Byltingarkenndar breytingar

Bandarísku blindrasamtökin hafa náð samkomulagi við samtök útgefenda og rithöfunda um að lesendur, sem geta ekki nýtt sér prentað mál geti fengið aðgang að bókum gegnum þjónustu Google. Ef samkomulagið verður staðfest verður útgefendum gert skylt að sjá til þess að bækurnar verði aðgengilegar svo að fólk geti beitt nútímatækni til þess að nálgast þær rituðu heimildir sem á boðstólnum eru.

Nú þegar er gríðarlegur fjöldi bóka aðgengilegur fyrir tilstilli Google eða um 7 milljónir titla. Verður þetta einhver mesta bylting sögunnar í bókamálum blindra og sjónskertra auk annarra sem eru lesfatlaðir. Gert er ráð fyrir að lesfatlaðir notendur geti fengið bækur lánaðar eða keytar allt eftir því sem við á hverju sinni og lesið þær með þeirri tækni sem nýtist þeim best. Þetta metnaðarfulla verkefni ætti að verða Íslendingum og öðrum Evrópuþjóðum hvatning til álíka byltingarkenndra verkefna.

Fréttin fylgir hér að neðan og er Sigrúnu Þorsteinsdóttur þakkað af alhug fyrir að vekja athygli á fréttinni.

Google Settlement with Authors, Publishers Will Have Positive Results for the Blind Terms of Proposed Settlement Agreement Will Revolutionize Blind People's Access to Books Baltimore, Maryland (October 31, 2008): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for access to information by the blind, announced today that the recent settlement between Google and authors and publishers over the Google Books project, if approved by the courts, will have a profound and positive impact on the ability of blind people to access the printed word. The terms of the settlement that was reached on October 28, among Google, the Authors Guild, and the Association of American Publishers, on behalf of a broad class of authors and publishers, allow Google to provide the material it offers users "in a manner that accommodates users with print disabilities so that such users have a substantially similar user experience as users without print disabilities." A user with a print disability under the agreement is one who is "unable to read or use standard printed material due to blindness, visual disability, physical limitations, organic dysfunction, or dyslexia." Blind people, like other members of the public, will be able to search the texts of books in the Google Books database online; purchase some books in an accessible format; or access accessible books at libraries and other entities that have an institutional subscription to the Google Books database. Once the court approves the settlement, Google will work to launch these services as quickly as possible. Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "Access to the printed word has historically been one of the greatest challenges faced by the blind. The agreement between Google and authors and publishers will revolutionize access to books for blind Americans. Blind people will be able to search for books through the Google Books interface and purchase, borrow, or read at a public library any of the books that are available to the general public in a format that is compatible with text enlargement software, text-to-speech screen access software, and refreshable Braille devices. With seven million books already available in the Google Books collection and many more to come, this agreement means that blind people will have more access to print books than we have ever had in human history. The blind, just like the sighted, will have a world of education, information, and entertainment literally at our fingertips. The National Federation of the Blind commends the parties to this agreement for their commitment to full and equal access to information by the blind." "Among the most monumental aspects of the settlement agreement," said Jack Bernard, assistant general counsel at the University of Michigan, "are the terms that enable Google and libraries to make works accessible to people who have print disabilities. This unprecedented opportunity to access the printed word will make it possible for blind people to engage independently with our rich written culture. Moreover, it is refreshing to find accessibility for people with disabilities explicitly included upfront, rather than begrudgingly added as an afterthought." "One of the great promises of the settlement agreement is improving access to books for the blind and for those with print disabilities," said Dan Clancy, engineering director for Google Book Search. "Google is committed to extending all of the services available under the agreement to the blind and print disability community, making it easier to access these books through screen enlargement, reader, and Braille display technologies." _______________________________________________ To manage your subscription, visit http://list.webaim.org/ Address list messages to [e-mail]