[gui-talk] HumanWare and ReadHowYouWant Join Forces to Bring Books to Visually Impaired Readers

[HumanWare]

HUMANWARE AND READHOWYOUWANT JOIN FORCES TO BRING BOOKS TO VISUALLY 
IMPAIRED READERS

[This announcement is displayed in text only for accessibility with 
Braille Notetakers. A web version is available at: 
http://www.humanware.com/en-canada/about_us/press_releases/2009_press_releases/humanware_and_readhowyouwant_join_forces]

Longueuil, Quebec, March 10, 2009 -- HumanWare, the leader in 
assistive technologies for people with print disability, and digital 
publishing innovator ReadHowYouWant are partnering to help visually 
impaired readers discover the book reading device, and the format 
that's right for their reading needs.
ReadHowYouWant offers thousands of books in accessible formats, 
including 24 pt. large print, braille, and DAISY files at 
www.readhowyouwant.com. HumanWare provides playback devices for 
readers who are blind or have low vision to use with braille and 
DAISY files at www.humanware.com. "From the moment it appeared on the 
market, the Victor Reader Stream has proven itself to be the greatest 
portable DAISY book reading device ever. Today we are proud to team 
up with Read How You Want. We invite all readers to take a look at 
the selection of books they have to offer. Reading should always be 
an enjoyable experience. We hope that our customers will regularly 
visit our new website where they will be able to check out new DAISY 
book releases. Pass the word around!" says HumanWare CEO Gilles Pepin.

Beginning in April, readers will be able to go to the HumanWare 
website to download free, first chapters of 20 bestselling 
ReadHowYouWant titles each month as part of the "Free Chapter 
Download Program." The free, first chapters come from popular books 
from a variety of well-known publishers of adult and young adult 
books, including Wiley, Random House Australia, Murdoch Books, and 
Weekly Reader. The first month's selected titles will include such 
best sellers as, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (New World 
Library), "Praise Song for the Day," the inauguration poem by 
Elizabeth Alexander (Graywolf Press), and Leadership and 
Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute (Berrett-Kohler), as well as 
children's and young adult titles to include, How to Take the GRRRR 
Out of Anger by Marjorie Lisovskis and Elizabeth Verdick (Free Spirit 
Publishing), and Extreme Habitats: Mountain Survival by Susie Hodge 
(Weekly Reader). After enjoying the complimentary first chapter, 
readers may visit ReadHowYouWant's website at www.readhowyouwant.com 
to purchase the entire file.

ReadHowYouWant will be demoing HumanWare's devices at book industry 
events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and 
Book Expo America. Similarly, HumanWare will present braille and 
DAISY files from ReadHowYouWant's collection on their players at 
technology industry shows, including CSUN and ATIA (Assistive 
Technologies Industry Association) conferences.

ReadHowYouWant produces Grade 2 contracted braille files, and has 
developed a house style that supports automated transcription while 
maintaining accuracy. These files may be read with a refreshable 
electronic braille display such as the Humanware Braillenote or 
Brailliant or embossed to make traditional braille books. Words are 
not split at line ends to make reading easier, particularly for newer 
braille readers.

About HumanWare

HumanWare is the global leader in assistive technologies for vision, 
including products for the blind and visually impaired. HumanWare's 
products include BrailleNote, the leading productivity device for 
blind people in education, in business and in their personal lives; 
the Victor Reader product line, the world's leading digital talking 
book players; and myReader2, the new version of HumanWare's unique 
"auto-reader" for people with low vision. For more information visit 
www.humanware.com

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.




Contact:
Bradi Grebien-Samkow: bradi at readhowyouwant.com
503-922-0778

Contact:
Julien Larose: julien.larose at humanware.com
888-723-7273 x357