Feature Writer Alena Roberts - Only 5% of Published
Work is Accessible? Not Anymore
September 20, 2010,
I can't tell you how many times I've heard about a book on NPR to then
find
out that none of my accessible book resources have it. Sometimes this is
due
to the fact that the book is too new, but most of the time it's because
the
book is too obscure and so it's not in an accessible format. This problem
is
likely going away, though, thanks to the efforts of Apple and Ray
Kurzweil.
IBooks
for IOS devices was released earlier this summer, and
Blio
will be released for the PC, according to this press release, by the end
of
the month.
The great thing about both these applications is that they're designed for
everyone, they just happen to be usable by people with print disabilities.
Both
of these apps include text to speech for screen reader users, and will be
compatible with Braille displays. A great feature for people with low
vision
is that the book appears like it would in print. If there are colorful
pictures in the print addition, then those pictures will be in color.
Also,
in the
case of Blio, you don't have to buy a special device outside of your
computer in order to access the books.
I myself have had great success with iBooks on my iPhone. Downloading
books
is a simple process, and reading them can be done with one simple gesture.
Reading
books using TTS is not nearly as enjoyable as listening to a
professionally
made audio book, but using TTS is the best way to give access to people
with
print disabilities.
It is my hope that with these two resources, plus all the resources that
are
designed for people with print disabilities, having access to published
work
will no longer be an issue. Not all books or other publications are
available in electronic format, but that is the direction that the
publishing industry
is heading.
A Blio press release can be found at
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100915006132/en/Blio-Revolutionize-Digital-Reading-Experience-Launches-September
The Matilda Ziegler article can be found at:
http://bit.ly/8XNINr
