Hi Dominique,
Thanks for sharing this.
In the interest of healthy public discourse I make the following observations:
The provision of accessible reading materials for people with a visual
impairment throughout our education system, and in society generally,
has been, and continues to be deplorable. Some of us were even in
touch with the NCBI as early as 2007 to propose such a scheme (with
emails to prove it), but the idea was frebuffed.
But, although, in academic terms, a half a million titles isn’t very
much, the longest journeys begin with little steps etc., on the face
of it, this new BookShare scheme should be like motherhood and apple
pie…nothing to see here apart from NCBI getting its plaudits and
potentially more funding etc, as well as the potential benefits for
the reader with a visual impairment.
But as some of us argued (unsuccessfully) during the doomed Copyright
Bill (2016), all access to information needs to be based on the
concept of Universal Design, a need which has become a legal
obligation since Ireland’s ratification of the CRPD in 2018.
In effect, this means that all print-disabled people need to be able
to access print information at the same point and time as their
non-disabled comparitors, necessitating a system where accessibility
is built in as a corner-stone to every library and State-funded
publication.
The placing of such an essential service under the sole domain of a
service-providing charity serves that charity above all other
considerations, because it positions itself as being indispensable,
and so, less accountable in the provision of such an essential
service.
The responsibility of enabling such a Human Right as that of access to
Education and social inclusion, as laid out in the CRPD, lies squarely
with the State, and in this regard, the State must involve
non-service-providers as a priority in the consultation process.
Instead, it would appear that the service-providers were the only
groups involved in the “consultation”, with the primary service
provider (the NCBI), being front and centre of this process rather
than the views of the would-be service-users.
Moving from the legal and the abstract into the concrete repercussions
of such structural failings:
1. Integration and Universal Design:
all reading materials in libraries need to be made as accessible as
possible, with for instance, BookShare being run as an integral part
of national and local library services, including those in
institutions of learning and research. This would mean that
accessibility is part of national policy, and the person with the
print disability is not dependent on any knowledge of the NCBI by
themselves or their local librarian, and that the provision of library
services would be seamless and integrated.
Copyright library status, which applies to Trinity College Library and
the National Library of Ireland needs to be reformed so that digital
copies, as well as hard copies, of all publications are required to be
sent to a central point for library use nationwide.
2. Accountability:
The State’s outsourcing of essential services to private institutions
such as charities and religious institutions, goes back a long way,
and compares less favourably than State run services, particularly
regarding equality in the areas of education and health.
Placing of educational access in the hands of a charity has particular
shorcomings when it comes to accountability. Rather than a person’s
right to direct access to materials being realised, the State-run
libraries and state-funded publications have a potential get-out
clause by default in that as far as they are concerned, the service is
the responsibility of a third party, the NCBI.
For instance, currently, it is impossible to sign up for the service
using Voiceover on an iPhone 6S, and probably many more Apple devices.
Not being a statutory body, the NCBI is less bound by statutory
obligations, such as those set out in the Disability Act. So, in
effect, we are the mercy of its kindness whether it decides to rectify
such a bug. The issue is with the drop-down menu in the date field.
This is just one of any amount of technical issues which require fast
and accountable action.
Such problems with accountability remain an issue, at least until a
case is brought under the EU Websites Directive, EU Disability Act
etc, should not have to be done.
3. Cost Efficiency
Another potential example is that of payment. We know that the NCBI
began charging ordinary users for the use of its main library about
five years ago, an extra barrier which was bound to have a negative
impact on many readers for reasons of poverty and independent access
to payment systems. By contrast, non-blind citizens can expect all of
their library services to be free. Can we be sure that the NCBI will
not similarly put a pay-wall at some time in the future. Reassurances
now would be of little use, since no-one can speak for NCBI policy or
leadership in, for instance, five years time.
Finally, in terms of accountability, since there appears to be no
procurement or tendering procedure for the service, there is less
scrutiny into efficiency of the spending of the funding. In the press
release, we are not told what the funding is, or what oversight will
be involved.
4. Conclusion
In short, the watchword should always be, ‘nothing about us without
us’. Although increased access to reading materials is long overdue,
this initial step is disquiet5ing because it knits a charity into an
essential service-provision, which raises issues of transparency,
accountability, and even sustainability (in the sense of dependability
rather than environmental).
In this regard, the NCBI should be congratulated for making sure it
strategically positioned in a way that increases its institutional
power and influence, even if this does go against Article 4 and
General Comment 7.13 of the CRPD.
Regards,
Robbie
On 11/14/19, Dominique Farrell <hollyandopal@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
, The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) today launched===========================================================
Bookshare Ireland which is the country's largest digital accessible
library.
Bookshare Ireland is specifically designed to support students with a
visual
impairment and print disabilities attending higher or further education by
providing instantaneous access to over 500,000 academic books and other
materials, in the student's preferred format (DAISY Audio, DAISY with
images, digital braille, PDF and Word). For the first time ever, this
guarantees equity of access to the curriculum with their sighted peers.
Chris White, NCBI CEO said "we are acutely aware that studying in third
level with sight loss is a huge challenge, obtaining books and information
in accessible formats should not be an additional barrier to achievement
for
students with a visual impairment in higher and further education. Through
using Bookshare, these students will no longer be at a disadvantage but
instead be able to embrace and thrive in 3rd level education like their
peers as the books and resources they need will be available to them. It
will also hopefully lead to an increase in the number of students with a
visual impairment attending 3rd level as it is chronically low at 1.8% of
the student population.
Ivan O'Brien, Managing Director of O'Brien Press said "O'Brien Press is
thrilled to be a part of NCBI Bookshare as it is cutting edge and
inclusive.
Ensuring that people with print disabilities can have rapid access to the
broadest possible range of reading material, whether for work, study or
pleasure, is really important. Now students can read and learn from over
300
O'Brien Press publications on their computers, tablet, smartphones,
assistive technology devices, and more."
Rosie Bissett, CEO, Dyslexia Association of Ireland added "given one in ten
people have some form of dyslexia, we are delighted to be part of the
Bookshare initiative. It means students with dyslexia will be on par with
all other students, thereby empowering them to reach their potential."
Aoife Watson, recent NUIM graduate with sight loss added "I absolutely
loved
my time in university but it was extra challenging for me as the books I
needed were simply not in an accessible format. It was so frustrating
seeing
how easy it was for other students to access the books that I couldn't. I
know if I had access to the books I needed when I needed them, I would have
achieved a higher overall mark in my degree. Having Bookshare will now
revolutionise a student with visual impairment's experience of 3rd level,
as
being able to access a book at the same time as your classmates is
essential
to creating an inclusive experience. I am envious of them, yet feel I will
return to do a Masters sooner than planned now because of Bookshare."
Already Bookshare Ireland is pleased to welcome O'Brien Press, Gill and Oak
Tree Press to the new platform and will continue to work with other Irish
publishers to increase homegrown content available to readers. To register
students for this new service, please Sign Up at:
www.bookshare.ie