09-01-2012, 02:40 AM | #1 |
Publishers are evil!
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DOJ goes after library for eReader programs
The DOJ and the Sacramento Public Library reached a settlement over the library's eReader program. Apparently a blind person complained about the eReader program. See article.
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09-01-2012, 02:54 AM | #2 |
Are you gonna eat that?
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Am I in bizarro world? A blind woman was disgruntled because she can't use an ereader.....*clears cobwebs from head*...am I missing something here? How is this discrimination? I hate to break it to this lady but she's BLIND, there are always going to be things she can't do; that's simply the hand that nature dealt her. Borrow a book on tape. And suing a library that is probably already hanging on by a thread is just low. Sorry.
Absurd. Last edited by xg4bx; 09-01-2012 at 02:58 AM. |
09-01-2012, 03:14 AM | #3 |
Seriously?
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.....
Last edited by david_e; 09-05-2012 at 04:38 PM. |
09-01-2012, 05:53 AM | #4 | |
The Dank Side of the Moon
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Quote:
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09-01-2012, 06:53 AM | #5 |
Grand Sorcerer
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Has happened before:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcamp...indle-use/7252 |
09-01-2012, 06:58 AM | #6 | |
eBook Enthusiast
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Quote:
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09-01-2012, 07:01 AM | #7 |
Wizard
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This madness has got to stop somewhere!
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09-01-2012, 07:16 AM | #8 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
First, knee-jerk, reaction was to sue. (shrug) Modern practice is sue first, discuss later. |
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09-01-2012, 07:37 AM | #9 |
Grand Sorcerer
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.....
Last edited by SteveEisenberg; 09-01-2012 at 07:40 AM. |
09-01-2012, 07:39 AM | #10 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Every purchasing decision a library makes favors some members of the reading public over others. Whether American librarians are such nice liberal people that they can be trusted to properly balance competing patron interests without much federal oversight is the kind of purely political question I nowadays try to stay away from on the internet. |
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09-01-2012, 07:50 AM | #11 |
Professional Contrarian
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While a lawsuit may not have been the optimal approach, the libraries still have an obligation to obey the law, and when possible to offer the same services to the disabled as everyone else.
Someone who is blind can still get many benefits from an ebook reading device, including instant downloads of reading materials. The library should have chosen device(s) that could be used by the blind. (B&N also ought to incorporate text-to-speech options into their devices, if they want to be used as widely as possible.) It would have been better if the patron in question had talked to the library, and only sued if the library was not responsive. However, such things are rarely done perfectly, and it's not like the patron demanded a financial reward -- just access to the materials. |
09-01-2012, 08:24 AM | #12 | |
Are you gonna eat that?
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Like everything else in America, what may have started out as a good intention (the disabilities act) has mutated into an abomination and a form of abuse backed by the power of government. She should have gone to the library first and if it didn't work out, she should have shrugged and gone on with her life. Life is unfair sometimes. *shrug* I don't lose sleep because Abercrombie doesn't carry clothes that fit my husky boy needs. Likewise I wouldn't pitch a fit if a library didn't cater to my particular disability, it would be unfair to the other taxpayers to cater to my needs. California is bankrupt, I don't know why they're buying ereaders in the first place but hey, that's just me. |
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09-01-2012, 09:10 AM | #13 | |||
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Nice attitude. Actually, that's pretty much the kind of attitude that resulted in the ADA being passed and enforced.
Yes, blind people do use libraries. They use audio books and, when available, braille books. It's actually a good thing to make libraries more accessible to the disabled. Quote:
I.e. the costs really are not that significant. If anything, it's B&N that has fallen down a bit on the job here, since they still don't offer text-to-speech on their ebook devices. Since it's going to lock them out of big markets like schools and libraries, perhaps something like this will convince them to get their act in gear and add text-to-speech. Quote:
Quote:
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09-01-2012, 09:23 AM | #14 |
Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Just an aside about text to speech, IIRC a book's DRM can disable that to prevent the kindle from being used to generate an "analog loophole" copy of a book. I'm sure we all know its potential effect on the blind, so why haven't there been any suits about that? How is this different from a library not having text to speech set up?
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09-01-2012, 09:29 AM | #15 |
Nameless Being
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This wouldn't be an issue if industry was held up to the same standards of government, i.e. B&N had to make their reader accessible for the visually impaired. It wouldn't even place a huge burden upon industry since they are only being asked to implement software based solutions. Even if there are royalties on that software, standard units could be shipped without it and accessible units could be shipped with it.
The thing is, the computer industry decided to disregard the enabling aspects of their technologies and focus upon features that weren't universally accessible in the early days. |
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