- Pro Bono
- Community
- DE&I
Charity Project: Volunteering to Create e-Books
In the fall of 2024, in honor of the UN-designated World Charity Day (September 5), we held an event to produce e-books for children who have difficulty reading due to visual impairments or developmental disabilities. Volunteer signups began in September, and over four months, about 75 lawyers and staff members worked to transcribe text for the production of audio electronic books. The books produced by these volunteers will be published in an online electronic library called “Chatty Library” operated byScience Accessibility Net.
About Volunteering
Volunteers modified books to conform with Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) standards. DAISY is a specification that offers a flexible and navigable reading experience for people who are blind or print disabled.
Our volunteers made a 365-page DAISY book based on a popular children’s book. Each volunteer was assigned several pages and worked closely with others. Volunteers used skills they have gained in creating legal documents in their daily work.
Impressions
Masato Kariya, Tokyo partner
When I heard that this was an initiative to enable more people to enjoy stories that I loved as a child, I immediately decided to participate. I thought, “As a book lover, there's no way I can’t get involved!” I enjoyed volunteering. This was the first time I heard about DAISY books, and I think it is a wonderful tool that makes fascinating books available to more people. Thank you for allowing me to be involved in this project.
O. F., Professional Assistance Department
Thank you for the opportunity to volunteer! The story I worked on involved characters overcoming difficulties, which I thought was perfect for children. Although I only helped with a small portion of the proofreading, I was able to put skills that I use in my daily work to good use, and I was happy to contribute to the cause. Thanks to the casual nature of this volunteering, I was able to get involved without any difficulties. I would definitely like to participate again if I have the opportunity.
A.N., Staff Member in the Nagoya Office
Imagining who might read this book made me excited to volunteer. Since all the data was stored in the cloud, members of our Tokyo and Nagoya offices were able to work together, enhancing communication between our offices.
Machiko Koyabu, Senior Office Manager of SCL Nishimura & Asahi
I participated from our Bangkok office. Since this project was a team effort, I was able to work with volunteers at our global offices. I was grateful to contribute to society in Japan while living abroad. I hope that people with audiovisual or developmental disabilities will enjoy reading the e-book we worked on. A Thai colleague who learned about this volunteer activity after the fact said that he would like to participate in the future. He feels that it is a valuable opportunity to contribute and learn more about Japan.
Collaboration with HP Japan Inc.
Maki Nakamura, Senior Manager of Cross Functional Transformation Division, Business Support Department
This project was introduced to us by a volunteer from HP Japan Inc., who we regularly interact with about DE&I matters. During the Q&A at the information session, volunteers from HP Japan took to the stage and shared about proofreading multimedia books, and explained the significance of making books from their favorite childhood books available in DAISY format. They talked about how they enjoyed volunteering, which encouraged signups.
Significance of Implementation
Our firm’s fundamental mission is to realize an affluent and fair society based on the rule of law. We are committed to several initiatives that contribute to social justice. This initiative to create e-books provides opportunities for children with visual impairments and developmental disabilities to learn and be inspired through reading. This is an important initiative supporting the basic right to access information. We hope that our attorneys and staff members will continue to help promote inclusion in society as a whole by applying the skills required in legal practice to these activities in the future.
