WIPO and Readable

More on the WIPO treaty and our Readable initiative!

http://spicyipindia.blogspot.com/2009/05/wipo-copyright-treaty-for-blind-kept-on.html

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Help us review Readable Beta Release 2

Test-drive Readable Beta Release 2!

Go to http://v2.readable.in, explore it and post any bugs you faced in a comment to this post.

Thanks!

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Copyrights and Copyfights

While RC is fighting the good fight for including exceptions for people with disabilities (link) in India’s copyright laws, trouble is brewing at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The US and several other high income countries (apparently Australia, New Zealand, The Vatican and Norway) are lobbying to kill a treaty that deals with the same issue as it pertains to cross-border movement of media for people with disabilities.

Have a look at the following link at BoingBoing for further details.

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FIP and I am not Steve Jobs

I am having IPL withdrawal syndrome. And that has nothing to do with the tourney. I just miss so miss the fake IPL player blog! For those who haven’t heard of him, this is the blog http://fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com. and what a blog it was, suddenly I got seduced by something that I have been uptight about, moral posturing and avoiding for the longest time… gossip! In all fairness, this guy was visceral and so much more intelligent that the rest of them mindless sources. So what here’s my take on what we have learnt from him.

1. the blog was topical and in ways full of muck but more than that, what brought people back was his ability to connect at a level previously never seen, he may be fake but imagine you being a celebrity and had a blog like this one… Hugh Jackman (the wolverine) for example has his tweets ghost written. That simple single compelling connect is what I would look at for inclusive planet. If we can connect to the community at that level where conversations and ideas are tossed around.

2. it changed perceptions. it singlehandedly demystified current indian cricket scene, however fake it may be. there was another sensational blog about Steve Jobs ghost written by Dan Lyons - http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/ that finally came to a close recently. though it was on the same line, it was nothing like the fake IPL guy. the fake steve blog fed on perceptions, the fake IPL guy altered it. 

We really need something on that level with inclusive planet:)
Lets just hope not to pander to perceptions and alter it.

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Funny WCAG video!

Check this out. Thank you blog patron Gautam John!

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Readable Beta Release 2 just around the corner

Loads of feedback post the Readable Beta Release last week. We’ve improved on a whole lot of stuff and the new Beta Release comes out this Thursday i.e. day after. You’ll also notice a whole new design and simplified navigation. So be sure to check readable.in this Thursday evening.

Keep the feedback flowing.

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Some Interesting Perspectives on Disability…..

“Disability is not a brave struggle or ‘courage in the face of adversity.’ Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live.” – Neil Marcus

Not only do physically disabled people have experiences which are not available to the able-bodied, they are in a better position to transcend cultural mythologies about the body, because they cannot do things the able-bodied feel they must do in order to be happy, ‘normal,’ and sane….If disabled people were truly heard, an explosion of knowledge of the human body and psyche would take place. ~Susan Wendell, The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability

“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone.” -Martina Navratilova

(Photo Courtesy: Association of People with Disabilities, Bangalore)

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Copyright Conference in Kochi, India

Some great news!!! I was invited to present a paper with my comments on proposed exceptions and limitations under copyright law for the benefit of persons with disability. The conference was sponsored by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and organised by the Centre for IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) Studies at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).

As some of you are aware, copyright law gives the owners of copyright certain exclusive rights with respect to their works, rights such as making copies, distribution, publication etc. Persons with certain kinds of disability are unable to enjoy works in their normal format (eg. visually impaired cant enjoy books, movies, hearing impaired cant enjoy movies without subtitled, persons with certain physical disabilities cannot hold books and therefore cannot read, persons with learning disabilities cannot enjoy books etc.) The objectives of the proposed amendments are to provide works to persons with disabilities so that persons with disabilities can enjoy works to the same extent as persons without disabilities.

Anyways, to cut the story short, the suggestions made by Mr. Madhukar Sinha,(who also presented a paper on the same topic) and me were accepted. The gist of the suggestions are the following:
1. Persons with all disabilities should be covered;
2. Exceptions to cover all formats and not just specialised formats such as Braille;

What also came out of this meeting is that a detailed research paper has to be drawn up for the Government for the Government to take this issue forward and it appears that I will be the point person for preparing this paper. Nirmita and Achal have agreed to work on this with me which is great news.

So it appears that at least temporarily I have become an academic!!! Cool eh?

News item on this from the Hindu http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/16/stories/2009051657820700.htm

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Readable beta release goes live!

Yes, finally. The deed is done. 

Readable.in went live at 3:30pm this afternoon before a gathering of visually impaired members of Access India (AI). I spoke for 20 mins or so on Inclusive Planet and Readable, before Gita of AI walked everyone through the accessible version using the screen reader. Nirmita also chipped in with some critical inputs on the challenges the project faces. I must repeat – CIS has done a phenomenal job of championing this project.

The response was fabulous. Really encouraging words from all the members present – people vowed to spread the word and use the platform to the fullest.

So – go ahead  Get on it www.readable.in

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Big day tomorrow. Our first launch.

The beta version of our first ‘offering’ launches tomorrow. I’ll put the link up tomorrow – no more suspense  

There is a presentation at the Bangalore office of Centre for Internet and Society, our partners in this project. A number of members of Access India and some others will be there. I’m doing a small presentation. RC is away on a presentation in Cochin. 

Please send in your feedback once the link is up. 

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