APEDA - NumaBib

What APEDA - NumaBib does

APEDA is a Belgian non-profit association (ASBL), founded in 1966 and headquartered in Genval (Walloon Brabant), dedicated to supporting people with specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, dysorthography, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and ADHD within the French-speaking Belgian education system. The organization operates as an advocacy body, training provider, and direct service operator, delivering training to teachers, therapists, parents, and the general public, while organizing awareness events such as the biennial Journée Dys-gitale and the REEDUKADO salon. Its principal digital asset is NumaBib, a free online library launched in 2018 that provides over 1,500 school textbooks in PDF format optimized for assistive reading software (text-to-speech, spell checkers, predictive text); the platform was rebuilt in 2020 and now serves over 7,500 registered users, with 30,000+ textbook deliveries since launch.

The underlying technology is a custom-built self-service web platform (current site by Inside Web, 2022) that delivers adapted PDF content and integrates with a portfolio of third-party assistive tools (Lexibar, Microsoft Immersive Reader, Readapt, Cantoo Scribe, OneNote) and content partners including BOOKIN (French literature from the past 10 years) and Belgian school publishers (Van In, De Boeck Supérieur). APEDA holds 'authorized entity' status under the Marrakech Treaty for distributing adapted foreign works, and the platform is benchmarked against the Flemish ADIBib, developed by Eureka.

APEDA's revenue model is hybrid and not user-charged for the core service: NumaBib is entirely free to eligible students, while the operating budget is funded primarily through public subsidies from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and the Commission Communautaire Française, an unnamed philanthropic foundation that seeded NumaBib, donations, and modest fee-based training sessions delivered through partners such as Psychoeducation. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer via the platform, plus referral partnerships with territorial poles, school networks (SeGEC, WBE), mutual health organizations (Mutualité Chrétienne), therapist networks (UPLF), and parent associations (UFAPEC, Ligue des Familles, Centres Libellules).

Name

APEDA - NumaBib

Legal name

APEDA (Association belge pour les Personnes en Difficulté d'Apprentissage), ASBL

Website

https://apeda.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

APEDA-NumaBib is a Belgian non-profit that runs NumaBib, a free digital library of adapted school textbooks for students with learning disabilities in French-speaking Belgium, supported by government grants, donations, and fee-based training for teachers and therapists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Multisensory Learning Programs & Curriculum for Dyslexia/LD (EDAKAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Learning Disabilities & Dyslexia Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAB), Dyslexia & Reading Intervention Programs (EDAMAJAI), Reading & Literacy Intervention Materials for Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Decoding, Comprehension) (EDAGAMAH), Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD), Faculty/Staff Training & Accessibility Awareness Programs (EDALAGAI)

Keywords

• Learning disability support
• Adapted digital textbooks
• Special education training
• Dyslexia support services
• Assistive reading tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Genval (Rixensart)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: APEDA is a non-profit association (ASBL/VZW) funded primarily through donations and support from a philanthropic foundation. The organization runs a donations page and holds fundraising events (e.g., its 60th anniversary theatre evening raised funds).
2. Government Grants: NumaBib receives financial support from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (French-speaking Belgian government) and is mentioned as being supported by a foundation and generous donors. The organization also receives subsidies from the Commission Communautaire Française (CoCoF) for specific projects.
3. Professional Training Services: APEDA organizes and delivers paid training sessions for teachers, therapists, and parents on digital tools as compensation for learning disabilities. Training is offered in partnership with organizations like Psychoeducation, and discount codes (e.g., 10% with APEDA code) are available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

APEDA operates NumaBib, a free digital library offering more than 1,500 adapted school textbooks for students with learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysorthography, dysphasia, ADHD). The organization also delivers professional training programs for teachers, speech therapists, and parents, plus public awareness sessions and parent support groups, supported by donations and government grants from Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NumaBib: Free digital library of adapted school textbooks for students with learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, etc.)

Products and services

• NumaBib Digital Textbook Library
• Teacher Training Programs
• Therapist Training Programs
• Parent Training Programs
• Public Awareness Sessions
• Parent Support Groups

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,500 registered users on NumaBib platform as of September 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core, major and minor.

• BOOKINsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Through a partnership with BOOKIN, NumaBib users can access all French-language literature published in the past 10 years, expanding the content library beyond school textbooks to include leisure reading for people with print disabilities.
• PsychoeducationsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023APEDA partners with Psychoeducation to deliver in-person training on digital tools for learning disabilities. Psychoeducation hosts APEDA trainers and sells tickets to training sessions, offering a 10% discount with the APEDA code.
• Inside WebsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Inside Web designed and maintains the APEDA and NumaBib websites. The current version of apeda.be was built in 2022 by Inside Web, which also provides hosting and technical maintenance.
• Eureka / ADIBib (Flanders)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018NumaBib was developed based on the Eureka/ADIBib model in Flanders. Eureka developed ADIBib (the Dutch-language equivalent) and granted APEDA the right to create the French-language counterpart NumaBib. ADIBib also obtained 'authorized entity' status under the Marrakech Treaty, and NumaBib is modeled on this successful platform. During 2019-2020, over 30,000 students benefited from free software through ADIBib, serving as a benchmark for APEDA's advocacy.
• Mutualité Chrétienne (MC)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Christian Mutual Health Organization (MC) collaborates with APEDA on joint events, awareness campaigns ('Découvrons nos dys-férences'), parent workshops (September-December 2025), and conferences on learning disabilities. MC also featured APEDA in its health blog and magazine En Marche.
• Belgian School Textbook Publishers (Van In, De Boeck, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEDA has obtained agreements with Belgian school textbook publishers to convert their textbooks into accessible digital formats for NumaBib. This includes Van In, De Boeck Supérieur, and other FWB publishers. Without these publishing agreements, NumaBib would not be able to distribute adapted textbooks.
• UFAPEC (Union des Fédérations des Associations de Parents de l'Enseignement Confessionnel)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerUFAPEC co-authors educational analyses with APEDA on digital tools and inclusion, and co-organizes events such as roundtables for parents on specific needs. UFAPEC's 'Parents et l'École' publication has featured NumaBib.
• Ligue des FamillessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAPEDA collaborated with the Ligue des Familles on a major study on digital technology in schools (August 2023), specifically contributing the section on digital reasonable accommodations for students with learning disabilities. This partnership was used for joint advocacy to FWB ministers and parliament.
• SeGEC and WBE School NetworkssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe SeGEC and WBE school networks distribute NumaBib access to their member schools and have made their official class journals (journaux de classe) available on the platform since 2022.
• Simila asblsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEDA co-organizes the REEDUKADO salon with Simila asbl — a professional event dedicated to inclusion and learning tools, held annually in Liège, bringing together exhibitors, speakers, and attendees from the disability and education sectors.
• Fobagra asblsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEDA partnered with Fobagra (which works on socio-professional insertion) on a pilot project to detect learning disorders in adult workers in social economy insertion enterprises, subsidized by the Commission Communautaire Française (CoCoF).
• Centres pluridisciplinaires LibellulesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAPEDA partnered with the Centres Libellules in Brussels to host parent support groups (groupes de parole) for parents of children with learning disabilities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Learning Ally: US non-profit serving students with dyslexia and visual impairments through a human-narrated audiobook library of school textbooks. Comparable on the audio/textbook distribution model and exclusive focus on the LD student segment.
• Eureka / ADIBib: Flemish non-profit Eureka operates ADIBib, the Dutch-language adapted-textbook library that NumaBib was explicitly modeled on. Both run free accessible textbook platforms for students with learning disabilities under the same Marrakech Treaty framework; ADIBib is APEDA's closest operational mirror in the same Belgian market.
• Bookshare (Benetech): Bookshare is the largest US accessible ebook library for people with print disabilities, operated by Benetech as a Marrakech Treaty authorized entity. Like NumaBib, it offers adapted digital content for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities and depends on publisher licensing — the most proven global analogue.

Broad incumbents

• British Dyslexia Association: UK national membership body for dyslexia with similar advocacy, teacher training, screening, and resource-provision mission. Comparable non-profit operating model focused on dyslexia awareness and professional training within a single education system.

Regional players

• Association française de personnes dys (FFdys / APEDA-France): France's federation of dys associations, providing resources, training and advocacy in French. Closest functional analogue to APEDA in the larger Francophone market; relevant as a potential cross-border partner or expansion channel.
• Fondation Dyslexie (Fondation Anne et Françoise Deutsch de la Meurthe): French non-profit foundation dedicated to dyslexic students that funds research, training, and adapted learning materials. Comparable advocacy and training mission targeting a French-speaking population, but operating in France rather than Belgium.

Others

• Lexibar / Logitech (educational accessibility): Belgian-developed assistive reading and writing software commonly used by APEDA-trained teachers and therapists with NumaBib content. Useful ecosystem reference as the primary complementary tool to NumaBib's adapted PDFs.
• Benetech (Global Literacy and Education): US-based nonprofit operating Bookshare and serving as a Marrakech Treaty authorized entity. Indirect peer — applies the same Marrakech licensing framework as NumaBib and shares the cross-publisher rights-clearance mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@apeda-numabib575
• Facebookfacebook.com/APEDAasbl
• Instagraminstagram.com/apeda_numa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apeda-belgique

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 APEDA - NumaBib