[nfb-talk] Blind Citizens March:

[Kenneth Chrane]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, ext. 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org



Reading Rights Coalition Urges Authors to Allow
Everyone Access to E-books



Informational Protest to be Held at Authors Guild Headquarters



New York City (March 30, 2009): The Reading
Rights Coalition, which represents people who
cannot read print, will protest the threatened
removal of the text-to-speech function from
e-books for the Amazon Kindle 2 outside the
Authors Guild headquarters in New York City at 31
East 32nd Street on April 7, 2009, from noon to
2:00 p.m.  The coalition includes the blind,
people with dyslexia, people with learning or
processing issues, seniors losing vision, people
with spinal cord injuries, people recovering from
strokes, and many others for whom the addition of
text-to-speech on the Kindle 2 promised for the
first time easy, mainstream access to over 255,000 books.



When Amazon released the Kindle 2 electronic book
reader on February 9, 2009, the company announced
that the device would be able to read e-books
aloud using text-to-speech technology.  Under
pressure from the Authors Guild, Amazon has
announced that it will give authors and
publishers the ability to disable the
text-to-speech function on any or all of their
e-books available for the Kindle 2.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, said: "The blind and
print-disabled have for years utilized
text-to-speech technology to read and access
information.  As technology advances and more
books move from hard-copy print to electronic
formats, people with print disabilities have for
the first time in history the opportunity to
enjoy access to books on an equal basis with
those who can read print.  Authors and publishers
who elect to disable text-to-speech for their
e-books on the Kindle 2 prevent people who are blind or have

other print disabilities from reading these
e-books.  This is blatant discrimination and we will not tolerate it."



Mike Shuttic, president of the Association on
Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), said:
"AHEAD envisions educational and societal
environments that value disability and embody
equality of opportunity.  This vision of AHEAD is
directly aligned with the efforts of this
coalition.  Although much rhetoric is made about
potential obstacles and problems that exist, the
basic goal is clear and simple--access for
everyone.  And why create something that prevents it?"



Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American
Council of the Blind, said: "Removing the
text-to-speech features closes the door on an
innovative technological solution that would make
regular print books available to tens of
thousands of individuals who are blind or visually impaired."



Andrew Imparato, President and Chief Executive
Officer for the American Association of People
with Disabilities (AAPD), said: "It is outrageous
when a technology device shuts out people with
all kinds of disabilities.  AAPD works to remove
barriers to accessibility and usability in
technology, and we don't expect to see people
with disabilities singled out by having to pay
more for access.  New technologies, such as
electronic books, should be available to everyone regardless of disability."

Paul Schroeder, vice president of programs and
policy for the American Foundation for the Blind,
said: "Those of us with print disabilities have
long dreamed of a world in which books and media
are available to us at the same time as everyone
else. The Kindle 2 offers that possibility for
the first time.  We hope publishers and authors
come to see that text-to-speech is simply an
alternative means of access to print."

Dr. Peter Blanck, chairman and university
professor at Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse
University, said: "As electronic books become the
norm, denying universal access will result in
more and more people with disabilities being left
out of education, employment, and the societal
conversation.  We will all suffer from the
absence of their participation and contribution
to the debates that occupy us as a society."



George Kerscher of the Digital Accessible
Information System (DAISY) Consortium, said: "The
DAISY Consortium envisions a world where people
with print disabilities have equal access to
information and knowledge, without delay or
additional expense.  Authors and publishers
surely must share this vision.  Now that the
issue of human rights has been explained, and the
opportunity for larger sales are known, I urge
the Authors Guild to reverse their position on
text-to-speech and join us in actively
encouraging all publishers and reading technology
developers to open the world of reading to
everybody.  Authors, join us on the picket line."



Steve Jacobs, president of IDEAL Group Inc.,
said, "Not only is text-to-speech important to
people who are blind, it is critical in providing
quality educations to millions of young people
who rely on text-to-speech to learn
effectively.  This includes students with autism,
learning disabilities, mobility disabilities, and
cognitive disabilities that impact their ability
to acquire information with their eyes only. I
remain hopeful that the talented members of the
Authors Guild come to understand the potential
negative impact of disabling the text-to-speech
function on their e-books and reconsider their position."



Cynthia D. Waddell, executive director of the
International Center for Disability Resources on
the Internet (ICDRI), said:  "The mission of
ICDRI supports the removal of barriers in
electronic and information technology and the
promotion of equal access.  ICDRI welcomes the
text-to-speech functionality being offered by the
Kindle 2 since it increases mainstream access to
books for the first time in history.  We question
why the Authors Guild demands that it be turned
it off since many more books would be sold if
text-to-speech was turned back on.  Not only

does this feature benefit persons with
disabilities, but it also helps persons for whom
English is not their native language.  In an
increasingly mobile society, flexibility in
access to content improves the quality of life for everyone."



James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology
International, said: "Knowing full well that not
everyone can see, the Authors Guild wants the
right to be seen, but not heard.  By bullying
Amazon to change the technology of Kindle 2, the
Authors Guild will either deny access to people
who are disabled, or make them pay more.  By
attacking disabled persons in this way, the
Authors Guild is attacking everyone who would
otherwise benefit from the contributions this
community has the potential to offer."



James H. Wendorf, executive director for the
National Center for Learning Disabilities, said:
"Access to the written word is the cornerstone of
education and democracy.  New technologies must
serve individuals with disabilities, not impede
them.  Our homes, schools and ultimately our
economy rely on support for the future, not
discriminating practices and beliefs from the past."

While the Kindle 2 is not currently accessible to
blind users, Amazon recently announced on its
Kindle 2 blog that it is currently at work on
making the device's navigational features accessible to the blind.



The coalition includes: American Association of
People with Disabilities, American Council of the
Blind, American Foundation for the Blind,
Association on Higher Education and Disability,
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Burton
Blatt Institute, Digital Accessible Information
System (DAISY) Consortium, Disability Rights
Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), IDEAL Group,
Inc., International Center for Disability
Resources on the Internet, International Dyslexia
Association, International Dyslexia
Association--New York Branch, Knowledge Ecology
International, Learning Disabilities Association
of America, National Center for Learning
Disabilities, National Disability Rights Network,
National Federation of the Blind, NISH, and the
National Spinal Cord Injury Association.  In
addition to the April 7 New York City protest,
the coalition will participate in the Los Angeles
Times Festival of Books on April 25-26.