The Capital Area Council of Federal Employees, Council 26 of the American Federation of State Municipal and Federal Employees has sent a letter to the U.S. delegation to WIPO
in support for the “treaty for the blind.” This union includes many
staff members from the Library of Congress including those working at
the National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
The diplomatic conference
to finalize the treaty begins in Marrakesh on June 17th. Over a two
week period, the U.S. delegation will work with other WIPO member
nations in negotiations. A 2006 WIPO study
revealed that less than 60 member nations of the 186 nations
represented at WIPO have an exception that allows for creating an
accessible copy for people with visual impairments, leaving the majority
of nations, particularly in developing regions without the lawful
ability to serve the visually impaired. Moreover, ninety percent of the
314 million people who are blind or have visual impairments live in
developing nations, making the need for an exception obvious.
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About Carrie Russell
Carrie
Russell is the director for OITP's Program on Public Access to
Information. Since 1999, Carrie has developed copyright education
programs and related services to help ALA members understand the latest
trends regarding copyright law and its impact on libraries.
Source : District Dispatch , 14th June 2013
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