In the general population dyslexic people far outnumber the blind. "Philosophers have merely interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it." Karl Marx table with 2 columns and 6 rows Subj: [bksvol-discuss] Re: gaps in the collection Date: 2/23/2009 7:02:32 PM Eastern Standard Time From: siss52@xxxxxxxxxxx Reply-to: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent from the Internet (Details) table end Monica, Beggin' your pardon, but do you really think sighted print disabled outnumber us? I doubt it. (smile) Sue S. ----- Original Message ----- From: "E." <thoth93@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 5:45 PM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: gaps in the collection Since you specifically mention RFBD I was thinking of them when I wrote that note. I have also written notes recently suggesting that the site designers may be concentrating on a web page which is sometimes more difficult for blind patrons to use but which sighted folks like a lot. This does concern me. E. At 05:06 PM 2/23/2009, you wrote: >Hi Elizabeth. I hear your concern and know you want to make sure Bookshare >uses its resources wisely. That's one of the things that I appreciate about >you. You are frugal and don't want resources to be wasted. I think adding >certain types of books over time is an investment in our future rather than >just a drain on resources. I also know it's a mental and emotional stretch >to see Bookshare move from a primarily blind organization to a group of >people with various disabilities of which blindness is just one. We're not >used to that yet, and many of us remember how badly things went with RFB&D. >So as you read my note, will you please consider what I'm saying and think >about how we can learn from our past and do something better this time? > >I think the needs of sighted people have to be considered because they make >up the majority of people with a print disability. Soon they will outnumber >blind users. I have two goals in mind here. I want sighted readers to find >books they need for things just like we blind people can. Their need for >accessible books is just as great as ours. Sighted people who use services >like Bookshare and NLS tend to be more quiet about it, using services as a >tool rather than a community. That means you won't see most of them >chatting >on this list. Nevertheless, they are a significant portion of our >population, and their needs, goals, and interests are just as valid as >those held by blind users. When they pay for their membership, they should >have just as much service and selection as blind users get. > >Second, I want to head off a war of ideas and priorities between our blind >and sighted users by making allies, not opponents. if we insist that >Bookshare use its resources based on who is able to use a book, we could >set up a dynamic down the road where sighted users could say they object to >money spent on books about blindness because it's not relevant to the >majority of users. As I see it, the only fair way to do things is to pay >attention to everyone's needs and fill gaps in the collection as if >Bookshare is a fully functioning library. Then people can freely choose >what >they wish to read. Btw, I'll read books about all of the subjects I brought >up including defensive driving since I have a teenager in my home. > >I believe it's our job as volunteers to advocate for the needs of all >members, even if we don't like some of the books that result from it. Just >as we champion the needs of people with varying faiths or political >persuasions, I think we have to consider the needs of users who can see. >Otherwise, we risk discriminating against them as others have discriminated >against us. > >Finally, in the interest of full disclosure, I have two sighted family >members who are eligible for Bookshare and are learning to use it. They >have >severe learning disabilities, and one of them is now able to read for the >first time at age 63. Some sighted people get teased because they can't >read >and until recently got little support in school. Their disabilities are >just >as painful, confusing, and frustrating as blindness, and I think the social >stigma is just as intense in most respects. We are more alike than >different, and we can make a great team if we work together. > >Monica Willyard >"The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker > >-----Original Message----- >From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of E. >Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 3:20 PM >To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: gaps in the collection > >Given bookshare's limited resources, it may be wise to include books >of use by as many people as possible first and then go on to books >which can only be used by sighted folks later. > >E. > > >At 03:04 PM 2/23/2009, you wrote: > >Hi Carrie. Since Bookshare serves sighted people, I see some gaps > >others may not have mentioned. Books about defensive driving, car > >maintenance, beauty/fashion, bird watching, scrapbooking, and home > >decorating and remodeling are missing from Bookshare. We also don't > >have many books about flower arranging, varieties of flowers and > >plants, and landscaping. Many of our books about houseplants and > >gardening are rated fair and are hard to read. They aren't visible > >to new members by default. In fact, our "Home and Garden" category > >is fairly anemic, especially since around half of the 181 books are > >Shelley's series of children's books about animals that are > >"nature's children." If you watch TV, networks like TLC, A&E, Style, > >and HGTV are full of shows about decorating, remodeling, and > >restoring houses or about planting lovely gardens and landscaping > >with designs that flatter the style of a home. > > > >So far, Bookshare's collection doesn't reflect these types of > >interests. I haven't figured out if this lack of content is due to > >lack of interest from submitters or if the material is difficult to > >scan. It could be a combination of both. I do know that sighted > >people read books on these subjects and think they will expect to > >see books about these topics in the collection. > > > >Monica Willyard > >"The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker > > > > > >__________ NOD32 3881 (20090223) Information __________ > > > >This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. > ><http://www.eset.com>http://www.eset.com > > To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to >bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of >available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line. > > > To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to >bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. 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