BBI is working in coalition with advocates in the Reading Rights Coalition and with attorneys from the Association of Disability Rights Counsel, which is managed by BBI, to increase accessibility of electronic books to people with print disabilities. As a result of those efforts, Arizona State University has reached a settlement agreeing not to use the Kindle e-book reader in classes unless and until it is made accessible to people with vision impairments. In addition, in response to these efforts, the Department of Justice has reached agreements with 3 colleges (Pace University, Reed College, and Case Western Reserve University) under which they will stop using Kindles in classes and other programs until the device is made accessible. BBI and other coalition members are working with the Department of Justice, the White House, the Association of American Publishers, and the Authors Guild to pursue other means to ensure that all digital materials and devices are accessible to people with print disabilities.
In addition, Syracuse University’s Library, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have announced that they will not purchase more Kindles or other e-book readers unless they are accessible. BBI and Syracuse University Library together developed and succeeded in passing an American Library Association resolution that libraries will not purchase electronic resources unless they are accessible and will require vendors to certify that they are accessible. And the Los Angeles Public Library recently announced that it will not purchase additional downloadable books through Adobe Digital Editions because they are not accessible.
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