SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte

What SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte does

SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte is a Swiss charitable stock company founded in 1903 and headquartered at Grubenstrasse 12 in Zürich, operating as the country's only specialized library for blind, visually impaired, and reading-disabled individuals. It maintains a collection exceeding 100,000 accessible media items across formats: audiobooks (the largest share), Braille books, large print books, EPUB 3 e-books, Text-Hörbücher (proprietary synchronized text-audio), audio-described films, Braille music scores, audio magazines, and tactile children's materials. SBS runs in-house production infrastructure including the largest Braille printing facility in Switzerland (~350,000 pages annually, ~1,400 pages per workday) and audiobook recording studios staffed by 100+ professional narrators; output is distributed through the online.sbs.ch digital library, the Buchknacker sub-platform for children with dyslexia/ADHD, the SBS Leser Plus mobile app, and physical mail delivery via Swiss Post. International content access is delivered via partnerships with WIPO's ABC Global Book Service and Bookshare, offering 300,000+ titles in 30+ languages.

The organization is owned by the Stiftung SBS foundation and recognized since 2015 by the Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV) as Switzerland's national umbrella organization for blind media institutions, a regulatory designation that anchors access to government funding. Revenue is generated through a hybrid of charitable donations (ZEWO-certified), a 60 CHF annual subscription for motor-impaired users, a 4,000 CHF book-sponsorship program, and gift-product sales (fairy tale books, Christmas/children's CDs, Braille learning sets); core library services are subsidized for blind and visually impaired users. Customer segments span blind/visually impaired individuals, people with dyslexia/ADHD, motor-impaired users (Parkinson's, MS, Rheuma, quadriplegia), visually impaired musicians, and educational institutions requiring accessible learning materials.

Operationally, SBS employs approximately 80 permanent staff plus 100 freelance workers, and is undergoing a leadership transition in 2026 with Nicole Brändle Schlegel elected to succeed Dr. Flavia Kippele (17-year tenure) as Managing Director. The organization's strategic posture is characterized by incremental product and partnership expansion rather than aggressive scaling, with market context constrained by the fact that only ~5% of the 60,000+ new German-language titles published annually can be incorporated into the accessible collection.

Name

SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte

Legal name

SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte AG

Website

https://sbs.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SBS is a Swiss charitable library founded in 1903 that produces and lends accessible media — Braille books, audiobooks, e-books, audio-described films, and Braille music — to blind, visually impaired, reading-disabled, and motor-impaired individuals across Switzerland via online, mobile, and postal channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialized Library Services

NAICS

Sound Recording Industries (5122), Sound Recording Studios (512240), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessible & Alternative Format Materials (Braille, Large Print, Audio, Tactile Graphics) (EDAGAMAD), Reading & Literacy Intervention Materials for Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Decoding, Comprehension) (EDAGAMAH), Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH)

Keywords

• Accessible library services
• Braille book production
• Audiobook lending
• Specialized media library
• Disability media services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: Primary funding source from donations and charitable support from individuals and organizations. ZEWO-certified charitable organization.
2. Annual Membership Fee: Annual fee of 60 CHF for users with motor impairments allowing unlimited borrowing.
3. Gift Product Sales: Sale of gift products including fairy tale books, audio books, Christmas CDs, children's CDs, Braille alphabet sets, and Braille writers as donations/support.
4. Book Sponsorships: Book sponsorship program where donors cover production costs of 4,000 CHF per book as audiobook or Braille book.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SBS is a Swiss specialized library that produces and lends accessible media formats — including audiobooks, Braille books, large print books, e-books, audio-described films, and Braille music notation — for blind, visually impaired, and reading-disabled individuals. It also operates three digital access channels (online library, Buchknacker children's library, SBS Leser Plus mobile app) and offers audiobook/Braille production services for educational institutions and publishers.

Product overview

SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte operates as a comprehensive accessible media library and production house, offering a diverse portfolio of accessible reading formats for blind, visually impaired, and reading-impaired individuals. The core offering centers on multiple accessible format products including Hörbücher (audiobooks), Braillebücher (Braille books), Grossdruckbücher (large print books), E-Books (EPUB 3 format), and Text-Hörbücher (text-synchronized audiobooks) for the main collection. Additional accessible media include Hörfilme (audio-described films), Braille-Musiknoten (Braille music notation), Zeitschriften (magazines), Spiele & Rätsel (games and puzzles), Print & Braille children's books, Abstimmungsunterlagen (voting materials), and Lehrmittel (educational materials). The organization serves customers through multiple channels including the Online-Bibliothek (online.sbs.ch) and the specialized Buchknacker Online-Bibliothek for children with dyslexia/ADHD, plus the SBS Leser Plus mobile app. Supporting products for fundraising include Märchenbücher, Märchen-Sammelband, Audio-/CD-Bücher, Weihnachts-CDs, Kinder-CDs, Braille-Schrift-Set, Braille-Schreiber, and the dialog supporter magazine. The collection exceeds 100,000 accessible media items with audiobooks comprising the largest share.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Buchknacker: Online library specifically for children and youth with dyslexia, ADHD, or other reading impairments, offering audiobooks, e-books, and text-audiobooks in a barrier-free format.
• Online-Bibliothek (online.sbs.ch)

