[blindlaw] Fw: Reading Rights Coalition Urges Authors to Allow Everyone Access to E-books
Rod Alcidonis
roddj12 at hotmail.com
Tue Mar 31 00:11:51 UTC 2009
I can't tell you how much I hate it when a legal issue is seriously being
debated on this list and someone comes along with a statement that is at
best, uninformed. The current issue is not even close to a bookshare
situation. I am afraid that this listserv might soon loses its character
as a legal forum for blind legal professionals. Sad.
Rod Alcidonis
Juris Doctor Candidate, 2009.
Roger Williams University School of Law
10 Metacom Ave., Box: 9003
Bristol, RI 02809
Home: (401) 824-8685
Cell: (718) 704-4651
E-mail: roddj12 at hotmail.com
-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of E.J. Zufelt
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 6:15 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Fw: Reading Rights Coalition Urges Authors to Allow
Everyone Access to E-books
Is it immoral for Bookshare to require registration aswell?
Everett
On 30-Mar-09, at 2:21 PM, Michael Fry wrote:
> It is awesome that so many organizations are coalescing around such
> a noble
> and worthy cause.
>
> The Guilds position is immoral since it is infringes on human rights
> and dignity because it exploits, for profit, a vulnerable minority
> of the
> population. Requiring the disabled to 'register' - like some kind
> of inferior animal - in order to use new, free, and
> innovative text-to-speech technology places an unnecessary obstacle
> in path
> of people with disablities. This obstacle is desgined solely to
> exploit
> money from people without the time or inclination or, who are too
> embarrassed to register, as a text disabled individuals. They are
> attempting to bully extra profits out of people with disabilities.
> The
> Guild, comprised of enlightened and educated individuals, should be
> ashamed
> since there is no explanation other than immoral greed for their
> position.
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 9:16 AM, Scott C. LaBarre
> <slabarre at labarrelaw.com>wrote:
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Freeh, Jessica
>> To: Alpidio Rolon ; Amy Buresh ; Anil Lewis ; Art Schreiber ; Beth
>> Rival ;
>> Bob Kresmer ; Carl Jacobsen ; Cathy Jackson ; Charlene Smyth ;
>> Christine G.
>> Hall ; Daniel Burke ; David Ticchi ; Don Galloway ; Donna Wood ;
>> Elsie Lamp
>> ; Frank Lee ; Franklin Shiner ; Fred Schroeder ; Fred Wurtzel ;
>> Gary Ray ;
>> Gary Wunder ; J.W. Smith ; James Antonacci ; James Broadnax ;
>> Jennelle
>> Bichler ; Jennifer Dunnam ; Jerree Harris ; Joe Ruffalo ; John
>> Batron ; John
>> Fritz ; Joyce Scanlan ; Kathy Davis ; Ken Rollman ; Kevan Worley ;
>> Marie
>> Johnson ; Mary Willows ; Melissa Riccobono ; Michael Barber ; Michael
>> Freeman ; Nani Fife ; Pam Allen ; Parnell Diggs ; Patti Chang ;
>> Richard
>> Bennett ; Richard Gaffney ; Ron Brown ; Ron Gardner ; Sam Gleese ;
>> Scott
>> LaBarre ; Selena Sundling-Crawford ; Steven Priddle ; Terri Rupp ;
>> Tommy
>> Craig
>> Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 7:09 AM
>> Subject: Reading Rights Coalition Urges Authors to Allow Everyone
>> Access to
>> E-books
>>
>>
>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>
>>
>> CONTACT:
>>
>> Chris Danielsen
>>
>> Director of Public Relations
>>
>> National Federation of the Blind
>>
>> (410) 659-9314, ext. 2330
>>
>> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>> cdanielsen at nfb.org
>>
>>
>>
>> Reading Rights Coalition Urges Authors to Allow
>> Everyone Access to E-books
>>
>>
>>
>> Informational Protest to be Held at Authors Guild Headquarters
>>
>>
>>
>> New York City (March 30, 2009): The Reading Rights Coalition, which
>> represents people who cannot read print, will protest the
>> threatened removal
>> of the text-to-speech function from e-books for the Amazon Kindle 2
>> outside
>> the Authors Guild headquarters in New York City at 31 East 32nd
>> Street on
>> April 7, 2009, from noon to 2:00 p.m. The coalition includes the
>> blind,
>> people with dyslexia, people with learning or processing issues,
>> seniors
>> losing vision, people with spinal cord injuries, people recovering
>> from
>> strokes, and many others for whom the addition of text-to-speech on
>> the
>> Kindle 2 promised for the first time easy, mainstream access to
>> over 245,000
>> books.
>>
>>
>>
>> When Amazon released the Kindle 2 electronic book reader on
>> February 9,
>> 2009, the company announced that the device would be able to read e-
>> books
>> aloud using text-to-speech technology. Under pressure from the
>> Authors
>> Guild, Amazon has announced that it will give authors and
>> publishers the
>> ability to disable the text-to-speech function on any or all of their
>> e-books available for the Kindle 2.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
>> said:
>> "The blind and print-disabled have for years utilized text-to-speech
>> technology to read and access information. As technology advances
>> and more
>> books move from hard-copy print to electronic formats, people with
>> print
>> disabilities have for the first time in history the opportunity to
>> enjoy
>> access to books on an equal basis with those who can read print.
>> Authors
>> and publishers who elect to disable text-to-speech for their e-
>> books on the
>> Kindle 2 prevent people who are blind or have
>>
>> other print disabilities from reading these e-books. This is blatant
>> discrimination and we will not tolerate it."
