Reading Rights is a US-based advocacy group that is campaigning to have equal access to electric book formats through text-to-speech on the Amazon Kindle. Their campaign is based around the American Author’s Guild demand that people must either prove their disability to the satisfaction of the Guild (and thus give private information over to e-book publishers) or pay extra for the same access to books.
As technology advances and more books move from hard-copy print to electronic formats, people with print disabilities deserve the opportunity to enjoy access to books on an equal basis with those who can read print.
People with print disabilities cannot effectively read print because of a visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive, or learning disability.
They maintain a news blog that focuses on print disabilities and access to books and textbooks.
Print Disabilities are a very big deal, and affect a large number of people. Text-to-speech capabilities aren’t a convenience, but a way for people with print disabilities to have access to books without waiting for the Book On Tape (or CD, or MP3) to come out. For some, this could “just” be having the latest book by their favourite author when it comes out, for others it could be the difference between passing and failing a university course.
Further Information:
Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities