[Nfbf-l] Fw: [fcb-l] librarians speak out

Mon Mar 29 18:07:44 UTC 2010

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Edwards, Paul" <pedwards at mdc.edu>
To: <fcb-l at acb.org>; "Barbara Moyer at home" Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 
1:39 PM
Subject: [fcb-l] librarians speak out


>A Baby Step Taken, Authors Guild and AAP Agree that the Print-Disabled Have 
>a Right to Read
> March 24, 2010 ( No Comments )
> Last week, I attended a training workshop for representatives of 
> developing nations on copyright and the reading impaired. The weeklong 
> workshop, sponsored by the U.S. Copyright Office and the World 
> Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), included discussions related to 
> the proposed WIPO treaty for a copyright exception for the reading 
> impaired, presentations from Copyright Office staff on the Chafee 
> amendment -  the U.S. copyright exception for the blind and visually 
> impaired persons, and presentations from non-profit and federally funded 
> organizations that serve the reading impaired including Reading for the 
> Blind and Dyslexic, Bookshare, and the Library of Congress' National 
> Library Service.
>
> I particularly enjoyed hearing from Dan Goldstein, attorney for the 
> National Federation for the Blind, who provided an update on the ongoing 
> Kindle 2 controversy.
>
> You may recall this reading rights controversy that began in February 
> 2009, when the Authors Guild asked Amazon to disable the text-to-speech 
> function of its Kindle 2, arguing that its authors had not given 
> permission to Amazon to use computer synthesized speech on its e-book 
> reader.  The Authors Guild feared that Kindle's computer generated 
> synthesized speech function would compete with its audio book market, a 
> ridiculous argument suggesting that sighted individuals would rather 
> listen to computerized speech than vastly superior audio books read by 
> professional actors.  The Authors Guild said that it would sue Amazon for 
> breach of contract since Amazon had not negotiated private performance 
> (a.k.a. reading aloud) rights with Authors Guild.  (The beauty of licenses 
> for rights holders is that you can charge for rights not guaranteed under 
> the copyright law. While public performance is an exclusive right of 
> copyright, private performance is not. Nonetheless, you can make people
>  pay extra for it, for you agree to the contract).
>
> Amazon acquiesced and the text to speech function was disabled.  In 
> response, 30 national organizations that represent the print disabled 
> formed the Reading Rights Coalition to advocate for equal reading rights. 
> The text-to-speech function made thousands of Amazon e-book available to 
> the reading impaired, a great step forward in using technology and the 
> market to provide the reading impaired "the same book, at the same time, 
> at the same price" as sighted people.
>
> After a year of negotiating that included a secret meeting called by the 
> White House's Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for 
> Disability, the Authors Guild, AAP, and the Reading Rights Coalition came 
> to an agreement that the reading impaired should have equal access to 
> reading. The statement issued March 9, reads in part:
>
> "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."
>
> Big deal, right?  Well, yes a giant step forward concerning the reading 
> famine that the print disabled tackle every day. Only 5 percent of works 
> published in the United States are available in accessible formats for the 
> print disabled.  Obtaining an accessible copy of a book is possible, but 
> ordinarily occurs after the print edition has been published.  Costs for 
> making accessible copies in Braille are high - on average $16,000 for a 
> typical trade book publication.  The wait time can be several months - 
> most Braille transcribers work for federally funded and volunteer 
> organizations that serve the print disabled.  Braille transcription, still 
> considered the gold standard for the reading impaired in that it enables 
> reading literacy, takes a long time. Other format options are available - 
> talking books,  large print for those with minor vision problems, the use 
> of accessible equipment to enhance the appearance of text, or computer 
> scanning of text that can be read aloud with a v
> ariety of computer software.  All of these options, however, require a 
> wait time and usually an intermediary for assistance. The Kindle 2 offered 
> immediacy, independence, and the opportunity for the reading impaired to 
> mainstream with the sighted both buying the same product instead of the 
> "dumbed down" version (cassette tapes?) typically considered "good enough" 
> for the blind.
>
> One would figure that with today's technological advancements that this 
> book famine problem could be solved. Interoperable computer standards 
> exist that greatly improve the reading experience for the visually 
> impaired, but publishers have been unwilling to create accessible copies 
> at the point of publication because, they argue, such a venture would be 
> risky and not profitable considering the small market for accessible 
> books. Small? The number of Americans who have print disabilities is 
> estimated at 30 million - a number that will increase over time with as 
> Americans get older and begin to have vision problems.  Other print 
> impaired individuals include millions with dyslexia, learning disabilities 
> or mobility impairments that make it impossible to turn pages or hold a 
> book as well as injured veterans.
>
> The publishers have changed their tune saying now that there is a market 
> for accessible books.  The joint statement continues, "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."
>
> Now we must wait and see if authors and publishers will take the action 
> necessary to fulfill this promise.  In the meantime, it would be a shame 
> if librarians with a strong commitment to reading did not take the 
> opportunity to contact their Senators or Congressional representatives - 
> now - encouraging the government to monitor these developments. Say that 
> reading for the blind "is overdue."
>
> Carrie Russell
> Director, OITP's Program and Public Access to Information
>
> Paul Edwards, Director
> North Campus Access Services
> Room 6113
> 11380 Northwest 27 Avenue
> Miami, FL 33167
> Work Phone: (305) 237-1146
> Work Fax (305) 237-1831
> Home Phone: (305) 692-9206
> Cell Phone: (305) 984-0909
> Work Email: paul.edwards at mdc.edu
> Home Email: edwpaul at bellsouth.net
>
> ABILITY COUNTS
>
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