Literature is often described as a window to the world. For many Deaf people, however, this window remained closed for years—not due to a lack of interest in culture, but because of language barriers. The “Accessible Book” project was created to gradually remove these barriers and open access to literature in a form aligned with the natural mode of communication of Deaf people.
In January 2026, the first stage of the project was completed. Its goal was to create accessible, multimedia adaptations of books and to establish organizational and substantive foundations for the further development of the initiative.
Accessibility Based on Polish Sign Language (PJM)
For people whose natural language and primary means of communication from birth is Polish Sign Language (PJM), traditional forms of access to literature—based solely on written text—do not provide full accessibility. PJM is a distinct visual-spatial language with its own grammar and structure. As a result, written Polish is a second language for Deaf users, and in some cases may even function as a foreign language acquired through education.
Within the “Accessible Book” project, it was assumed that translation into Polish Sign Language would be the primary channel of communication. Other layers—textual and audio—serve a complementary role, broadening the audience and enabling the project to be used by hard-of-hearing and hearing individuals, as well as educational institutions. This approach resulted in the creation of a multimedia publication format known as a sign-language book (migoksiążka), combining PJM translation, synchronized text, a supportive audio layer, and visual design.
A Library Accessible to Diverse Audiences
As part of the first stage of the project, 22 literary works were developed and made available. The digital library includes classic fairy tales and children’s stories, school reading materials, and works of fiction intended for young people and adults.
The available titles include works by authors such as Hans Christian Andersen, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Juliusz Słowacki, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Bruno Schulz, William Shakespeare, and Janusz Korczak. The selection aimed to ensure thematic, linguistic, and emotional diversity so that people of different ages and needs could benefit from the project’s resources.
The materials were published in a dedicated online library available at https://dostepnaksiazka.pl, which serves as the central platform for the project, as well as on a publicly accessible YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@LukasiewiczAI), enabling broad and free access to the content.
Implementation and Scale of Work
Production took place in a specially prepared recording studio at Łukasiewicz – AI. The project involved nine professional Polish Sign Language interpreters—both Deaf and hearing—who have experience working with literature and education. Each interpreter brought a unique style and mode of interpretation, a diversity that is essential both for better reception by PJM users and for creating valuable, varied material for machine learning.
In total, 95 hours of video recordings were produced, not including the time required for post-production, layer synchronization, and preparation of the publications for release. The scale of this work demonstrates how time- and resource-intensive the manual creation of high-quality accessible literary content is. At the same time, the collected materials form the beginning of a structured resource that may be used in future research and development activities.
The first stage of the project was primarily production-oriented and pilot-based. The resulting recordings and textual materials initiated the process of building a dataset for machine learning. Even at this stage, the potential for future automation of selected elements of the process is evident—automation that could significantly improve workflow ergonomics, reduce production time, and optimize the use of resources.
For now, however, human expertise and the quality of manually prepared translations played a key role. As part of the pilot phase, a test recording using a digital avatar based on motion capture technology was also produced. This solution had an exploratory and conceptual character.
Summary
The completion of the first edition of the project leaves Łukasiewicz – AI with invaluable experience. The first stage of the “Accessible Book” project succeeded in opening what had remained closed for years—access to literature in the natural language of Deaf people. An accessible digital library, production infrastructure, and foundations for further research and development activities have been established.
The project was met with enthusiastic reception from the Deaf community as well as from the media, which highlighted its innovative character. The conclusion of the first stage also marks a starting point for future steps, should appropriate organizational and financial opportunities arise. “Accessible Book” remains an open project—open to development, new technologies, and above all, to people for whom literature should truly be accessible.
Formal Information
The project “Accessible Book – adaptation of books with Polish Sign Language (PJM) translation for society and machine learning” was carried out as the first stage between July 1 and December 30, 2025, and concluded in January 2026.
The task was commissioned by the President of the Łukasiewicz Research Network and financed through subsidy funds. The project was implemented in cooperation with the Integracja Foundation, an organization with over 30 years of experience in activities supporting people with disabilities.
