[Nfb-hi] FW: [Dtb-talk] Joint Statement on Access to Books by Americans with Print Disabilities

[Milton Ota]

-----Original Message-----
From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Andrews, David B B (DEED)
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 7:08 AM
To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books
Subject: [Dtb-talk] Joint Statement on Access to Books by Americans with
Print Disabilities

________________________________
From: Freeh, Jessica [mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org]
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:00 AM
To: Freeh, Jessica
Subject: Joint Statement on Access to Books by Americans with Print
Disabilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Reading Rights Coalition
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>

Judith Platt
Association of American Publishers
(202) 220-4551
jplatt at publishers.org<mailto:jplatt at publishers.org>

Paul Aiken
The Authors Guild
(212) 563- 5904
staff at authorsguild.org<mailto:staff at authorsguild.org>
Joint Statement on Access to Books
by Americans with Print Disabilities

Washington, D.C. (March 9, 2010): The Reading Rights Coalition, which
represents thirty million Americans who cannot read print due to
disabilities; the Authors Guild, with a membership of eight thousand
American writers; and the Association of American Publishers, whose more
than three hundred members include most of the major commercial publishers
in the United States as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, today
issued the following statement regarding access to books by Americans with
print disabilities:

"The growth in the number of books offered in electronic and audio formats
has created tremendous opportunities for the millions of Americans who are
blind or have other print disabilities that make it difficult or impossible
to read printed books in the same way that other Americans typically do.
This large community constitutes a previously-untapped market that is hungry
for the educational, inspirational, and recreational opportunities that
books can provide, and now offers a significant commercial opportunity to
the publishing industry.

"The Reading Rights Coalition, the Authors Guild, and the Association of
American Publishers believe that the contents of books should be as
accessible to individuals with print disabilities as they are to everyone
else.  To that end, these groups agree to work together and through the
communities they represent to ensure that when the marketplace offers
alternative formats to print books, such as audio and electronic
books, print-disabled consumers can access the contents of these alternative
formats to the same extent as all other consumers."

For comments on the statement from Kareem A. Dale, special assistant to the
President for disability policy, please see his blog post at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/09/one-step-closer-full-access.

###


About the Reading Rights Coalition

The Reading Rights Coalition consists of thirty-one organizations that
represent the estimated thirty million Americans who can not read print.
The member organizations of the Reading Rights Coalition believe that access
to the written word is the cornerstone of education and democracy, and new
information technologies must SERVE individuals with disabilities rather
than acting as barriers.

About the Authors Guild

The Authors Guild, representing more than eight thousand authors, is the
largest and oldest society of published authors in the United States and the
leading writers' advocate for fair contracts, effective copyright
protection, and free expression.  Its work in recent years has focused on
assuring that authors are appropriately compensated for digital uses of
their work, so that authors can continue to create works readers value.

About the Association of American Publishers

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of
the United States book publishing industry.  AAP's more than three hundred
members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United
States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses,
and scholarly societies.  AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books
in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary,
postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer
software, and electronic products and services.




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