[access-uk] Re: Talking books - The way ahead
- From: "Mike Cassidy" <mike.cassidy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:08:52 -0000
Hi listers,
Does the Ipad have the facility to navigate books as does Daisy?
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Ankers, Dave (UK)
Sent: 12 January 2011 08:50
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Talking books - The way ahead
With regard to talking books:
The RNIB provide all the books and a player for £70 a year. If you are
lucky, your council pays for this.
I do believe there is a better solution. We require information to be
available in an accessible format.
The best place to find information is on the web, and that includes talking
books.
The usefulness of a daisy player is very limited, and they are expensive, as
is all equipment designed for disability groups.
If we can make use of a standard, off the shelf, piece of equipment, then
the cost saving is massive.
Therefore, I believe the Apple I pad to be the intelligent choice.
You can listen to talking books, listen to music through I tunes or free
from Utube and listen to podcasts.
You can surf the internet, email, take notes and so much more. Plus it cost
less than some daisy players and is fully accessible.
If the RNIB were to bulk buy I pads, and supply instead of daisy players,
the cost of the talking book service would reduce, and the availability of
information increase and empower it's users.
It's time for change, and I fully recommend it to the house.
Cheers
Dave
Thank you for a few words of common sense on this topic at last! People who
whinge about not getting their library subscription paid for them and thus
not being able to read, really haven't a clue. Yes, sighted people don't
have to pay as much to belong to a library, but then sighted people don't
get their books delivered to their doors, do they?
Find me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/barkingbabs
Barbara Wilson
M: 07917710779
T: 02887784046
E: barkingbabs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
IM: creativeeyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Skype: creativeeyes
----- Original Message -----
From: Ibrahim Gucukoglu <mailto:ibrahim_gucukoglu@xxxxxxxx>
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:56 AM
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 oth
er 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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