The Council on Access to Information for Print-Disabled Canadians

Presentation on Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D)

by Kathie Korpolinski

Agenda

• RFB&D's History
• Current membership and services
• Transition to RFB&D's Audio Plus Digital Talking books
• RFB&D's Audio Plus book types
• Product placement roll-out
• Questions and Answers

RFB&D - An Overview

• 50 years old / non-profit organization
• Educational text for veterans from World War II
• The first media - wax cylinders to records to four - track cassette tapes

Current Memberships and Services

• Individual memberships
• Annual Institution memberships (AIM)
• Tape players and accessories
• Custom Projects
• Incorporation of Dyslexic to RFB&D
  • Number of students served
  • Number of books circulated
• 32 recording studios nationally
• 5000 volunteer readers

Transition to Digital Audio

• E-Text books - computerized books for the blind
• 1998 Department of Commerce Grant (TOP)
• Began testing RFB&D's books in September 1999
• Expanded test sites in February 2001 (Pre-Release)
• Research projects
• Two Gallup studies / Focus groups / John Hopkins Univ.
• & Baltimore schools

Types of Books

• RFB&D's Audio Plus
• Converted books
• New Digital Masters
• RFB&D's Audio Plus Text
• RFB&D's D-Text

Product Placement Roll-out

• Rollout Timetable
• Formal Announcement in July 2002

Issues:

• Infrastructure change
• Human and financial resources
• Playback devices - hardware and software
• Production tools
• Digital Rights Management (DRM)

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