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Shuttic, president of the Association on Higher Education and
>> Disability (AHEAD), said: "AHEAD envisions educational and societal
>> environments that value disability and embody equality of
>> opportunity. This
>> vision of AHEAD is directly aligned with the efforts of this
>> coalition.
>> Although much rhetoric is made about potential obstacles and
>> problems that
>> exist, the basic goal is clear and simple--access for everyone.
>> And why
>> create something that prevents it?"
>>
>>
>>
>> Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind,
>> said:
>> "Removing the text-to-speech features closes the door on an
>> innovative
>> technological solution that would make regular print books
>> available to tens
>> of thousands of individuals who are blind or visually impaired."
>>
>>
>>
>> Andrew Imparato, President and Chief Executive Officer for the
>> American
>> Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), said: "It is
>> outrageous when
>> a technology device shuts out people with all kinds of
>> disabilities. AAPD
>> works to remove barriers to accessibility and usability in
>> technology, and
>> we don't expect to see people with disabilities singled out by
>> having to pay
>> more for access. New technologies, such as electronic books,
>> should be
>> available to everyone regardless of disability."
>>
>> Paul Schroeder, vice president of programs and policy for the
>> American
>> Foundation for the Blind, said: "Those of us with print
>> disabilities have
>> long dreamed of a world in which books and media are available to
>> us at the
>> same time as everyone else. The Kindle 2 offers that possibility
>> for the
>> first time. We hope publishers and authors come to see that text-
>> to-speech
>> is simply an alternative means of access to print."
>>
>> Dr. Peter Blanck, chairman and university professor at Burton Blatt
>> Institute at Syracuse University, said: "As electronic books become
>> the
>> norm, denying universal access will result in more and more people
>> with
>> disabilities being left out of education, employment, and the
>> societal
>> conversation. We will all suffer from the absence of their
>> participation
>> and contribution to the debates that occupy us as a society."
>>
>>
>>
>> George Kerscher of the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY)
>> Consortium, said: "The DAISY Consortium envisions a world where
>> people with
>> print disabilities have equal access to information and knowledge,
>> without
>> delay or additional expense. Authors and publishers surely must
>> share this
>> vision. Now that the issue of human rights has been explained, and
>> the
>> opportunity for larger sales are known, I urge the Authors Guild to
>> reverse
>> their position on text-to-speech and join us in actively
>> encouraging all
>> publishers and reading technology developers to open the world of
>> reading to
>> everybody. Authors, join us on the picket line."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Steve Jacobs, president of IDEAL Group Inc., said, "Not only is
>> text-to-speech important to people who are blind, it is critical in
>> providing quality educations to millions of young people who rely on
>> text-to-speech to learn effectively. This includes students with
>> autism,
>> learning disabilities, mobility disabilities, and cognitive
>> disabilities
>> that impact their ability to acquire information with their eyes
>> only. I
>> remain hopeful that the talented members of the Authors Guild come to
>> understand the potential negative impact of disabling the text-to-
>> speech
>> function on their e-books and reconsider their position."
>>
>>
>>
>> Cynthia D. Waddell, executive director of the International Center
>> for
>> Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI), said: "The mission
>> of ICDRI
>> supports the removal of barriers in electronic and information
>> technology
>> and the promotion of equal access. ICDRI welcomes the text-to-speech
>> functionality being offered by the Kindle 2 since it increases
>> mainstream
>> access to books for the first time in history. We question why the
>> Authors
>> Guild demands that it be turned it off since many more books would
>> be sold
>> if text-to-speech was turned back on. Not only
>>
>> does this feature benefit persons with disabilities, but it also
>> helps
>> persons for whom English is not their native language. In an
>> increasingly
>> mobile society, flexibility in access to content improves the
>> quality of
>> life for everyone."
>>
>>
>>
>> James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International, said:
>> "Knowing
>> full well that not everyone can see, the Authors Guild wants the
>> right to be
>> seen, but not heard. By bullying Amazon to change the technology
>> of Kindle
>> 2, the Authors Guild will either deny access to people who are
>> disabled, or
>> make them pay more. By attacking disabled persons in this way, the
>> Authors
>> Guild is attacking everyone who would otherwise benefit from the
>> contributions this community has the potential to offer."
>>
>>
>>
>> James H. Wendorf, executive director for the National Center for
>> Learning
>> Disabilities, said: "Access to the written word is the cornerstone of
>> education and democracy. New technologies must serve individuals
>> with
>> disabilities, not impede them. Our homes, schools and ultimately our
>> economy rely on support for the future, not discriminating
>> practices and
>> beliefs from the past."
>>
>> While the Kindle 2 is not currently accessible to blind users, Amazon
>> recently announced on its Kindle 2 blog that it is currently at
>> work on
>> making the device's navigational features accessible to the blind.
>>
>>
>>
>> The coalition includes: American Association of People with
>> Disabilities,
>> American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind,
>> Association on Higher Education and Disability, Bazelon Center for
>> Mental
>> Health Law, Burton Blatt Institute, Digital Accessible Information
>> System
>> (DAISY) Consortium, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
>> (DREDF),
>> IDEAL Group, Inc., International Center for Disability Resources on
>> the
>> Internet, International Dyslexia Association, International Dyslexia
>> Association--New York Branch, Knowledge Ecology International,
>> Learning
>> Disabilities Association of America, National Center for Learning
>> Disabilities, National Disability Rights Network, National
>> Federation of the
>> Blind, NISH, and the National Spinal Cord Injury Association. In
>> addition
>> to the April 7 New York City protest, the coalition will
>> participate in the
>> Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 25-26.
>>
>>
>>
>> ###
>>
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