Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA)

What Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA) does

Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA) is a non-profit association founded in 1901 in Geneva, Switzerland, that supports blind and visually impaired persons through four operating units: the Bibliothèque Braille Romande et livre parlé (BBR), which lends Braille, audio, and DAISY-format books across French-speaking Switzerland and distributes them via the BBR Player mobile app and an online catalog; the Centre d'Information et de Réadaptation (CIR), which delivers occupational therapy, social accompaniment, and daily-living support; the Centre de Compétences en Accessibilité (CCA), which provides accessibility consulting, training, and document production for digital, built, and cultural environments; and the EMS Foyer du Vallon, a residential nursing home for elderly visually impaired residents. The technology stack centers on the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) standard for synchronized audio/text books, an open-source DAISY Web Player, the BBR Player application for iOS and Android, the NetBiblio WebOPAC catalog, and the Le Point Son podcast.

The organization operates with 32 employees supported by 111 volunteers who recorded 2,797 hours of audio literature in 2024, and it generates inflows from a combination of Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (OFAS) subsidies covering less than half of the operating budget and private donations collected online via Raisenow and at events such as Race for Gift, Course de l'Escalade, and the annual beneficiary meal. All direct services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, while fundraising, cultural partnerships (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Musée Ariana, Vitromusée Romont, Ville de Carouge, Conservatoire Populaire de Genève), and a media presence (podcast, social channels, newsletter) sustain the operating model. Governance is overseen by a committee under a co-presidency of Théodora Cohen Liechti and Phidias Ferrari effective January 1, 2025, with 2026 marking the organization's 125th anniversary.

Name

Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA)

Legal name

Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA)

Website

https://abage.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Founded in 1901 in Geneva, Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA) is a Swiss non-profit serving blind and visually impaired persons in Romandie through a Braille/audio library (BBR), a rehabilitation center (CIR), an accessibility consulting center (CCA), and a residential care home, funded by federal subsidies and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Visual Impairment Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Residential Care Facilities (623990), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (62311), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN), Digital Accessibility & Web/App Compliance (WCAG) (EDALAGAG), Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ), Assistive Listening & Accessibility AV Infrastructure (Hearing loops, captioning hardware) (EDAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Visual impairment services
• Braille library services
• Low vision rehabilitation
• Accessibility consulting
• Assistive reading services

Headquarters

HQ city

Genève

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding: Partial government funding from the Swiss Federal Office for Social Insurance (Office fédéral des assurances sociales), covering less than half of operating budget.
2. Private Donations: Majority of funding comes from private donations, fundraising events, and charitable contributions. Donations accepted online via Raisenow (Visa, Mastercard, PostFinance, TWINT, etc.) and offline.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ABA operates a multi-service nonprofit delivering accessible reading materials, rehabilitation, and universal accessibility services to blind and visually impaired individuals in Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland. Its core services are delivered through three specialized centers: the Bibliothèque Braille Romande et livre parlé (BBR) lending library for Braille, audio, and DAISY materials; the Centre d'Information et de Réadaptation (CIR) for social integration, occupational therapy, and daily living support; and the Centre de Compétences en Accessibilité (CCA) for digital, built-environment, and cultural accessibility consulting.

Product overview

Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA) operates as a multi-service organization for visually impaired individuals in Geneva, offering four core services: the Bibliothèque Braille Romande et livre parlé (BBR) lending library providing accessible reading materials in Braille, audio, and DAISY formats; the Centre d'Information et de Réadaptation (CIR) for rehabilitation and support services; the Centre de Compétences en Accessibilité (CCA) for universal accessibility consulting; and the Foyer du Vallon residential care home. The BBR service includes a mobile application (BBR Player), an online catalog (NetBiblio WebOPAC), and the 'Le Point Son' podcast. The organization has been operating since 1901 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BBR Player: Mobile application for downloading and listening to audio books from the Bibliothèque Braille Romande collection
• Le Point Son
• Bibliothèque Braille Romande et livre parlé (BBR)

Products and services

• Bibliothèque Braille Romande et livre parlé (BBR) Lending library service providing books and reading materials in accessible formats (Braille, audio/DAISY, large print) for people with visual impairments in the French-speaking region of Switzerland.
• Centre d'Information et de Réadaptation (CIR) Information and rehabilitation center providing social integration support, occupational therapy, daily living assistance, low-vision training, and professional orientation for visually impaired individuals and their families.
• Centre de Compétences en Accessibilité (CCA) Accessibility competence center offering consulting, training, diagnostics, and document production services to promote universal accessibility in digital, built, and cultural environments for organizations and public bodies.
• EMS Foyer du Vallon Residential care home (EMS) providing accommodation and adapted care services for elderly visually impaired residents.
• BBR Player Mobile Application Mobile application for iOS and Android allowing users to download and listen to audio books from the BBR collection, featuring accessible design for visually impaired users.
• Le Point Son Podcast Podcast series produced by BBR featuring stories of visually impaired individuals, library collections, and accessibility topics. Distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer, YouTube, and the BBR Player app.

