impaired people sometimes end up as collateral damage in the war on digital piracy. Rupert Goodwins looks into how the future could be brighter for blindness.