[bksvol-discuss] Re: paragraphs for validators, general question

  • From: "Natasha" <guidingpaws@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 16:00:45 -0600

Cindy makes a good reminder here all, while the population of bookshare users 
who are blind/visually impaired far outnumbers those users of bookshare with 
other print disabilities (or at least it would seem that way by the 
participants on this list and my own encounters) there are still bookshare 
patrons who are sighted and may have a learning, reading, or even physical 
disability that prevents them from being able to read printed books. I'd think 
that it would be rather annoying/inconvenient to some of these sighted users to 
receive a book that had zero indication of paragraphs. I think since a majority 
of us booksharians are blind/vi, we tend to forget that there is a whole 
additional population out there that also use/benefit from bookshare's 
wonderful e-texts. As a courtesy to them, i always try to include some kind of 
indication of new paragraphs, graphs and pictures, etc. These same things may 
also benefit low vision users of bookshare who may even just use a screen 
magnifier to read bookshare materials. Too much uninterrupted text was very 
overwhelming to me as a high partial reader and often caused my eyes to tire 
more easily/quickly. 
So, my point is, let's be just as conscious of the needs of the other 
individuals who use bookshare as we are of the needs of the blind/vi users. 
After all, we never know when our own needs and the abilities of technology 
will change. *smile*

Natasha & Fossey
guidingpaws@xxxxxxxxx

"Footsteps in the snow 
suggest where you have been, 
Point where you are going,
But where they suddenly vanish,
Never dismiss the possibility of flight."
  ~Book of Night With Moon, ch. 11, V. 3
     ~ as quoted in A Wizard Alone, by Diane Duane

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