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

Mon Mar 29 22:22:33 UTC 2010

Your welcome.  It was a little long, but I found it to be interesting as 
well.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 4:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Fw: [fcb-l] librarians speak out

> That was very interesting and a really good summary of what is going on. 
> Thanks Patricia for passing it on.
> Sherri
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Patricia A. Lipovsky" <plipovsky at cfl.rr.com>
> To: "NFBF List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 2:07 PM
> Subject: [Nfbf-l] Fw: [fcb-l] librarians speak out
>
>
>>
>> ----- 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
>>>
>>> "Please Note:
>>> Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written 
>>> communications to or from College employees regarding College business 
>>> are public records, available to the public and media upon request. 
>>> Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public 
>>> disclosure."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> fcb-l mailing list
>>> fcb-l at acb.org
>>> http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/fcb-l
>>
>>
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