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

Wed May 25 03:42:50 UTC 2011

To all,
  Please do your best to disregard the aweful grammar and terrible
typos I made in that last post.  That'll teach me to send stuff
without double-checking and editing first!  Anyways, my terrible
delivery of that last message didn't do it justice.  If it's not too
jmuch trouble, read what I tried to write and not what I actually
wrote.  *grin*

On 5/24/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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>>
>>
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>