Ability Forum

Lovingheart

The world's largest online library for the print-disabled: October 24, 2008

BETTER ACCESS TO WEB WRITTEN WORLD
For print-disabled, reading bestsellers is just a click away

Mumbai: Grabbing the latest bestseller off the shelf is on its way to
becoming a reality for India's visually-disabled. In a major step
towards increasing access to the written world for those who are
print-disabled, Bookshare.org, the world's largest online library for
the print-disabled, has entered the Indian market.

   Bookshare has partnered with three organisations across India—the
Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC) in
Mumbai, Worth Trust in Tamil Nadu and Saksham Charitable Organisation
in Delhi, to start Bookshare India.

   Print-disabled persons, those who cannot access the print world,
either because of vision impairment, inability to hold a book or
learning disability, who wish to subscribe to Bookshare India can do
so at an annual subscription fee of Rs 400, after being certified
print-disabled from XRCVC. This will give them access to over 5,000
online books on diverse subjects. The numbers will steadily increase
as more and more publishers come forward and share their works with
the organisation.

   Last year, TOI had written about how XRCVC had converted 20
textbooks into the DAISY format, one that makes navigating books easy
for the visually challenged. DAISY, which is short for Digital
Accessible Information System, recently made inroads into the Indian
market. The DAISY Forum of India (DFI), an umbrella organisation for
all grassroots bodies working with the format, has also tied up with
Bookshare. Both organisations will jointly approach publishers in
India, seeking permission to make their titles available through the
Bookshare-DFI network.

   Publishers worried about copyright violation can rest assured that
there are effective safeguards in place to prevent copyright
violations. Only a Bookshare user will be able to download a book
online in a format that's accessible to the print-disabled. It's only
after XRCVC, or any of the other Indian partners for Bookshare,
certifies a person print-disabled that they will have access to
Bookshare India.

   Incidentally, XRCVC has been lobbying with the copyright office of
the Government of India's Ministry of Human Resources in order to
change the copyright laws. "In at least 120 other countries, the
copyright laws have been amended so that organisations working for the
print-disabled as well as individuals themselves can convert books
into a format that's accessible to them. But this is not the case in
India,'' says Sam Taraporevala, director of XRCVC.

URL:http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA4LzEwLzI0I0FyMDA3MDI=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

The world's largest online library for the print-disabled: October 24, 2008

BETTER ACCESS TO WEB WRITTEN WORLD
For print-disabled, reading bestsellers is just a click away

Mumbai: Grabbing the latest bestseller off the shelf is on its way to
becoming a reality for India's visually-disabled. In a major step
towards increasing access to the written world for those who are
print-disabled, Bookshare.org, the world's largest online library for
the print-disabled, has entered the Indian market.

   Bookshare has partnered with three organisations across India—the
Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC) in
Mumbai, Worth Trust in Tamil Nadu and Saksham Charitable Organisation
in Delhi, to start Bookshare India.

   Print-disabled persons, those who cannot access the print world,
either because of vision impairment, inability to hold a book or
learning disability, who wish to subscribe to Bookshare India can do
so at an annual subscription fee of Rs 400, after being certified
print-disabled from XRCVC. This will give them access to over 5,000
online books on diverse subjects. The numbers will steadily increase
as more and more publishers come forward and share their works with
the organisation.

   Last year, TOI had written about how XRCVC had converted 20
textbooks into the DAISY format, one that makes navigating books easy
for the visually challenged. DAISY, which is short for Digital
Accessible Information System, recently made inroads into the Indian
market. The DAISY Forum of India (DFI), an umbrella organisation for
all grassroots bodies working with the format, has also tied up with
Bookshare. Both organisations will jointly approach publishers in
India, seeking permission to make their titles available through the
Bookshare-DFI network.

   Publishers worried about copyright violation can rest assured that
there are effective safeguards in place to prevent copyright
violations. Only a Bookshare user will be able to download a book
online in a format that's accessible to the print-disabled. It's only
after XRCVC, or any of the other Indian partners for Bookshare,
certifies a person print-disabled that they will have access to
Bookshare India.

   Incidentally, XRCVC has been lobbying with the copyright office of
the Government of India's Ministry of Human Resources in order to
change the copyright laws. "In at least 120 other countries, the
copyright laws have been amended so that organisations working for the
print-disabled as well as individuals themselves can convert books
into a format that's accessible to them. But this is not the case in
India,'' says Sam Taraporevala, director of XRCVC.

URL:http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA4LzEwLzI0I0FyMDA3MDI=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

_________________
Warmly,

Amit Bhatt
New Delhi, India
Mob: +91-9013323229
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much"-Helen Keller.

Adverts