Paralympian Lora Fachie ‘over the moon’ to read first braille story on CBeebies
The episode is to air on Thursday to mark World Sight Day.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paralympic cyclist Lora Fachie has said she is “over the moon” about reading the first braille episode of CBeebies Bedtime Stories, alongside guide dog Tai.
Fachie, a gold medal winner from the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, is to read The Secret Code – a story about a young boy whose classmates are fascinated by the way he reads because he uses braille.
It is the first instalment of the long-running series to be read in braille, as well as first time the illustrations have been audio described.
Reading the book on World Sight Day on October 13, Fachie said: “I am over the moon to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story for the first time in braille.
“I have always enjoyed reading and hope this will encourage everyone to want to read whether they use their eyes, their ears, their fingers or a secret code.
“Reading feeds the imagination and I will be reading to my little one from the minute they are born.”
She has also recorded a second episode for the children’s TV channel.
The Secret Code was written by Dana Meachen Rau and illustrated by Bari Weissman, and the braille transcription was provided by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
CBeebies Bedtime Stories is shown daily at 6.50pm and is also available on BBC iPlayer.