Products and services

• Hörbücher (Audiobooks)
• Braillebücher (Braille Books)
• Grossdruckbücher (Large Print Books)
• E-Books
• Text-Hörbücher (Text Audiobooks)
• Hörfilme (Audio-Described Films)
• Braille-Musiknoten (Braille Music Notation)
• Zeitschriften (Audio Magazines)
• Spiele & Rätsel (Games & Puzzles)
• LEGO Braille Bricks
• Print & Braille Children's Books
• Abstimmungsunterlagen (Voting Materials)
• Lehrmittel Production (Educational Materials Production)
• Audiobook Production Service (Hörbuch-Auftragsproduktion)
• Braille Production Service (Braille-Auftragsproduktion)
• Online Library (online.sbs.ch)
• Buchknacker Online Library
• SBS Leser Plus App
• Gift and Donation Products (Schenk-Sortiment)
• Book Sponsorship (Buch-Patenschaft)

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 2 million hours of self-determined participation per year for customers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ABC Global Book Service (Accessible Books Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026SBS participates in the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), the international online catalog of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) with accessible books. Since 2014, SBS has been a member, and customers in Switzerland can now download over 300,000 audiobooks and e-books in 30+ languages for free through this service.
• Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss Radio and Television supports the audio film (Hörfilm) collection, enabling continuous expansion of the film catalog with audio descriptions for blind and visually impaired viewers.
• BookshareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican online library providing primarily English-language e-books. SBS offers simplified access for Swiss customers interested in English-language accessible reading materials.
• Schule Fokus Sehen (SFS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool for visually impaired students in Zürich Altstetten. SBS collaborates with SFS for school visits, student tours, and providing accessible educational materials. Joint participation in Swiss Reading Day.
• Restaurant BlindekuhminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant in Zürich where guests dine in complete darkness served by blind staff. SBS collaborates on dark reading events where blind SBS staff read from Braille books.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): UK's largest charitable organization for blind and partially sighted people, offering accessible library services alongside broader advocacy, employment, and welfare support. Significantly larger in scope and budget than SBS but overlaps on accessible media production.
• APH (American Printing House for the Blind): US non-profit producing Braille books, large print, educational materials, and accessible products for blind individuals. Directly comparable in capital-intensive accessible media production with similar product portfolio and national-scale mission.
• Library of Congress NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled): US national library service administered by the Library of Congress, providing Braille, audiobooks, and accessible materials to qualifying Americans. Far larger in scale but operates the same essential accessible-media library model.

Direct peers

• Celia Library (Finnish Library for the Visually Impaired): Finland's national library for visually impaired readers, providing accessible audiobooks, Braille, and e-books. Similar size, multi-format media collection, and organizational model to SBS.
• Bookshare: US-based digital accessible library providing e-books to print-disabled readers worldwide. SBS is a Bookshare partner, making it a directly comparable digital-accessible-library peer with global reach.
• Biblioteca Italiana per i Ciechi (Italian Library for the Blind): Italy's national library for the blind, providing Braille books, audiobooks, and accessible media. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and operational model to SBS within a neighboring country's context.
• DZB Leipzig (Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde): Germany's national library for the blind, headquartered in Leipzig. Provides directly comparable services to SBS including Braille books, audiobooks, and large print in the German-speaking market, serving as the most direct structural equivalent.
• Norsk lyd- og blindeskriftbibliotek (NLB): Norway's national library for the blind and print-disabled, providing audiobooks, Braille, and accessible e-books. Closely comparable in operational scope as a national government-supported accessible media library.
• Médiathèque Valentin Haüy: France's leading library for visually impaired individuals, headquartered in Paris. Provides audiobooks, Braille books, large print, and accessible media to French blind and visually impaired readers — a directly comparable national mission.
• Bibliothèque Sonore Romande (BSR): Sister organization serving French-speaking Switzerland with audiobooks and accessible media for blind and visually impaired individuals. Operates the same model across Switzerland's other language region, with explicit mission overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sbs.schweiz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sbs-schweizerische-bibliothek-f%C3%BCr-blinde-seh-und-lesebehinderte
• Instagraminstagram.com/sbs.schweiz

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte