[Iabs-talk] FW: A Baby Step Taken, Authors Guild and AAP Agree that the Print-Disabled Have a Right to Read

[David Meyer]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ruda, Sharon [mailto:SRuda at ILSOS.NET] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 2:26 PM
To: Bogdan, William; camille at horizons-blind.org; dafk-Bledsoe at sbcglobal.net;
datemeyer at sbcglobal.net; info at comp-unique.com; james kral;
lbroom at shawls.lib.il.us; Rita Howells; Suzanne Rood Cox;
sweetnightingale at sbcglobal.net; yankee43 at consolidated.net
Subject: A Baby Step Taken, Authors Guild and AAP Agree that the
Print-Disabled Have a Right to Read


FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: Jacob Roberts [mailto:jroberts at alawash.org]
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 12:22 PM
To: district at ala.org
Subject: [District Dispatch] A Baby Step Taken, Authors Guild and AAP Agree
that the Print-Disabled Have a Right to Read

FULL POST: http://bit.ly/9Xpo8d
--
District Dispatch has posted a new item, 'A Baby Step Taken, Authors Guild
and AAP Agree that the Print-Disabled Have a Right to Read'

Last week, I attended a training workshop for representatives of developing
nations on copyright and the reading impaired. The weeklong workshop,
sponsored by the U.S. Copyright Office and the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), included discussions related to the proposed WIPO
treaty for a copyright exception for the reading impaired, presentations
from Copyright Office staff on the Chafee amendment -  the U.S. copyright
exception for the blind and visually impaired persons, and presentations
from non-profit and federally funded organizations that serve the reading
impaired including Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic, Bookshare, and the
Library of Congress'
National Library Service.

I particularly enjoyed hearing from Dan Goldstein, attorney for the National
Federation for the Blind, who provided an update on the ongoing Kindle 2
controversy.  

You may recall this reading rights controversy that began in February 2009,
when the Authors Guild asked Amazon to disable the text-to-speech function
of its Kindle 2, arguing that its authors had not given permission to Amazon
to use computer synthesized speech on its e-book reader.  The Authors Guild
feared that Kindle's computer generated synthesized speech function would
compete with its audio book market, a ridiculous argument suggesting that
sighted individuals would rather listen to computerized speech than vastly
superior audio books read by professional actors.  The Authors Guild said
that it would sue Amazon for breach of contract since Amazon had not
negotiated private performance (a.k.a. reading aloud) rights with Authors
Guild.  (The beauty of licenses for rights holders is that you can charge
for rights not guaranteed under the copyright law. While public performance
is an exclusive right of copyright, private performance is not. Nonetheless,
you can make people pay extra for it, for you agree to the contract).

Amazon acquiesced and the text to speech function was disabled.  In
response, 30 national organizations that represent the print disabled formed
the Reading
Rights Coalition to advocate for equal reading rights.	The text-to-speech
function made thousands of Amazon e-book available to the reading impaired,
a great step forward in using technology and the market to provide the
reading impaired "the same book, at the same time, at the same price" as
sighted people. 

After a year of negotiating that included a secret meeting called by the
White House's Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for
Disability, the Authors Guild, AAP, and the Reading Rights Coalition came to
an agreement that the reading impaired should have equal access to reading.
The statement issued March 9, reads in part:  

"The Reading Rights Coalition, the Authors Guild, and the Association of
American Publishers believe that the	 contents of books should be as
accessible to individuals with print disabilities as they are to everyone
else.
 To that end, these groups agree to work together and through the
communities they represent to ensure that when the marketplace offers
alternative formats to print books, such as audio and electronic books,
print-disabled consumers can access the contents of these alternative
formats to the same extent as all other consumers."

Big deal, right?  Well, yes a giant step forward concerning the reading
famine that the print disabled tackle every day. Only 5 percent of works
published in the United States are available in accessible formats for the
print disabled.
Obtaining an accessible copy of a book is possible, but ordinarily occurs
after the print edition has been published.  Costs for making accessible
copies in Braille are high - on average $16,000 for a typical trade book
publication.
The wait time can be several months -- most Braille transcribers work for
federally funded and volunteer organizations that serve the print disabled.
Braille transcription, still considered the gold standard for the reading
impaired in that it enables reading literacy, takes a long time. Other
format
options are available - talking books,	large print for those with minor
vision
problems, the use of accessible equipment to enhance the appearance of text,
or computer scanning of text that can be read aloud with a variety of
computer software.  All of these options, however, require a wait time and
usually an intermediary for assistance. The Kindle 2 offered immediacy,
independence, and the opportunity for the reading impaired to mainstream
with the sighted both buying the same product instead of the "dumbed down"
version (cassette
tapes?) typically considered "good enough" for the blind.

One would figure that with today's technological advancements that this book
famine problem could be solved. Interoperable computer standards exist that
greatly improve the reading experience for the visually impaired, but
publishers have been unwilling to create accessible copies at the point of
publication because, they argue, such a venture would be risky and not
profitable considering the small market for accessible books. Small? The
number of Americans who have print disabilities is estimated at 30 million -
a number that will increase over time with as Americans get older and begin
to have vision problems.  Other print impaired individuals include millions
with dyslexia, learning disabilities or mobility impairments that make it
impossible
to turn pages or hold a book as well as injured veterans.    

The publishers have changed their tune saying now that there is a market for
accessible books.  The joint statement continues, "The growth in the number
of books offered in electronic and audio formats has created tremendous
opportunities for the millions of Americans who are blind or have other
print disabilities that make it difficult or impossible to read printed
books in the same way that other Americans typically do.  This large
community constitutes a previously-untapped market that is hungry for the
educational, inspirational, and recreational opportunities that books can
provide, and now offers a significant commercial opportunity to the
publishing industry."

Now we must wait and see if authors and publishers will take the action
necessary to fulfill this promise.  In the meantime, it would be a shame if
librarians with a strong commitment to reading did not take the opportunity
to contact their Senators or Congressional representatives - now -
encouraging the government to monitor these developments. Say that reading
for the blind "is overdue."

Carrie Russell
Director, OITP's Program and Public Access to Information

You may view the latest post at
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4645

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates
are posted.
Best regards,
Jacob Roberts
jroberts at alawash.org








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