Hi all,
Although signing petitions like this is a violation of journalistic
ethics for me, I sometimes share them so others can make a decision.
Such is the case here.
What makes this topical for this list is actually in the wired magazine
article referenced below.
It indicates that Apple apposes this treaty, without actually providing
proof for this.
Or correctly a publishing organization who apposes the treaty is making
the claim.
I am sharing this so those here can read make their own decision and
support the effort if they so desire.
Karen
---------- Forwarded message ----------
It's not typical for us to send you an email like this, but we felt this
situation was so important it was necessary.
You may already be aware, but for years negotiations have been moving
forward on what many have come to call the "Treaty
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/f3437a61c3/8f3cf35b96> for
the Blind." The goal of the international treaty is to make it possible
for people who are blind, or have other print disabilities such as
dyslexia, to get access to the books they need for education, employment
and inclusion in society-no matter where they live. It's something we
already do, with great success, in the United States through Bookshare.
However, private interests are trying to alter the treaty in such a way
that it would become useless-even harmful. For example, they're trying
to get language adopted that basically says: "if you can buy it, you
can't borrow it." This is not only an attack on people around the world
with print disabilities-it's also an attack on libraries, like
Bookshare, and could have a drastic effect on the number of books you
have access to.
Our biggest worry is this becoming a treaty that could stop Bookshare
from serving our users in the United States the way we do today. We
need our government negotiating for a treaty that supports a library
like Bookshare.
That's why we're working with a coalition of disability and library
groups, including the National Federation of the Blind and the American
Council of the Blind, to fight back against the proposed changes by
these private interests. We'll do everything we can to secure a treaty
that both protects the access we have now and that will benefit people
with print disabilities around the world-but we need your help.
We're asking you to take a moment to sign a petition on the White
House's website that urges the President to step up his support:
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/f3437a61c3/6809a11e5c>
http://ow.ly/lkJVs. If we can get to 100,000 signatures, the White House
is required to respond to the petition and will, hopefully, take
positive action. With your help we know we can reach that number. We
also recommend the
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/f3437a61c3/396073060e/sid=2
&reset=1> petition at the National Federation of the Blind's site, which
is particularly accessible.
Thank you for your time and support. Together, we believe that our
collective voice can make a real impact.
If you're interested in more background on the treaty, here are some
articles and resources you can review:
* Huffington Post piece by Jim on how the treaty is being poisoned
by private interests:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-fruchterman/poisoning-the-treaty-for-_
b_3225181.html
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/f3437a61c3/461f079d15>
* WIRED Magazine article that gives some recent updates on the
treaty: http://ow.ly/lfP15
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/f3437a61c3/c7ae4086c8>
Sincerely,
Jim Fruchterman & Betsy Beaumon, Bookshare
P.S. Please post the link to the White House petition on your social
media to help spread the word and get your friends involved! Again, here
is the link:
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/f3437a61c3/49dfd2f0c1>
http://ow.ly/lkJVs.
Note: this advocacy effort by Benetech, the nonprofit organization that
operates Bookshare, has not been supported or endorsed by Bookshare
funders, including the U.S. Department of Education.
Read <http://www.verticalresponse.com/content/pm_policy.html> the
VerticalResponse marketing policy.
<http://www.verticalresponse.com/landing/ef/?np/39440e0084> Non-Profits
Email Free with VerticalResponse!
<http://cts.vresp.com/o.gif?39440e0084/f3437a61c3/mlpftw>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
