[stylist] Google Settlement with Authors, Publishers Will Have Positive Results for the Blind

[Angela fowler]

Man, this is really something to cheer about. Does anyone know if this
includes college textbooks as well?  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 4:29 PM
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Google Settlement with Authors, Publishers Will Have
Positive Results for the Blind

           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen

Public Relations Specialist

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (cell)

cdanielsen at nfb.org



Google Settlement with Authors, Publishers Will Have Positive Results for
the Blind





Terms of Proposed Settlement Agreement
Will Revolutionize Blind People's Access to Books

Baltimore, Maryland (October 31, 2008): The National Federation of the
Blind, the nation's leading advocate for access to information by the blind,
announced today that the recent settlement between Google and authors and
publishers over the Google Books project, if approved by the courts, will
have a profound and positive impact on the ability of blind people to access
the printed word.  The terms of the settlement that was reached on October
28, among Google, the Authors Guild, and the Association of American
Publishers, on behalf of a broad class of authors and publishers, allow
Google to provide the material it offers users "in a manner that
accommodates users with print disabilities so that such users have a
substantially similar user experience as users without print disabilities."
A user with a print disability under the agreement is one who is "unable to
read or use standard printed material due to blindness, visual disability,
physical limitations, organic dysfunction, or dyslexia."  Blind people, like
other members of the public, will be able to search the texts of books in
the Google Books database online; purchase some books in an accessible
format; or access accessible books at libraries and other entities that have
an institutional subscription to the Google Books database.  Once the court
approves the settlement, Google will work to launch these services as
quickly as possible.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "Access to the printed word has historically been one of the greatest
challenges faced by the blind.  The agreement between Google and authors and
publishers will revolutionize access to books for blind Americans.



Blind people will be able to search for books through the Google Books
interface and purchase, borrow, or read at a public library any of the books
that are available to the general public in a format that is compatible with
text enlargement software, text-to-speech screen access software, and
refreshable Braille devices.  With 7 million books already available in the
Google Books collection and many more to come, this agreement means that
blind people will have more access to print books than we have ever had in
human history.  The blind, just like the sighted, will have a world of
education, information, and entertainment literally at our fingertips.  The
National Federation of the Blind commends the parties to this agreement for
their commitment to full and equal access to information by the blind."



"Among the most monumental aspects of the settlement agreement," said Jack
Bernard, assistant general counsel at the University of Michigan, "are the
terms that enable Google and libraries to make works accessible to people
who have print disabilities.  This unprecedented opportunity to access the
printed word will make it possible for blind people to engage independently
with our rich written culture.  Moreover, it is refreshing to find
accessibility for people with disabilities explicitly included upfront,
rather than begrudgingly added as an afterthought."



  "One of the great promises of the settlement agreement is improving access
to books for the blind and for those with print disabilities," 
said Dan Clancy, engineering director for Google Book Search.  "Google is
committed to extending all of the services available under the agreement to
the blind and print disability community, making it easier to access these
books through screen enlargement, reader, and Braille display technologies."



###



About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the
largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the
United States.  The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy,
education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and
self-confidence.  It is the leading force in the blindness field today and
the voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and
training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.  Please
visit our Web site: <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.


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