Something an e-book can do that a paper book cannot is turn the text into the spoken word. Of course I'm talking about the text-to-speech or read-out-loud feature. When Amazon introduced this kind of functionality with the Kindle 2 in 2009, much of the attention focused on a heated
copyright controversy. As a consequence, Amazon modified their systems so that rightsholders could decide for themselves on a title by title basis whether they want text-to-speech enabled or not.
Publishers who elect to disable text-to-speech could prevent the visually impaired from reading the books, in particular if the title is not available in the alternative audiobook form. Bufo Calvin of the I Love My Kindle blog penned an impassioned
open letter in this regard:
Quote:
Text-to-speech is software which can read your books out loud.
It’s not a performance: it’s another way to access the material, like making the text size bigger.
That is a huge convenience for those who have print disabilities or challenges.
Certainly, there may be specialized versions of your books available for those who can certify a print disability. Those books may even be free to them.
It’s not the same, though, as buying them in the Kindle store, the same way most people do.
Buying them in the Kindle store means that those who need that functionality can get it the same day everyone else. They can enjoy the books on an easily portable piece of equipment. Importantly, they can share the book with family members who don’t have the same challenges and are on the same account.
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As a matter of principle Bufo wouldn't recommend any e-book that has text-to-speech access disabled. What do you think? How important is text-to-speech to you? Since the technology is readily available, shouldn't everyone embrace it for the benefit of those who cannot consume content otherwise?
Related: Amazon, Kobo and Sony request e-readers be exempt from accessibility laws