[nabs-l] Ebook Accessibility/The Future of NLS And Bookshare

[Serena Cucco]

Hey Kerrie,

All great points and how about for those of us who simply don't want an
iphone?

Serena

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Kerri Kosten
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 8:42 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: [nabs-l] Ebook Accessibility/The Future of NLS And Bookshare

Hey Guys:

I came across an interesting editorial/article written by Josh
DeLioncourt from lioncourt.com/the Maccessibility Network and I wanted
to get your thoughts.

The article discusses the future of NLS and Bookshare and the rise of
ebooks. It suggests that as visually impaired/blind people we should
try to move towards a future of reading/purchasing Ebooks from
mainstream sources such as the Amazon Kindle, Audible.com, and Apple's
Ibooks and that blindness-specific sources such as Bookshare.org and
the NLS library service should go away.

Just for discussion sake what are your thoughts?

Do you see NLS and Bookshare completely going away in the future?

Just for what it's worth, here are my thoughts.

While mainstream sources are great, what about braille and braille
literacy? You can't use a braille display to read Kindle books.
Audible books are audio so no braille there. As far as I know (someone
correct me if I'm wrong) you can't read Ibooks with a braille display
either. I for one love Bookshare because you can download the books in
BRF files and read them in braille on either a braille display or a
notetaker. You can also get hardcopy braille books from NLS.

What about those who do not like the voice used by the Amazon Kindle
and the Samantha voice on the Iphone? I for one hate those voices for
reading book purposes...I've tried and just can't get into them for
reading.

What about seniors just losing their vision? Though I hope as many
people get into technology as possible you have to be somewhat
computer savvy to work the kindle PC software and the Ibooks app for
the Iphone/Ipod touch/Ipad is all touchscreen.

Just my thoughts...I would be very very sad if NLS and Bookshare went
away completely.

hHere is the article...just thought I'd bring this up for discussion
purposes.

Kerri

Crossroads: Rekindling the Accessible Ebook Discussion
by Josh de Lioncourt
A few weeks ago, I read a question posed by someone on Twitter that
rekindled a line of thought I have had on and off for a couple of
years. In essence, the question was this: "We have BookShare.org, the
National Library Service, and other similar resources. Why should we
care about the accessibility of eBook platforms like iBooks, Kindle,
Adobe Digital Editions, etc?"

On the surface, this question, which has been posed by several people
with whom I've been acquainted, appears to be a pragmatic one. If one
digs a little deeper, however, it becomes an illustration of an
alarming attitude, often an unconscious one, throughout the visually
impaired community.

Before exploring that aspect, though, let's take a quick look at just
a few of the strictly practical answers that can be given to this
question.

.In general, books released in printed form are now simultaneously
available in digital formats. This provides readers and students with
access to material, be it for pleasure, education, or work, at the
same time as their sighted counterparts. This is rarely the case with
publications offered through many of the resources aimed at providing
materials in accessible formats.
.Many of the resources which provide accessible materials are
understandably required to obtain medical proof of disability from
their users before they are able to gain access to the content
provided. Some users may be unwilling or unable to jump through these
hoops, or find it a violation of privacy.
.Some services require expensive, unwieldy, or otherwise undesirable
or inefficient equipment to access their content. By contrast,
commercial solutions like Apple's iBooks and Amazon's Kindle provide
access to their content across a variety of mainstream devices,
including mobile phones.
.Some resources of accessible content, (i.e. BookShare.org), charge a
recurring fee for the service. For avid readers who consume large
number of books each year, this is undoubtedly a cost-efficient
solution. For those who read only occasionally, however, it can prove
far more costly than purchasing books from a digital retailer.
.Many books are never made available in accessible formats through these
bodies.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of practical reasons why a
visually impaired user may prefer access to a digital e-book platform,
but it does provide a sample of the variety of such reasons. No one
solution will ever work for all users, and that must be always kept in
mind when topics such as this are discussed or debated.

