Literature is often described as a window to the world. For many Deaf people, however, this window remained closed for years\u2014not due to a lack of interest in culture, but because of language barriers. The \u201cAccessible Book\u201d 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.
Accessibility Based on Polish Sign Language (PJM)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n For people whose natural language and primary means of communication from birth is Polish Sign Language (PJM), traditional forms of access to literature\u2014based solely on written text\u2014do 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. <\/p>\n\n Within the \u201cAccessible Book\u201d project, it was assumed that translation into Polish Sign Language would be the primary channel of communication. Other layers\u2014textual and audio\u2014serve 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 (migoksi\u0105\u017cka), combining PJM translation, synchronized text, a supportive audio layer, and visual design. <\/p>\n\n A Library Accessible to Diverse Audiences<\/strong><\/p>\n\n 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\u2019s stories, school reading materials, and works of fiction intended for young people and adults. The materials were published in a dedicated online library available at https:\/\/dostepnaksiazka.p<\/a>l, which serves as the central platform for the project, as well as on a publicly accessible YouTube channel (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LukasiewiczAI<\/a>), enabling broad and free access to the content.<\/p>\n\n Implementation and Scale of Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Production took place in a specially prepared recording studio at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 AI. The project involved nine professional Polish Sign Language interpreters\u2014both Deaf and hearing\u2014who 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. 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\u2014automation that could significantly improve workflow ergonomics, reduce production time, and optimize the use of resources. Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The completion of the first edition of the project leaves \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 AI with invaluable experience. The first stage of the \u201cAccessible Book\u201d project succeeded in opening what had remained closed for years\u2014access 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. <\/p>\n\n 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. \u201cAccessible Book\u201d remains an open project\u2014open to development, new technologies, and above all, to people for whom literature should truly be accessible. <\/p>\n\n Formal Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The project \u201cAccessible Book \u2013 adaptation of books with Polish Sign Language (PJM) translation for society and machine learning\u201d was carried out as the first stage between July 1 and December 30, 2025, and concluded in January 2026. Literature is often described as a window to the world. For many Deaf people, however, this window remained closed for years\u2014not due to a lack of interest in culture, but because of language barriers. The \u201cAccessible Book\u201d project was created to gradually remove these barriers and open access to literature in a form aligned with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":26112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,103],"tags":[535,544,526,290,536,369,539,547,540,533,534,542,525,548,552,546,532,545,530,551,538,549,527,528,537,550,543,531,529,541],"class_list":["post-26147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-successes","tag-a-christmas-carol","tag-about-the-dwarfs-and-marysia-the-orphan","tag-accessible-book-en","tag-ai-en","tag-antygona-en","tag-artificial-intelligence-en","tag-awatar-pjm-en","tag-balladyna-en","tag-book-in-polish-sign-language","tag-book-with-sign-language-translation","tag-books-in-polish-sign-language","tag-cinnabar-shops","tag-deaf-people","tag-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde","tag-from-one-nest","tag-in-desert-and-wilderness","tag-janko-the-musician","tag-king-matt-the-first","tag-literature-for-the-deaf","tag-little-women","tag-machine-learning","tag-new-fairy-tales","tag-pjm-en","tag-polish-sign-language-pjm","tag-school-readings","tag-the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer","tag-the-dwarfs","tag-the-little-match-girl","tag-the-little-prince","tag-the-snow-queen"],"acf":{"czas_czytania":"3"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-02-16 21:11:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26148,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26147\/revisions\/26148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ai.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}