ReadHowYouWant CEO Tricia Roth News Release on Accessibility and Kindle

                  


For Immediate Release


Contact:

Bradi Grebien-Samkow: bradi@readhowyouwant.com

971-340-9853


Publishing Innovator ReadHowYouWant Bridges Kindle Gap

for Blind and Visually Impaired Readers



Sydney, Australia, November 23, 2009—Amidst complaints of Amazon’s Kindle inaccessibility for blind readers, ReadHowYouWant, a new technology publishing company from Australia, is leading the way in accessible publishing by using proprietary XML conversion software to repurpose books into a number of formats to meet the varying needs of readers who are blind, visually impaired, or have print or learning disabilities.


Now readers can choose between as many as ten different formats before they buy a book at www.readhowyouwant.com, including electronic braille, synthesized audio MP3; optimized, large print, 24 point bold EasyReadÔ print-on-demand books, and DAISY—a talking book format that produces audio along with the written text. DAISY books play on DAISY players, which are either standalone units or computer applications. DAISY is ideal for vision-impaired and blind readers, dyslexic readers, and for readers who are unable to hold a conventional book or turn pages. Testing is also being conducted on several specialized formats for readers with dyslexia and eye-tracking issues.

“Technology now offers the possibility of access to hundreds of thousands of books for blind and visually impaired readers.  It is unacceptable that The Kindle and other mainstream reading devices have been designed with no consideration given to the requirements of universal design. The introduction of the Kindle DX in some universities discriminates against blind and visually impaired students, and educators should join with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University in rejecting this as a textbook replacement until it is accessible for all students,” says Tricia Roth, CEO of ReadHowYouWant.


ReadHowYouWant is reaching out to visually impaired readers through partnerships with leading assistive technology companies, HumanWare™  and PLEXTALK®. HumanWare's™ products include BrailleNote, a productivity device for blind people in education, in business and in their personal lives; digital talking book players; and a unique "auto-reader" for people with low vision. PLEXTALK® is the producer of the PLEXTALK® Pocket and other digital talking book players.


 "Through our PLEXTALK® Pocket partnership with ReadHowYouWant, we are able to offer even greater access to and increased mobility for reading thousands of books available for download from ReadHowYouWant's extensive library,” says Deana Valdez, Sales & Marketing Manager, PLEXTALK® North America.

Through its partnership with over 70 leading trade and university publishers, www.readhowyouwant.com/braille currently offers some 4,500 titles in braille, DAISY, and audio MP3 formats¾from current bestsellers to health, political, spiritual, mystery, business, and history books. Readers can browse, sample different formats, and choose the format that is best for them. “New titles are being added weekly as the number of publishers partnering with ReadHowYouWant continues to grow,” reports Roth.

Starred Reviews. Bestsellers, Timely Topics. All in Large Print!

Starred Reviews. Bestsellers, Timely Topics. All in Large Print!

This gives the November Hot List from ReadHowYouWant.

Humanware and ReadHowYouWant Free Chapter Downloads for November

	(a larger text-only version is available at http://www.humanware.ca/web/en/newsletter/73-t.htm) Free Chapter Download Program November 2009 - 20 New Titles Available November is all about feeling good! Thousands of titles are now available in DAISY and other accessible formats from ReadHowYouWant. 20 titles for adults, young adults, and children are featured in the November Free Chapter Download program in partnership with HumanWare. Grey weather getting you down? Is school stressing you out? Worried about a busy holiday season? Sample the first chapter of The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook or What to Do When You’re Sad and Lonely for readers in grades 4 and up. Want to get lost in a good novel? Try Iron Ties or Another. Don’t be stuck feeling down—read a book! November’s Free Chapter Download Program is sure to cheer you up. View all 20 November titles at www.readhowyouwant.com/humanware. Or, link directly through the titles below. Please tell your friends, colleagues and the members of your teams that this exciting promotion will be going on for the rest of the year, and encourage them to visit www.readhowyouwant.com/humanware for a list of current titles as titles change monthly. The titles selected for the month of November are: Adult Titles: Rawsome! by Brigitte Mars (Basic Health Publications) High Infatuation by Steph Davis (The Mountaineers Books) The Art of Thank You by Connie Leas (Beyond Words) Blue Truth by David Deida (Sounds True) The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, Matthew McKay, and Patrick Fanning (New Harbinger Publications) Iron Ties by Ann Parker (Poisoned Pen Press) The Age of Miracles by Marianne Williamson (Hay House) Another by Joel Deane (Interactive Publications) Clutter Busting by Brooks Palmer (New World Library) Letters to a Young Therapist by Mary Pipher (Basic Books) Children/Young Adult Titles: How Do Airplanes Fly? by Zachary Williams (Rosen) Global Cooling by David P. Reiter (Interactive Publications) How to Stay Safe at Home and Online by Ira Wood (Rosen) Pilgrim Foods and Recipes by Sarah Florence (Rosen) What to Do When You’re Sad and Lonely by James J. Crist (Free Spirit Publishing) Teens Take It To Court by Judge Tom Jacobs (Free Spirit Publications) The Courage to Be Yourself by Al Desetta (Free Spirit Publishing) Today’s Superstars Entertainment: Will Smith by Susan K. Mitchell (Weekly Reader) Mega Structures: The Tallest Buildings by Susan K. Mitchell (Weekly Reader) Energy for the Future and Global Warming: Biofuels by Andrew Solway (Weekly Reader) HumanWare, the leader in assistive technologies for people with print disabilities, and digital publishing innovator, ReadHowYouWant, are partnering to help individuals with reading disabilities and visual impairments discover the book reading device and the format that suits them best. People around the world are able to participate in this program, as well as purchase books on RHYW's website, www.readhowyouwant.com. About HumanWare HumanWare (www.humanware.com) is the global leader in assistive technologies for the print disabled. HumanWare provides products to people who are blind and have low vision and students with learning disabilities. HumanWare offers a full range of low vision products including the SmartView Synergy desktop video magnifier, the SmartView Pocket and Nano handheld electronic magnifiers, and the myReader2, HumanWare's unique "auto-reader". HumanWare's other innovative products include the BrailleNote, the leading productivity device for the blind in education, business and for personal use; the Victor Reader product line, the world's leading digital audiobook players, and the ClassMate Reader, the only portable book player to offer synchronized text and audio for individuals. About ReadHowYouWant ReadHowYouWant Pty Ltd and its R&D parent company, Accessible Publishing Systems Pty Ltd are both Sydney, Australia-based privately held companies founded in 2004 by electronic publishing pioneers Christopher Stephen and Greg Duncan. When Chris's sister, who suffers from MS, developed difficulty reading, they began experimenting to determine whether people with reading difficulties could benefit from changing the text format. After more than four years of testing, ReadHowYouWant has successfully developed award-winning conversion technology that reformats existing books into the widest selection of on-demand, alternative format editions on the market today. Each edition has been optimized for maximum readability. The company's goals are to make reading easier and more enjoyable by delivering formats that suit the reader and to give people with reading difficulties access to books in the formats of their choice-at an affordable price, and as soon as the book is published. For more information visit: www.readhowyouwant.com.

