[gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of theBlind CommendsAmazonon Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle

Sat Jul 31 01:24:40 UTC 2010

    I personally don't see the talking book program disappearing ever.  It 
may be that the production of recorded books may go by the way side because 
private industry does them, but since these books are sold to  individuals, 
the expense to read on an ongoing basis will be beyond the financial 
abilities of most blind people.  The NLS will then format them for the 
talking book program as they do now with the books they get from the 
comercial market, and then circulate them on the cartridges as they do now.

Jerry Howell
http://www.howellmobility.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: " Rob Tabor" <rob.tabor at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 5:55 PM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of theBlind 
CommendsAmazonon Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle

Good evening listmembers.

I think Gerald raises an excellent point that NLS Talking Books are safe
from obsolescence and inevitable extinction due to the low level of PC
proficiency even among the blind populations at this time. However,
elimination of the great digital divide is inevitable  with extinction to
follow although it will take a generation or so before this paradigm change
takes effect. There are two factors that make ultimate obsolescence of
Talking Books as we have come to know them a virtual certainty. First,
computers are rapidly becoming both portable and affordable, e.g., the $35
computer emerging from an IT firm in India. Secondly, the World War II
generation which is largely slow to embrace computer technology is dying off
to leave the baby boom generation as the senior survivors, a generation
which gained some familiarity with desktop and other portable forms of IT in
their adult lives. At least for the time being, I would certainly concur
that any attempt to reduce resources for NLS is premature based on the
obsolescence argument.

Best regards
Rob Tabor & White Cane Raúl
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gerald Levy" <bwaylimited at verizon.net>
To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 10:53 AM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind
CommendsAmazonon Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle

>
> Electronic books will never make the NLS Talking Book program obsolete 
> simply because the overwhelming majority of it blind patrons do not use 
> computers.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Baracco, Andrew W" <Andrew.Baracco at va.gov>
> To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 11:41 AM
> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind 
> CommendsAmazonon Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle
>
>
>> With the abundance of electronic books coming on to the market, it will
>> be interesting to see how NLS is effected.  A few years ago when NLS was
>> fighting against attempts to reduce its funding, the Government
>> Accounting Office said that the rising electronic book market would make
>> the Talking Book Program all but unnecessary. Perhaps this is coming to
>> pass.
>>
>> Andy
>> P. S. Haven't heard anything about Blio lately.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Don Moore
>> Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 4:42 PM
>> To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind
>> CommendsAmazonon Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle
>>
>> Would be nice if the NLS or some blindness agency could provide a key
>> for
>> blind or visually impaired people to unlock the locked books.
>>
>> By limiting that ability to just us, everyone should be happy.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Paul Henrichsen" <paulh52 at pacbell.net>
>> To: "'NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List'" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 6:54 PM
>> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind
>> CommendsAmazon
>> on Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle
>>
>>
>> So what will happen if the publishers still refuse to allow their books
>> to
>> talk? What good will talking menus do if you can't download the book you
>> want?
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On
>> Behalf Of David Andrews
>> Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 10:29 AM
>> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [gui-talk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Commends
>> Amazon on
>> Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle
>>
>>
>>>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>CONTACT:
>>>
>>>Chris Danielsen
>>>
>>>Director of Public Relations
>>>
>>>National Federation of the Blind
>>>
>>>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>>>
>>>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>>>
>>><mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>National Federation of the Blind Commends Amazon
>>>  on Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Baltimore, Maryland (July 29, 2010): The National Federation of the
>>>Blind (NFB) today commended Amazon on the unveiling of a new,
>>>accessible Kindle.  Amazon announced Wednesday that the new Kindle
>>>will come equipped with a voice guide that reads all menu options
>>>aloud so blind and other print-disabled people can navigate the device
>> menus.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
>>>said: "We commend Amazon on the unveiling of a new Kindle that blind
>>>and print-disabled people can use.  In order to compete in today's
>>>digital society, blind and print-disabled people must be able to
>>>access the same reading technologies as the sighted.  The National
>>>Federation of the Blind has long been urging Amazon to make its
>>>reading device accessible, and we are pleased that our efforts have
>>>come to fruition."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>In June 2009 the National Federation of the Blind and the American
>>>Council of the Blind (ACB) filed suit against Arizona State
>>>University (ASU) to prevent the university from deploying Amazon's
>>>Kindle DX electronic reading device as a means of distributing
>>>electronic textbooks to its students because the device cannot be
>>>used by blind students.  The Kindle DX featured text-to-speech
>>>technology that can read textbooks aloud to blind students.  The
>>>menus of the device were not accessible to the blind, however,
>>>making it impossible for a blind user to purchase books from
>>>Amazon's Kindle store, select a book to read, activate the
>>>text-to-speech feature, and use the advanced reading functions
>>>available on the Kindle DX.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>For more information on the National Federation of the Blind, please
>>>visit <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>###
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>About the National Federation of the Blind
>>>
>>>With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind
>>>is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind
>>>people in the United States.  The NFB improves blind people's lives
>>>through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs
>>>encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading
>>>force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's
>>>blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of
>>>the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center
>>>in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
>>
>>         David Andrews and long white cane Harry, dandrews at visi.com
>> Follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920
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