[access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From News Shopper)

...from the closed library, but you may well have to go to the larger central 
libraries to get access.

Best,
Clive

 


          
Clive Lever
Diversity Advisor
01622 221163 (extension 7000 1163) Room 1.15, Sessions House, County Hall, 
Maidstone, ME14 1XQ.
Diversity is a strength and we will value and harness difference for the 
benefit of all service users, the individual and KCC. 
 
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ron 
Sears
Sent: 12 January 2011 10:41
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From 
News Shopper)

Hi folks, of course when our libraries close the facility of using computers 
will also be lost.
----- Original Message -----
From: <Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 10:32 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From 
News Shopper)


Hello,

here in Kent we have a system whereby you can borrow audio books on line. More 
and more, we are likely to find services being provided online only, rather 
than in offices. It is in our interest therefore, to ensure we keep local 
authorities on their toes:

1. By doing all we can to ensure the online book borrowing service is both 
accessible and usable. One problem I've had with ours is that you can put six 
books in your shopping basket, but you have to proceed to the check-out within 
30 minutes or you lose the books. However, every time you put a book into the 
basket, you waste a lot of time navigating around the system from almost the 
start of the process, to find your next book. Without the skip navigation 
buttons, and having to "drill down" through too many pages per book, you don't 
get a lot of real value out of your 45 minutes worth. It's like having to get 
from London to Manchester in three hours, when sighted people can go straight 
there, but users of speech and keyboard are sent via Cornwall on a slow train 
that stops at every lamp-post.

2. We need to ensure that the computer systems in our libraries are both 
accessible and usable for those who don't have internet access at home. Once 
again you have 30 minutes per session, but may not be able to do anywhere near 
all the things that a sighted person could do in that time. Also, we need to 
make sure that the computers they introduce are not solely touch-screen-based.

It's cheaper to provide services online, essentially courteous, efficient 
self-service, than to keep open loads of premises and employ loads of customer 
services staff, so the push towards digital by default may lead to more and 
more closures of smaller, traditional libraries...and other services too. I 
think we need to keep our wits about us to make sure that technology and 
websites are accessible. I don't know how you would get on going to a library 
where the access technology is HAL/Supernova and you are a Jaws user, for 
example. In theory, you could then go to a jobcentre and find either nothing at 
all, or WindowEyes. In order to access all online services through public 
access terminals, would we need to know our way around all speech access 
software, not just our preferred speech?  Some libraries are reluctant to put 
speech onto all their terminals for reasons of confidentiality, and for fear 
that lots of speakers babbling different texts would disrupt other users. The  
words Phones and head spring to mind.

Best,
Clive


Best,
Clive




Clive Lever
Diversity Advisor
01622 221163 (extension 7000 1163) Room 1.15, Sessions House, County Hall, 
Maidstone, ME14 1XQ.
Diversity is a strength and we will value and harness difference for the 
benefit of all service users, the individual and KCC.




-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ron 
Sears
Sent: 12 January 2011 09:21
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From 
News Shopper)

I don't know what it is like in your areas but here in Oxford the libraries are 
closing and we will only have the Central and one in the suburbs left so that 
resource will be gone.

Ron
----- Original Message -----
From: "Damon Rose" <damon.rose@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 9:14 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From 
News Shopper)


Joe public does get free books, Ibrahim. That's the root of the anger and 
disappointment mentioned here. There is an amazing library system out there 
which most visually impaired people can't access or take anything like full 
advantage of.

Do you pay council tax? If so, you're paying for lots of people to be able to 
access libraries except yourself. Many feel that there is an important 
education, cultural knowledge and leisure time issue at stake here. Why should 
blind people have to pay twice for library services? They're amongst the 
poorest 
people in Britain.

And you should note that not everyone can afford 70 pounds or at least it would 
easily slip down the priority list of a lot of people because it's a not 
inconsiderable sum.

Do councils understand the impact that this will bring?

My grandma, who died a year ago, had gone blind in the last ten years of her 
life. She spent most of her last ten years plugged into a talking book. Her 
life 
revolved around them. I have since learnt that this is very much the case for a 
lot of elderly blind people.

So, education, tax, cultural learning, leisure, self development all aside, 
talking books are a lifeline to many, quite literally. I'd argue it was a big 
part of what kept my grandma alive and happy.