PLEXTALK and ReadHowYouWant Launch Monthly DAISY Book Giveaway

PLEXTALK® and ReadHowYouWant Launch Monthly Giveaway of Literary Classics in DAISY for Visually Impaired Readers

November 2, 2009 by ReadHowYouWant

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Bradi Grebien-Samkow: bradi@readhowyouwant.com
971-340-9853
Contact:
Deana Valdez: dvaldez@shinano.com
310-693-7629

PLEXTALK® and ReadHowYouWant Launch Monthly Giveaway of Literary Classics in DAISY for Visually Impaired Readers

Sydney, Australia, November 2, 2009—PLEXTALK®, the producer of the PLEXTALK® Pocket and other digital talking book players, and digital accessible publishing innovator ReadHowYouWant are partnering to help visually impaired readers discover literary classics in a convenient format that works for them.
Beginning in November, each month readers will be able to go to the PLEXTALK® website, www.plextalk.com to download five free titles from ReadHowYouWant’s Classics collection. November’s selected Classics titles are The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Lyman Frank Baum. Readers can also visit www.readhowyouwant.com/plextalk to download the free titles.
“We are very pleased to be able to partner with ReadHowYouWant,” said Deana Valdez, Sales and Marketing Manager for PLEXTALK® North America. “Through our PLEXTALK® Pocket partnership with ReadHowYouWant, we are able to offer even greater access to and increased mobility for reading thousands of books available for download from ReadHowYouWant’s extensive library.”
ReadHowYouWant will be demoing the PLEXTALK® Pocket DAISY reading device at book industry events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and Book Expo America. Similarly, PLEXTALK® will present DAISY files from ReadHowYouWant’s collection on their players at technology industry shows, including ATIA (Assistive Technologies Industry Association) conferences.
“We are delighted to be partnering with PLEXTALK®. The monthly giveaway program of ReadHowYouWant titles at the PLEXTALK® website furthers our mission to make more content accessible and easily available to all kinds of readers,” says Tricia Roth, CEO of ReadHowYouWant.
Readers looking for more great books can go to www.readhowyouwant.com/braille where they will find over 2,000 titles in the Classics Library in DAISY 2.02 and NISO/2005 formats, as well as synthesized audio MP3 books for $9.99 each. In addition, ReadHowYouWant offers thousands of classic and bestselling titles in downloadable ASCII and Visual braille book files for $4.99 and $9.99.
About Shinano Kenshi Co., Shinano Kenshi Corporation & PLEXTALK®
Shinano Kenshi Co. Ltd. is responsible for the development and manufacture of digital talking book players and other products sold under the brand name of PLEXTALK®. Shanano and PLEXTALK® assistive products are created to improve the quality of life, self-reliance and independence of their users. Shinano Kenshi Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.
About ReadHowYouWant
ReadHowYouWant Pty Ltd and its R&D parent company, Accessible Publishing Systems Pty Ltd are both Sydney, Australia-based privately held companies founded in 2004 by electronic publishing pioneers Christopher Stephen and Greg Duncan. When Chris’s sister, who suffers from MS, developed difficulty reading, they began experimenting to determine whether people with reading difficulties could benefit from changing the text format.
After more than four years of testing, ReadHowYouWant has successfully developed award-winning conversion technology that reformats existing books into the widest selection of on-demand, alternative format editions on the market today. Each edition has been optimized for maximum readability. The company’s goals are to make reading easier and more enjoyable by delivering formats that suit the reader and to give people with reading difficulties access to books in the formats of their choice—at an affordable price, and as soon as the book is published. For more information visit www.readhowyouwant.com.