Check http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html for list archives I have seen that many people are hitting the "Panic Button" because of the notice which appeared last week regarding the discontinuation of the Web Braille Site. It's so bad that the President of a national organization has already written an article which will appear in their June publication. I, for one, am not one who is hitting the panic button. I believe that something must have happened which is requiring the temporary closure of the site while some things are attended to. I do think, however, NLS could have done a better job with their notice. I think they should have added the word temporary in the notice so people wouldn't get the wrong idea. I'm guessing somebody may have hacked the site or something, but I don't know for sure. Below is something I saw from another List. Included in this posting is a note from Frank Kurt Cylke, and even though it's short, I think it got right to the point. Dear Mr. Cylke, I know that you don't know me, so please forgive my barging into your inbox. I got your address from someone who passed it along on an e-mail discussion list pertaining to the use of the BrailleNote note-taker. I'm writing to you this evening to tell you that I was quite surprised and disappointed yesterday to find that the Web Braille service is shut down. The Web Braille service has been my primary source of electronic Braille books for the past six years, and, as an avid reader, I can tell you that the removal of the service was a shocking blow. It will be sorely missed by all of us throughout the country who have derived immense pleasure from being able to freely download books whenever we get the urge to read. Thus I'm compelled to write to you this evening, as others undoubtedly will, imploring NLS to consider reinstating the service. If that's not possible, for technical or security reasons, it is my sincere hope that a suitable alternative, with an even greater wealth of reading material, will be provided as soon as possible. Sincerely, Tom Lange Mr. Cylke kindly replied: Mr. LANGE: Web-braille will be back soon. Thank you for your thoughtful message. Kurt Cylke ... P.S. Please feeel free to "barge in" anytime. Kurt Cylke Frank Kurt Cylke, Director National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library of Congress Washington, DC 20542 202-707-5104 Fax 202-707-1690 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Judi Piscitello Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 10:27 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [VICUG-L] Web Braille Petition Check http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html for list archives Reasons to sign the online petition (link below article) and to encourage AFB, NFB and other organizations to advocate as well: The Mosen Explosion (Blog) Friday, May 12, 2006 The Demise of Web Braille By Jonathan Mosen Since it became known that the US Library of Congress's National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) was closing Web Braille apparently on a temporary basis, there has been much speculation as to why. At the time of posting, the only official comment I have read from NLS is that the sight has been closed for security reasons and that they hope the closure will be short lived. My immediate thoughts on this are threefold. Firstly, I hope that members of both consumer organisations are not just writing to NLS, which they certainly should be doing, but also writing to the leadership of their consumer organisation to ask for the maximum possible advocacy effort on this matter. When it has come to issues such as promoting Braille and access to blindness services, both organisations have a good track record of burying what differences exist and working together for the common good of all Americans. I sincerely hope that advocating strenuously for the return of Web Braille is an issue that falls into this category. Both organisations have gifted blind advocates who serve Americans well. Let's hope that talent can be pooled for the sake of this important issue. Secondly, blind Americans are tax payers too. A service they have come to depend on and value has been taken away from them, with very little explanation. We need to know more about the nature of the security concern. Does the security concern relate to the potential to back translate Braille material? Are accounts compromised in some way? Is it something else? We don't yet, as far as I am aware, know why the service was suddenly pulled, and we need to. Surely a Government department funded by US taxes has a duty to be much more forthcoming with information. Blind people can speculate all they like on the reasons, but that speculation is unhelpful and merely adds to the confusion. The first step to understanding the shut-down is to be informed as to the reasons for it. Again, if there is an issue, there are many gifted blind technology experts who'd be glad to lend their expertise to the problem. Thirdly, while I support wholeheartedly the endeavours of each and every person who seeks to have this service restored, I would urge those affected by the Web Braille shut-down to take a moment to reflect on how much they value the service, and how many people throughout the world cannot access a similar service. Special format material is a precious and scarce resource. It seems to me a tragedy that, with the shortage of special format material that exists as compared with the millions of titles available to sighted people in print, more isn't done to minimise duplication of effort in special format production, and to facilitate the sharing of that material. Mechanisms need to exist for greater sharing of special format material between countries which have similar copyright laws. For example, my view is that those outside of the US, living in countries with copyright laws that support the provision of special format material by prescribed organisations without having to seek the permission of the copyright holder, should be able to access Web Braille for a fee. Web Braille is paid for by US tax dollars, and it is not my view that non-US blind citizens should somehow enjoy a free ride off the US tax payer. It's interesting to note though that given the huge foreign aid budget of many western countries, the US included, allowing a few blind people outside of the US to access the service would be a mere drop in the bucket, particularly if the processing was handled by an appropriate blindness agency in the country in question. US citizens should also have reciprocal rights in countries where similar services are available. All of us as blind people know how frustrating it can be to get access to what we want to read. If the will truly existed, ways could be found to better facilitate the sharing of special format material. It's the right thing to do, and it is an area where the US is uniquely positioned to lead the way. It would mean that five or six copies of the same book would no longer need to be produced in different countries, which is a shameful nonsense and a waste of resources. So let's hope an explanation is forthcoming, the consumer organisations work together to get the service restored, and that US citizens use this down time to think about how it is for many blind people around the world, and perhaps develop a bit of compassion as a result. Oh and a final thought. Please spare a thought for blind people working for NLS right now. I have no doubt it's not easy when one would like to be more forthcoming to one's fellow blind people, but for whatever reason cannot be. http://jmosen.livejournal.com/244287.html Please help us restore Web Braille by signing the online petition at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/braille/petition.html VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List. Send comments on list operation to [log in to unmask] VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html Signoff: [log in to unmask] Subscribe: [log in to unmask] VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List. Send comments on list operation to [log in to unmask] VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html Signoff: [log in to unmask] Subscribe: [log in to unmask]