[nabs-l] Fw: Reading Rights Coalition Denounces Random House

[alena roberts]

Thanks for this update. When I wrote my blog post last week about this
issue only 40 titles had been disabled. To learn that they've disabled
them all is even more of an outrage. I will be sure to alert my
readers to this.

Alena

On 5/20/09, Scott C. LaBarre <slabarre at labarrelaw.com> wrote:
> Greetings:
>
> I observe your list mostly from afar and often enjoy some of your
> discussion.  I've been around the NFB for twenty-three years and am
> predictably biused about the value of our organization and very proud of
> what we have accomplished.  This NFB/ACB debate has been around since the
> split in 1961 and, in my view, has consumed far too much valuable energy.  I
> think the ACB has the wrong view on a number of issues just as they think we
> do.  There are times, hwoever, when we agree and can work together.  The
> below press release is such an example.
> Scott C. LaBarre, Esq.
>
> LaBarre Law Offices P.C.
> 1660 South Albion Street, Ste. 918
> Denver, Colorado 80222
> 303 504-5979 (voice)
> 303 757-3640 (fax)
> slabarre at labarrelaw.com (e-mail)
> www.labarrelaw.com (website)
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message may contain confidential and privileged
> information. If you are not the designated recipient, you may not read,
> copy, distribute or retain this message. If you received this message in
> error, please notify the sender at 303) 504-5979 or slabarre at labarrelaw.com,
> and destroy and delete it from your system. This message and any attachments
> are covered by the Electronic
> Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2521.
> ----- 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 ; 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 ; Joe Ruffalo ; John Batron ; John Fritz ; Joyce Scanlan ; Kathy
> Davis ; Ken Rollman ; Kevan Worley ; Marie Johnson ; Mary Willows ; Matt
> Lyles ; Matt Lyles ; Melissa Riccobono ; Michael Barber ; Michael Freeman ;
> Mika Pyyhkala ; Nani Fife ; Pam Allen ; Parnell Diggs ; Patti Chang ;
> Richard Bennett ; Richard Gaffney ; Ron Brown ; Ron Gardner ; Sam Gleese ;
> Scott LaBarre ; Selena Sundling-Crawford ; Terri Rupp ; Tommy Craig
> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 9:44 AM
> Subject: Reading Rights Coalition Denounces Random House
>
>
>
>
> 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 Denounces Random House
>
>
> Random House Has Denied 15 Million
> Print-Disabled Americans Access to its Books
>
>
>
> New York City (May 20, 2009): The Reading Rights Coalition, representing
> more than 15 million print-disabled Americans, has denounced publishing
> giant Random House, which has turned off text-to-speech on all of its
> e-books available for Amazon's Kindle 2 reading service.
>
>
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
> "When Random House turned off the text-to-speech function on all of its
> e-books for the Kindle 2, it turned off access to this service for more than
> 15 million print-disabled Americans.  The blind and other print-disabled
> readers have the right to purchase e-books using this service with
> text-to-speech enabled.  Blocking text-to-speech prohibits access for
> print-disabled readers and is both reprehensible and discriminatory.  We
> urge President Obama, whose e-books are now being blocked from over 15
> million Americans, to either demand that access be restored or to move to a
> publisher who does not engage in discrimination."
>
>
>
> Dr. Cynthia Stuen, Senior Vice President of Policy and Evaluation for
> Lighthouse International, said: "Having the technology available to give
> people with impaired vision and other print disabilities equal and timely
> access to the printed word should be celebrated and encouraged in a civil
> and just society for all."
>
>
>
> Andrew Imparato, President and Chief Executive Officer for the American
> Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), said: "Random House is
> callously disregarding the right of American consumers with disabilities to
> get access to the same content at the same price at the same time as
> everyone else.  Random House's decision to turn off the feature that makes
> this content accessible to millions of print-disabled Americans is a bad
> business decision with real human consequences and it must be corrected
> immediately."
>
>
>
> Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind, said: "The
> recent action by Random House disabling text-to-speech on e-books is the
> latest and most egregious discriminatory action against the nation's 15
> million print-disabled individuals.  Random House either doesn't care or
> doesn't understand the impact this will have on those who would otherwise
> have equal access to books and other printed materials in the same manner as
> our non-disabled peers.  We must work collaboratively to do everything
> possible to assure such access for this growing constituency."
>
>
>
> James Love, Director of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), said: "KEI is
> disappointed that Random House is turning off text-to-speech on its Kindle 2
> e-books. In a world where access to knowledge is central to everything,
> Random House certainly understands this action will isolate and marginalize
> many persons with reading disabilities."
>
>
>
> K. Eric Larson, Executive Director and CEO of National Spinal Cord Injury
> Association, said: "All Americans have the right to equal access and many
> people living with paralysis use text-to-speech capabilities in order to
> gain that access.  Our members are also consumers and "turning off"
> text-to-speech means that some will not buy books they would otherwise
> purchase."
>
> John R. Sheehan, Chairman of the Xavier Society for the Blind, said: "The
> Xavier Society for the Blind is committed to the notion that ALL books
> should be accessible to all people. When a book about Mother Teresa is among
> those whose text-to-speech functions have been disabled, we fear that we are
> seeing the beginning of a blanket cut-off of a function that should be open
> and available to all, especially (but not exclusively) to those with visual
> impairments or other problems that limit access to printed materials."
>
> When Amazon released the Kindle 2 e-book reading service 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 publishers the ability to
> disable the text-to-speech function on any or all of their e-books available
> for the Kindle 2 service.  Random House is the first publisher to turn off
> text-to-speech on all of its e-books and thus deny the rights of
> print-disabled people across America.
>
>
>
> The Reading Rights 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 promises for the
> first time easy, mainstream access to over 270,000 books.
>
>
>
> For more information about the Reading Rights Coalition, please visit
> www.readingrights.org.  To sign our petition, go to
> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/We-Want-To-Read.  If you are an author who
> supports our cause, please send your contact information to
> readingrights at nfb.org.
>
>
>
>
>
> ###
>
>
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-- 
Alena Roberts
Blog: http://www.blindgal.com/