Hi.
I like your opinions on this topic, but you do state that you can
download 10 scanned books per month from bookshare, but it's more than
that, in fact I believe it might be 200. I know I've downloaded more
than 10 in one sitting before. I'll find a series and grab the whole
series right then and there so I don't have to keep firing up WiFi on my
Braille Plus to snare another book to read. Just downloaded about 30
books in 15 minutes about a week ago actually. Just wanted to make sure
you were aware you don't have to stop at 10.
Sent with Thunderbird 3.1.14 portable.
On 11/25/2011 12:56 PM, Thomas Ward wrote:
Hi Dark,
While I understand your frustration with the RNIB I think a lot of the
problem is you only have one agency in the U.K. redistributing
materials for the blind. In the USA, for example, there are several
different agencies where accessible aids, braille books, and software
products can be obtained.
For example, if I need books in accessible format I have three sources
to check. I can call up the Learning Alley--formally RFB&D--and see if
they have it in braille, in audio, or scanned text. Failing that I can
check American Printing House which has thousands of books in braille
as well. For general reading the library of congress has thousands of
books in audio, braille, and some in daisy format too. So I'm not
exactly tied to any specific agency if I want a certain sci-fi book
chances are one of the agencies above, most likely the Library of
Congress, will have it in some accessible format.
Plus that's not my only choices these days. Since Bookshare started up
I can pay a flat rate of
$50 per year and download 10 scanned books a month and read them on my
computer or convert them to braille using a braille translator and
send them to a braille printer for printing. With access to Bookshare
its made my personal reliance on the three agencies above less
essential because often times a popular book such as Harry Potter will
be posted on Bookshare a day or two after it hits stores meaning I
don't have to wait for the Library of Congress or Learning Alley to
record it, braille it, whatever. With Bookshare anything you want is
fairly easy to obtain because people of similar interests are donating
and editing their scanned books for download in daisy format.
As far as software and other products goes again there are several
choices here in the USA. There is Independant Living Aids, Maxi Aids,
LS&S, and a few others I could name. So there is some competition
between them and some incentive to carry more products, services, and
better pricing than the other guy. RNIB doesn't seem to have that kind
of competition and can do whatever they want. They are a monopoly over
there customers and if there were someone else doing the same thing
with better services for younger people RNIB would probably have to
compete.
Cheers!
On 11/25/11, dark<d...@xgam.org> wrote:
Unfortunately Jeremy getting the rnib to do anything is near impossible
sinse they are a law unto themselves.
heck I've tried to get them to record sf and fantasy books for the last 22
years and mostly completely failed!
I suspect the reasons that they are behind azabat are either because A, the
chap himself has some sort of personal connection with their management, or
B, because Azabat have very much the same outlook as rnib do on blindness,
namely that all blind people are doddery old biddies who just want to sit
around, knit and play cards all day. Remember this is an organization that
produce a magazine of braille knitting patterns, but catagorically refused
to produce braille manuals for tabletop rp when I asked.
Unfortunately, as far as disability goes, places like the Us, the
netherlands, Most of scandanavia, Germany and probably quite a few more
places are far more ahead of the Uk in terms of atitude, whether that's the
government or disability organizations.
Beware the Grue!
Dark.
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