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Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, addressed staff at the Library of Congress today focusing on the need for digital information to be made available to the blind.
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The world is becoming more digital these days. Almost every technology needs a person TO SEE some kind of visual display. That drives a blind man crazy! Be amazed by the accomplishments of these historically famous people with visual impairments & all they have done to contribute to our modern culture. The NFB and the ACB filed suit against Arizona State University to prevent discrimination towards blind students. Don’t think I’m whining but if you have friends who are blind; please dont’ play the “Who am I” game. That Drives a Blind Man Crazy! Braille is NOT a Different Language. Braille is a system of reading and writing in your language without the use of sight. Braille can be produced in many languages, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and many more. Right now, in Geneva, at the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization, history is being made. For the first time in WIPO history, the body that creates the world’s copyright treaties is attempting to write a copyright treaty dedicated to protecting the interests of copyright users, not just copyright owners. At issue is a treaty to protect the rights of blind people and people with other disabilities that affect reading (people with dyslexia, people who are paralyzed or lack arms or hands for turning pages). This should be a slam dunk! Who wouldn’t want a harmonized system of copyright exceptions that ensure that it’s possible for disabled people to get access to the written word? The USA, that’s who. The Obama administration. U.S. negotiators have joined with a rogue’s gallery of rich country trade representatives to oppose protection for blind people. Other nations and regions opposing the rights of blind people include Canada and the EU. There are two methods to mass-produce Braille documents; one is embossed Braille and the other is pressed or plated Braille. It’s a common misconception that pressed Braille is the only method for large volume Braille runs; the emergence of high-speed embossers has put an end to depending on pressed Braille. Studies have been done showing that only ten percent of blind children are taught Braille. I can tell you this that when my children who are sighted went to school if they were not taught how to read and write, I would have been in the school office demanding that the practice of not teaching reading and writing be changed. |
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