[access-uk] Re: Ethics of book sharing services

  • From: "Damon Rose" <damon.rose@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 09:20:53 +0100

But in a future format, and there will definitely be a future format,
they must think of us.  



-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of James O'Dell
Sent: 18 April 2005 20:54
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Ethics of book sharing services


Hi Damon

I kind of see what you mean, but how many times have we as visually
impaired 
people heard companies say 'yes, very nice idea, but there just isn't
the 
demand...'.  They obviously have their own market research and for
whatever 
reason don't seem to think it's worth making their material accessible. 
They probably just look at the current number of people receiving 
braille/talking books and decide it's really not worth the 'bother'.  I 
guess there are many blind people in the UK who don't even receive the 
services that *are* available due to lack of awareness or because they
don't 
think they deserve 'charity'.  There isn't any evidence to suggest that 
these people would be willing and able to adopt an accessible solution, 
should it be developed.  This, unfortunately, is why we need the DDA - 
because commercial organisations with no sense of social responsibility
will 
always see disability and disabled people as a problem/no concern of
theirs; 
the medical model is alive and kicking.  In the short-to-medium term, I 
don't see how publishers could really benefit from providing their own 
accessible solution once cost of security and implementation are taken
into 
account - the demographic of the blind community is hardly attractive to

them.  If they were really going to make huge profits from disabled
people, 
don't you think they would have done something by now?  Time for less 
carrot, more stick?

And while we're here, does anyone know what the arrangements will be for

getting hold of the next Harry Potter book in an accessible format when
it 
comes out?  Are the publishers still being as intransigent as ever,
saying 
'shan't!' and 'We'll thcream and thcream and thcream until We're
thick!'? 
Is the audio version coming out any soonner this time, or will it be a
case 
of ordering it from Scottish Braille Press and hanging on the phone for
half 
an hour while they try to locate your invoice in the huge pile?

James 

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