[Dtb-talk] Informational Picketing Against Authors Guildin NewYork City

Wed Apr 8 19:41:32 UTC 2009

It would be wonderful to take the "special" out of blindness and disability through mainstream devices that we can access on equal footing with everyone else.  The Kindle 2 isn't fully accessible, but Amazon says it will make it so soon.  When they do, we will have that equal access in the marketplace only dreamed about until now.  This fight with the Authors Guild is perhaps one of the most important advocacy efforts of our times.  The Guild wants us to register in a special system in order to use the speech-to-text feature of the Kindle 2 rather than reading Kindle books off the same bookshelf everyone else uses.  NLS is great, but people should know that the Kindle 2 store has more books in it than NLS, RFB&D, and Bookshare put together, if I'm not mistaken.  You see, separate is not equal.  We have a basic human right to do what our sighted and non-disabled peers do.  And there's one more thing.  Do you folks realize how marvelous the NFB leadership is?  We just brought a whole bunch of people and groups into this issue, and it's amazing to see the impact of the collaborations.  Kudos to the NFB leadership!

Check out this CNN coverage of the protest:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-241057 

-----
Jim Marks
jim.marks at umontana.edu
http://www.umt.edu/disability
-----

-----Original Message-----
From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Anthony Vece
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 2:59 AM
To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] Informational Picketing Against Authors Guildin NewYork City

You guys are taking this way out of proportion.

The TalkingBook program has been around since the 30's, at least as far as I know.

Now with automation coming into play, the TalkingBook program will need to change with the times.

And, their is always Braille.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Kearney" <gkearney at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] Informational Picketing Against Authors Guild in NewYork City

The trouble is that the Authors Guild, emboldened by its success with the Kindle, will turn it attention to any device that has text to speech including things like computers. So even through the Kindle was far from perfect in the area of accessibility the president that the Authors Guild is setting endangers the whole talking book program as well as accessible computers and other devices.

Greg Kearney
535 S. Jackson St.
Casper, Wyoming 82601
307-224-4022
gkearney at gmail.com

On Mar 27, 2009, at 6:34 PM, Anthony Vece wrote:

> Hi There;
>
> If the product is not user friendly for someone who is visually 
> impaired then, go to the competition and hit them in their wallet 
> where it hurts.
>
> I would think that would make much more sense.
>
> Plus it would make us look much more respectable.
>
> Anthony
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
> To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 4:40 PM
> Subject: [Dtb-talk] Informational Picketing Against Authors Guild in 
> New York City
>
>
>
> >From Chris Danielson:
>
> Dear Fellow Federationists:
>
> As you may already know, Amazon, Inc. released the newest version of 
> its
>
> e-book reader, the Kindle, on February 9 of this year.  The Kindle 2
>
> includes a feature that allows e-books downloaded to it to be read 
> aloud.
>
> The Authors Guild has objected to this feature because it believes 
> these
>
> e-books are licensed only for visual display, and under pressure from 
> the
>
> Guild, Amazon has decided to allow authors and publishers to decide 
> which
>
> books can be read aloud by this device.  Naturally, this is a blow to 
> blind
>
> people and others with print disabilities who can benefit from the
>
> text-to-speech feature and who would love to be able to purchase books 
> and
>
> start reading them immediately for the first time in history.  For 
> this
>
> reason the National Federation of the Blind has joined with other
>
> organizations representing people who cannot use print effectively to 
> fight
>
> the Authors Guild.
>
> We plan to kick off our public education campaign to increase public
>
> pressure on the Authors Guild to reverse its stance with an 
> informational
>
> protest in front of the Guild's headquarters in New York City.  This 
> picket
>
> will take place on Tuesday, April 7, from noon until 2:00 p.m.  I am 
> writing
>
> to you in hopes that you can organize members to come to this protest.  
> A
>
> number of Federationists from Maryland are coming and we expect
>
> participation from other organizations in the coalition, but it would 
> be
>
> very helpful if those of you with easy access to New York City would 
> help us
>
> by providing more picketers.  It is extremely important that we make a
>
> strong impression on the Authors Guild and the media so that our 
> message
>
> will be heard.
>
> In the next few days you will receive more communications with 
> additional
>
> logistical details, as well as more information about our position and
>
> suggestions on how to respond to questions from the media.  In the 
> meantime,
>
> if you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact 
> me.  As
>
> soon as you have an idea of how many people may be able to come to 
> this
>
> event, please provide that information to John Paré by calling 
> 410-659-9314,
>
> ext. 2227, or by e-mailing jpare at nfb.org.  Thank you for your 
> assistance in
>
> this important matter.
>
> Sincerely:
>
> Chris Danielsen
>
> Christopher S. Danielsen
>
> Director of Public Relations
>
> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>
>
> David Andrews and white cane Harry.
>
>
>
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