[Mi-abs] Sign the petition to allow everyone access to e-books

[JUSTIN LOUCHART]

Hello,

Though due to my being a minor I do believe it a matter of legality
for me to sign or not to sign this petition, I did read all statements
involved with the situation and find myself in equal right very
circumspect in its nature. The following is something that I wrote in
response to our current fiasco, and i do hope it causes much thought
provokation indeed.

To remove the allowance of reading from the community, you take away
not a privilege, nor just a right, but a basic standard of life. If
one may give another the ability to apply themselves to a task so
noble as to one of reading, then why may one stop them? Regardless of
a person's reasons not to let another enjoy life, you will find a
great deal more quantitative and qualitative to support why you
should. Take time from your day and comprehend what we as a people are
saying, what we are asking with such sincere dignities, and come to
understand the importance of letting us use your technology to make
our lives a little better. Reading is not a small thing, no matter how
small or apparently insignificant the circumstances may seem, and we
are making a point to allow the same products be available with the
same quality as to those of us who do not harbor the same
difficulties. Thank you for your time and understanding, hopefully one
day we may agree.

On 4/3/09, Danielsen, Chris <CDanielsen at nfb.org> wrote:
>
> Dear Fellow Federationists:
>
> As many of you know, we are engaged in a campaign to obtain access
> for the blind and others with print disabilities to e-books available
> for Amazon's new Kindle 2 e-book reader. The new reader, which Amazon
> is working to make fully accessible to the blind, has the ability to
> use text-to-speech to read these e-books aloud; but under pressure
> from the Authors Guild, Amazon has announced that authors and
> publishers will be allowed to disable the text-to-speech function.
> The National Federation of the blind has joined with over twenty
> other organizations to create the reading Rights Coalition, which has
> set up an on-line petition to urge the Authors Guild and Amazon to
> reverse course. Please read and sign the petition here:
> <http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/We-Want-To-Read>http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/We-Want-To-Read
>
> Please note: If you are using screen access technology, the first
> three fields on the form to sign the petition may not be announced.
> They are, in order: (1) a drop-down menu from which to select your
> prefix (Mr., Mrs., etc.); (2) an edit field for your first name, and
> (3) an edit field for your last name. the rest of the fields should
> announce themselves as you tab to them. If you still have trouble
> filling out the form, please send the following information to
> <mailto:readingrights at nfb.org>readingrights at nfb.org and we will be
> happy to sign on your behalf. You will need to send us your name,
> address, e-mail address, and any personal comments you would like to
> make about this issue. Thank you so much for your participation in
> this critically important effort.
>
> Sincerely:
>
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> National Federation of the Blind
>
> P.S. Once you have signed the petition, please be sure to forward the
> link to all of the contacts in your address book that you believe
> will support us in this cause.
>
>
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-- 
Justin Louchart
JALOUCHART at GMAIL.COM
Cell: 989.964.9399
"The common eye sees only the outside of things, and judges by that,
but the truly seeing eye pierces through and reads the heart and the soul"

- Mark Twain