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

[Kirt Manwaring]

To all,
  First off, before I get roasted for disagreeing with you guys, I
want to say that braille is absolutely critical.  My biggest regret
about my education so far (aside from my terrible habbit to
procrastinate stuff), is that I've started using braille less and less
and audio more and more.  I really think it's damaged my learning and
put me at a disadvantage and, while I'm still a great braille reader,
I don't use it much as I ought to.  That said, braille has helped me
with spelling, grammar, imagination, and learning through reading
rather than listening.  I'm going to start relying on it more again
and I guarantee my writing and reading comprehention will go from good
to amazing-it's happened before and, so help me, I'm going to get back
what I've lost by relegating braille to a back seat behind my
computer.
  That being said, braille access to books from mainstream sources is
increasing at a tremendous rate.  I can use my apex as a braille
display on my ITouch to read books I purchase via Ibooks.  I'm going
to make the prediction that, at some point within the next several
years, using a notetaker or a braille display to read Kindel books
will be practical-it's just a guess, but I'd be surprised if five
years go by and I'm wrong.  With KNFB developing the BLIO reader, I
have no doubt support for braille displays will be integrated before
too long.  Reading books in mainstream formats on a braille display is
already doable, braille and I think it will only expand.  The way I
see it, the ease of reading ebooks on a braille display, as well as
the number of formats we'll be able to read on a braille display, will
only increase.
  Now to address the philosophical point this article brings up.  I
totally agree with the author here.  If we want to be treated as
equals, we have to understand we need to demand equal responsibilities
along with equal rights.  I don't see public libraries going away,
lots of people like their hardcopy books.  Therefore I don't see NLS
going away as a lender of paper braille books. I still like reading
paper braille from time to time and there are plenty of blind people
who aren't very computer literate.  People still like buying print
hardcovers and paperbooks; in that same vain, I don't see the National
Braille Press going away.  But sighted people don't get free ebooks,
why should we?  It used to be that we needed them because they were
the only ebooks we could read with a braille display, not so anymore.
If we're going to be true to our philosophy as Federationists, it's
not fair for us to want preferential treatment here.  Do we really
mean it when we say we want to be equal citizens?  If we do, it's high
time we start paying an equal price, especially since it's not that
hard to read ebooks on a braille display, if we know what we're doing,
and it's only going to get easier as programs such as the Blio and
Kindle improve their access.  I say we'll only be treated like
everyone else when we realize that equality isn't an extra handout, it
isn't just a change in society's attitudes towards us, but it's mostly
an acceptence of the responsibilities that come with first-class
citizenship!  And getting ebooks for free or at a very steap discount,
while everyone else has to pay, is definitely not an equal
responsibility.  Who's with me?
  All the best,
Kirt

On 5/24/11, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi Kerry,
> Interesting question. Yes we do have more access to mainstream books through
> comericial audio like audible.com and Random House has recorded books and
> Amozon has many recorded books too.
> That said I do not see NLS going away for a long time.  As others said,
> there is still a place for a hard copy braille book, despite technology.
> You can only get certain things on braille paper such as paragraphs
> structure that you cannot get on a linear display.  You can take a braille
> book anywhere and its durable. Besides not everyone is tech savy or has a
> braille display on their notetaker if they own one.
>
> As to bookshare, I'm not so sure of that.
> Part of me thinks it will go away.  If electronic books become accessible
> from distributors and publishers, then why would anyone need bookshare?
> That is a source of electronic books after all. If we all can read books via
> our computers or hook a braille display to the PC to read, then that serves
> the same purpose of bookkshare.
>
> But if bookshare comes to a demise, I do not see that happening for a long
> time.  It will be a slow decline of users.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jorge Paez
> Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 9:17 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Ebook Accessibility/The Future of NLS And Bookshare
>
> 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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