It's inevitable that talking book itself will lose money as a result of this.
Lots of blind people won't be prepared to pay. This means that those who do pay 
will find themselves with a lesser service in the long run as less books will 
be 
recorded. If indeed the service is sustainable. Seems a shame this is happening 
after RNIB's big talking book fundraising and adverrtising push at the end of 
last year.

...Damon




-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Ibrahim Gucukoglu
Sent: 12 January 2011 07:56
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From 
News Shopper)

Hi.

I totally agree here.  I cant see what all the fuss is about.  Never at any 
time 
in my life as far as I can remember have I ever had talking books paid for by 
my 
local council or charity, be it public or private.  Talking books as supplied 
by 
the RNIB is only £69 per year, a significant subsidy when you consider they 
loan 
you a player and potentially dozens of books per year.  If you want to read, 
you 
should be prepared to pay for it as reading is not a human right and even if it 
were, the council in most boroughs provide their own library services with 
books 
on cd, cassette and even playaway as is the case in Peterborough where I live.
The fact that some blind people are either too lazy or just plane ignorant of 
these services is no excuse not to ask them, for all they have to do is get off 
their asses or pick up the phone and ask.  In an age where most young blind 
people and even a large majority of the middle aged and elderly have access to 
technology of some sort or othe  r or know people who have access to said 
technology, the information about service provision in your local borough is 
readily available online and details of how to access these services is often 
posted in libraries and town halls.
For heaven sake, wake up everyone, smell the roses and start putting your hand 
in your pocket and paying for things you want or that you feel you need.  Joe 
public doesn't get free books, so why the heck should we.

All the best, Ibrahim.

----- Original Message -----
From: David <mailto:n.weston42@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:36 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From 
News Shopper)

Hi,

I would like to say that for that the last forty years or more I have had to 
pay 
for my equipment and also for my talking books. So far as I can see their is no 
change for me, or is Hertfordshire unique?

David Weston.
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Gordon Keen
Sent: 11 January 2011 09:38
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From News
Shopper)




Here we go then, the big society - my arse!


Site Logo<http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/resources/images/1000734/>


Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council


1:18pm Monday 10th January 2011

By David Mills

A CHARITY which represents the blind and visually impaired has hit out at 
Bromley Council <http://www.bromley.gov.uk/Default.bromley>  for temporarily 
suspending equipment provision.

Services which include the talking books, as well as equipment such as walking 
canes and liquid level indicators, are all under review by the council.

Kent Association for the Blind (KAB), which has a sight centre in Blyth Road, 
Bromley, will be pressuring the council to continue providing funding.

Dick Groves, aged 65, of South View, Bromley, said: "Visual impairment is the 
most feared of all sensory impairments. Provision in Bromley is extremely 
patchy."

Mr Groves, who is blind, said: "This is a classic example of the way in which 
action has been taken without consultation and without information being given 
to one of the weakest sections of society and least able to respond."

Kent Association for the Blind's Bromley 
branch<http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/resources/images/1536532/>

A KAB spokesman said: "We are currently in contact with our service users to 
explain the service has been temporarily suspended by the London borough of 
Bromley.

"We are sharing other providers of these services such as the Calibre audio 
library, a completely free service, to ensure users are not going to go without 
talking books.

"We at KAB are going to be making representations to the council to press the 
case that it would be more cost effective to continue to fund provision because 
we believe withdrawing that service represents a real risk to people's safety 
and their ability to get out and about.

"The costs that could be generated by injury would far outweigh the cost to the 
council of providing equipment."

A council spokesman said: "We have a strong commitment to providing talking 
books in our libraries with no plans to cut the service and we will continue to 
make special concessions to waive charges to people with a registered visual 
impairment.

"We have however moved from cassettes to CDs and downloadable material over the 
years but we still keep a large collection of older cassettes in our Home 
Library Service, which supports customers who are physically unable to get into 
a branch.

"There are also free national talking book service and as well as our library 
service we will be assisting people to access the talking books from the 
national Calibre service together with the equipment provided by the British 
Wireless for the Blind Fund.

"To make sure we make the best use of our resource we wanted to avoid 
duplication and whilst we no longer fund the KAB talking books service, KAB is 
pointing people to our library and to these free services.

"In terms of equipment supplied by the KAB on our behalf such as portable 
lamps, 
talking clocks and mobility aids, again we want to make sure we use resources 
as 
efficiently as possible and have suspended this KAB while we carry out a review.

"However we do continue to fund KAB to provide assessment and rehabilitation 
services for people with visual impairments."

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