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

[Jorge Paez]

I think Bookshare will go away.
Yes, you can read books with a braille display, if you have an iPhone 4 or above.
And also: can't you use your notetaker with the PC as a braille display?
I don't see NLS going any time soon just for the braille books.
They might move away from audio/online, but the braille books are still valuable.
I, like you, want to read the digital stuff on a display too.

On May 24, 2011, at 8:42 PM, Kerri Kosten wrote:

> 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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