There is a far more important issue that this subject raises, however.
It is best expressed in the form of a question: "As visually impaired
people, what is it we desire most: equal access, or preferential
treatment?"

Several years ago, this was not nearly as legitimate of a question.
Services like NLS and BookShare provided materials that were otherwise
inaccessible to those with visual impairments or other disabilities in
a manner that was equivalent to public libraries.

With the ever increasing ubiquity of the Internet, the availability
and usage of public libraries around the globe has fallen sharply.
Research can be done far more efficiently online, where the wealth of
information is virtually limitless and growing all the time. A
WikiPedia article outlines the basic statistics of the decline of
library use over the last twenty years. As far back as 2001, 93% of
college students felt it made more sense to obtain the information
they needed online than by visiting a physical library.

The majority of information online is, of course, far more accessible
than the visually impaired have ever had access to in the past. Few
technological advances, if any, have had such a profound impact on the
quality of life for visually impaired individuals, and you will find
none who would argue that point.

With the decline of libraries as a research tool has come the decline
of their usage as a source of books consumed for pleasure as well. Ask
yourself this: how many sighted readers do you know who regularly, or
exclusively, obtain books for a local public library to read. The
answer will be very few, if any. These days, most avid readers
purchase books to read, just like any other form of entertainment
media such as music or movies.

While the usefulness of services like NLS or BookShare.org in years
passed is undeniable, their necessity is waning in the wake of
accessible mainstream sources of materials such as iBooks, Inkling,
and Audible.com. Though services providing accessible content to those
with disabilities may still be the best, or in some cases the only,
solution for some users today, we should be actively moving toward a
future of equal access with our sighted peers.

It seems to me, and many others who have embraced the integrated
access of Apple products, that some quarters of the visually impaired
community desire equal access without equal responsibility, especially
when regards written material. Do we, the visually impaired community,
purchase music like everyone else? Do we buy DVD's like everyone else?
Do we pay for Coca-Colas at the corner store or our lattes at
StarBucks? Why not our books as well? Is the entertainment or
educational value of a novel by Stephen King or a instructional text
on programming C++so low that we feel it isn't worth as much as we pay
for the latest album by Lady Gaga or a course at the local community
college?

For those who may argue that, given the high percentage of visually
impaired individuals with low or limited incomes, they simply cannot
afford to purchase books, I have two questions.

First, what of all of the sighted individuals who are in similar
circumstances? The unemployment rate continues at high levels, and I'm
sure many of those who are currently facing hard times would love a
treasure trove of free books at their fingertips. Why don't we open
BookShare.org or NLS up to these unfortunates?

Second, what about all the funds wasted, be it by individuals or
government agencies, on access technology which is less capable than
mainstream solutions? For example, the GW Micro BookSense is available
in $349 USD and $499 USD varieties. It allows visually impaired users
to read books in electronic format and listen to audio books or music.
How is this a better value than, for example, an iPod touch, which
provides the same functionality, plus Internet access, email, and tens
of thousands of applications to extend its capabilities starting at
just $229 USD? This isn't even to mention the fact that the iPod touch
can be connected to a Braille display, has significantly more storage,
and a battery warranty that is twice the length of what users get from
the BookSense. Wouldn't money saved by integrated solutions ultimately
be better spent compensating the authors of useful or entertaining
books for their hard work?

Is it not the height of hypocrisy that the visually impaired community
wastes not a moment in lambasting, (even suing), companies like Amazon
for a lack of accessibility in its Kindle products, and yet balks at
the notion that we begin moving away from having the majority of our
printed materials handed over for free?

We, the visually impaired community, are rapidly approaching a
crossroads. It is time to prove that we have the courage of our
convictions. Will we be worthy of equal access, and by extension equal
opportunities? Or will we squander the chance to put ourselves on
equal footing with the sighted world by an unwillingness to move
forward with society, and a misplaced sense of entitlement?

I know which outcome I'm hoping for.

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