Blind Americans Urge Congress to Restore Funds
Baltimore, Maryland (June 7, 2007): On Wednesday, June 6, the House of
Representatives Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee voted to
substantially
underfund the Books for the Blind program of the Library of Congress.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“Since 1931, Congress has consistently supported on a bipartisan basis a
national
program of audio and Braille books for the blind, operated by the Library of
Congress. The blind of America are shocked and disappointed that a House
subcommittee has callously disregarded our literacy needs since literacy
leads to independence. By appropriating only $7.5 million of the $19.1
million
needed for transition from antiquated analog cassette tape technology to
digital technology, the subcommittee has effectively voted to shut down the
only public library available to blind Americans. The audio books produced
by the Library of Congress will be useless unless the digital playback
technology
is provided for readers. The Talking Book program is at a crossroads
because the analog tape used for the past thirty-six years has become
obsolete and
must be replaced for the program to continue. Virtually, all government
programs, except Books for the Blind, have converted to state-of-the-art
digital communication technology at a cost of billions of dollars to the
taxpayers. Leaving the Books for the Blind program behind is
unconscionable. Since it is early in the appropriations process, however,
Congress still has time to correct this grievous error. We therefore
urgently appeal to the full House
Appropriations Committee, the members of the House of Representatives, and
the United States Senate to provide the full $19.1 million requested by the
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the
Library of Congress to begin production of digital talking books and
players.”
The Talking Book program serves over 750,000 blind Americans, including
blind children and an ever-increasing number of older Americans who are
losing vision.
The incidence of blindness is expected to increase as the baby boom
generation reaches retirement age. Therefore, the need for this essential
program
will only increase.
John G. Paré Jr.
Director of Public Relations
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Telephone: (410) 659-9314, ext. 2371
Cell phone: (410) 913-3912
Fax: (410) 685-5653
Email: [log in to unmask]
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