This may be of interest to those on the list who are users of the RNIB.  
It also shows how technology is being used to increase access to 
materials for blind and visually impaired people.  

Steve

Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) will soon announce the
release of AccessBooks, a DOS-based library of electronic books and
periodicals on 3 ½-inch diskettes designed and tested specifically for
blind and visually impaired people. 

AccessBooks, which are produced by AccessBooks Ltd for the RNIB, employ a
proprietary DOS-based program for displaying books and periodicals from
major publishers who have authorised publication in this form.  Each
AccessBook is a complete copy of the printed work with illustration
descriptors added where necessary. 

Each AccessBooks features: Hypertext linking from a multilevel table of
contents to the book text. 

Full text search.  In plays and books of poetry, search for page and line
numbers as in the printed copy. 

An ASCII table search for characters that are difficult to enter from the
keyboard. 

A note-taking feature where notes can be saved and retrieved for later
reference.  Audible tones indicate where notes were saved. 

A bookmark that saves the reader's place when the book is closed. 

The ability to export the book as a text file.  In some books, this
feature may not be available to protect author and publishers' copyright. 

Printed installation instruction and product information booklet. 

Full program and book text is displayed on screen for use with screen
magnifiers. 

Each AccessBook is supplied on a diskette with an install program and a
menu program.  New books are automatically added to the menu when
installed. 

Each AccessBook also includes a complete tutorial and a help file. Also
included are atlases for Hal v4, Hal v5, Hal-Lite, and a .set file for
Vocal-Eyes v3. During installation, there are prompts to choose an atlas
or the .set file, or proceed without installing an atlas or .set file. 
AccessBooks are speech friendly, and should work well with most voice
synthesisers. 

System requirements: A 386 IBM- compatible personal computer. DOS v5.0 or
above (Windows v3.x or 95 running DOS in a window). A high-density 3
½-inch floppy disk drive. 8 Megabytes of RAM. Hard disk space to store the
system and data files (approx 1MB per book). A screen-reader and voice
synthesiser. Optional-screen magnifier. 

Titles currently available: Cambridge University Press: Human Rights and
Europe (law). Cambridge School Shakespeare King Lear. Cambridge School
Shakespeare Hamlet. Cambridge School Shakespeare A Midsummer Night's
Dream. Cambridge School Shakespeare Twelfth Night. Cambridge School
Shakespeare Julius Caesar. Cambridge School Shakespeare Macbeth. Cambridge
School Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet. 

Sarah Morley: Windows 95 Explained. 

Penguin Classics: Kidnapped. 

Scientific American special report, The Internet: Fulfilling the Promise. 

Educational course packs for schools are also available that include an
electronic AccessBook, a large print book of the same title, and the
publisher's printed book. Royal National Institute for the Blind
distributes AccessBooks. PO Box 173 Peterborough PE2 6WS, UK. Tel +44 (0)
1733 370777. Fax+44 (0)1733 371555. http/www.rnib.org.uk

Free demonstration programs are available by replying directly to the
author of this notice and indicating your choice of demonstration program
listed below. 

Human Rights and Europe. Windows 95 Explained. Scientific American special
report. King Lear. 

The demonstration program will be sent via e-mail as a self-extracting
executable that creates an install disk. 

Coming soon: Many additional titles. Dictionary and thesaurus. How-to
computer books. AccessBooks Internet site for product and title
Information and demonstration down loading. 

Sincerely,
Ernie Whitenack, Product Manager.
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