Quantifiable outcome

• 111 volunteers contributed 2,797 hours of literature recording in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026OSR organized a charitable cine-concert ('Les Lumières de la ville' by Charlie Chaplin) benefiting ABA as part of ABA's 125th anniversary celebrations. Event held at Victoria Hall with accessibility features.
• RaisenowcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline donation platform provider enabling secure online payments (Visa, Mastercard, PostFinance Card, PostFinance E-Finance, TWINT, bank transfer) for ABA fundraising. Data is encrypted and processed by PCI DSS certified partners.
• Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platforms used by ABA for community engagement, awareness campaigns, and donor communication. Responsible entity: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited.
• LinkedInminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional networking platform for ABA's institutional presence and professional community engagement. Responsible entity: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company.
• YouTubeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo platform hosting ABA's Le Point Son podcast and event recordings. Channel: ABAgeneve. Responsible entity: Google Ireland Ltd.
• Conservatoire Populaire de GenèvecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative dance program 'Danse des Sens' developed exclusively for young people with visual impairments. Culminates in biennial performances at Bâtiment des Forces Motrices.
• Ville de CarougecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Prix Yvette Z'Graggen literary prize. BBR serves as jury member, provides audio versions of nominated books, and participates in public voting by subscribers.
• BibliosuissecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABA/BBR participates in BiblioWeekend national library weekend initiative organized by Bibliosuisse (Swiss library association). Open house events held annually.
• Centre de Compétences en Déficit Visuels (CCDV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Le Point Son podcast episodes. CCDV contributes expertise and participant involvement for podcast content on visual impairment topics.
• Musée ArianaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTactile visits and accessibility programs at Musée Ariana (ceramics and glass museum) in Geneva. Special exhibitions with audio descriptions for visually impaired visitors.
• Vitromusée RomontminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTactile art experiences at Vitromusée Romont with 'Expérience tactile' guided tours for visitors with visual impairments led by artist Magali Kocher.
• Musée du Papier PeintminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessible sound exhibition 'Évasions sonores' featuring audio descriptions and guided visits for blind and visually impaired visitors. Located at Château de Mézières, canton of Fribourg.
• Centre de formation professionnelle (CFP) de Genève - Espace EntrepriseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial episode of Le Point Son ('Regards-Croisés') prepared and co-hosted by students Marc (visually impaired) and Leyan (hockey player at Genève-Servette HC) from CFP's business school program.
• Ville de GenèveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Geneva supports ABA's charitable cine-concert by OSR with venue access and promotional support for the 125th anniversary events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): UK's largest charity for blind and partially sighted people, offering library services, rehabilitation, and advocacy. Broadly comparable as a multi-service national organization with library, rehabilitation, and accessibility offerings.
• American Foundation for the Blind (AFB): US national non-profit addressing blindness and visual impairment through advocacy, research, and service programs. Comparable as a multi-service organization with rehabilitation and accessibility consulting functions.
• Licht für die Welt: Austrian/Swiss international disability and development organization focused on visual impairment in low-income countries. Thematically comparable as a Swiss-connected non-profit addressing blindness with consultancy and accessibility advocacy.
• Fédération Suisse des Aveugles et Malvoyants (FSA): National federation coordinating Swiss blind and visually impaired associations. Comparable as a higher-level umbrella body representing similar beneficiary populations and coordinating service delivery across cantons.

Direct peers

• Fédération des Aveugles de France (FAF): French national federation of blind and visually impaired associations. Comparable as a French-language non-profit serving visually impaired populations with library and rehabilitation services.
• Bibliothèque Sonore Romande: Swiss Romande-based audio book library service for visually impaired and print-disabled persons. Closely comparable to ABA's BBR service with overlapping content distribution and accessibility mission.
• Centre de Compétences en Déficit Visuels (CCDV): Competence center for visual impairment in the canton of Bern offering rehabilitation, low-vision services, and accessibility consulting. Direct operational peer within Switzerland and an existing podcast collaboration partner of ABA.
• Fondation Asile des Aveugles: Swiss foundation based in Lausanne providing ophthalmology, rehabilitation, and assistive services for visually impaired persons. Comparable as a Swiss non-profit offering integrated medical, rehabilitation, and accessibility services.
• Schweizerischer Blindenbund (SBb): Swiss national umbrella organization for blind and visually impaired persons, with member organizations across cantons. Comparable as a Swiss non-profit serving the visually impaired community with advocacy, rehabilitation, and library services.

Regional players

• Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille (INLB): Quebec-based rehabilitation center specializing in visual impairment services, including assistive technology and library services. Comparable as a French-language rehabilitation and library service provider for visually impaired individuals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCY9Z9gxNXHFADGzATA9jnbQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ABAgeneve
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abageneve
• Instagraminstagram.com/abageneve

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants (ABA)