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Blind Low Vision NZ Is Committed Talking Books Are Here to Stay, but the Way We Are to Providing High Quality Services

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Blind Low Vision NZ Is Committed Talking Books Are Here to Stay, but the Way We Are to Providing High Quality Services Formerly Blind Foundation Spring Outlook 2020 Let’s talk books: A short history of audio books from gramophones to Alexa The inside word New West Auckland Office, Covid-19 update, Feedback on 2 Strategic Plan. our services Feature Blind Low Vision NZ is committed Talking books are here to stay, but the way we are to providing high quality services. 5 delivering them is changing. A short history from gramophones to Alexa. To provide feedback on our services, please get in touch at [email protected] People Or C/- Private Bag 99941, Genevieve – the first guide dog team in New Zealand Newmarket, Auckland 1149. 12 to also use a wheelchair. Donnella – deafblind and Please get in touch if your vision never looked back after receiving hearing aids. Holly – needs change on 0800 24 33 33. the face of Blind Week 2020. Meet Marlie, the top Bikkie Day fundraiser. Cover photo: Karen in the kitchen with her Alexa Everyday living Sharing cooking tips with vision loss. How to put on 20 a mask from a blind or low vision perspective. facebook.com/BlindLowVisonNZ Community blindlowvision.org.nz Events from around the country. Message from 24 Deafblind Association New Zealand. Consumer organisation contact details. ISSN 2703-4216 Spring 2020 • Outlook 1 The Inside Word The Inside Word Hello to All Welcome to the 2020 Spring edition of Outlook, our flagship publication aiming to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on at Blind Low Vision NZ and to share helpful information and stories featuring some of the great people in our community. Here’s a quick update from Service Delivery staff. Meeting rooms John Mulka, Blind Low Vision NZ are available for you to book and Chief Executive and Rick Hoskin, hold events (adhering to Covid-19 Royal New Zealand Foundation restrictions) and parking and public of the Blind (RNZFB) Board transport options are available. Chair. We now have 19 office locations We have a new office around New Zealand to support you. - 197 Universal Drive, If you are in the area, please pop in Henderson, West Auckland and say hi or feel free to contact us: service so that we can continue Get in touch with us on Our West Auckland Blind Low Vision NZ – West Auckland to empower Kiwis who are blind, 0800 24 33 33 or Blind Low Vision NZ office is 197 Universal Drive deafblind or have low vision. [email protected] if you now open. With about 27% of Henderson, West Auckland would like some extra support. To our Auckland based members [email protected] Since the Covid-19 Pandemic stay up-to-date with the latest living in West Auckland we 09 283 7080. began, we’ve seen a nearly wanted to make it easier for 20% increase in demand for Covid-19 news visit our website: you to connect with us and Covid-19 update our children’s services, adaptive blindlowvision.org.nz receive the personalised It’s been a tough year. This may be technology services, counselling Our Vision, Your Future - vision rehabilitation services services and we have heard from a huge understatement but well Nā matou te moemoea, nā you need to live the life you done to us for making it through this a few of you about how much you koutou te tau tītoki. choose. far. I am incredibly proud of how appreciate services like our library Henderson will be home to Blind Low Vision NZ has adapted operating at a time like this. It is Strategic Plan 2020-2024 our Library team and some through the alert levels, and it is an a privilege to serve you – we are Hopefully you have had a chance of our Auckland based honour to be classed as an essential here to help. to read Our Vision, Your Future – 2 Outlook • Spring 2020 Spring 2020 • Outlook 3 The Inside Word Feature our service to you and play our part in making New Zealand a more inclusive place to be. Let’s talk books If you haven’t read Our Vision, and magazines to over 4,500 Your Future in full – we encourage A short history of audio library members, it’s a much- you to do so on our website. books from gramophones loved and well-used service. We hope you enjoy this edition of to Alexa And the only thing that has Outlook Magazine – it’s packed Story telling has been around really changed over the full of interesting stories and tips since the dawn of time. And years is how our library users for you. while the means of telling them receive them. We made the announcement to our members Ngā Mihi may have changed – even today nothing beats losing yourself in a in September about our plans to good book. retire CDs by 30 June 2021 but we are always looking ahead So it’s not surprising that one for new ways to deliver talking of Blind Low Vision NZ’s most books. And that’s something popular services is our Library that Blind Low Vision NZ Library our new Strategic Plan. We look Service’s talking books. Now and Studios Manager, Geraldine forward to delivering on our delivering over 35,000 books Lewis, is really passionate about. key priorities of Independence, Educate and Equip, Social Inclusion and For Purpose John Mulka Organisation in a way that is Blind Low Vision NZ Chief Executive authentic to our four values of Person Centred, Collaborative, Adaptable, and Accountable. We have some exciting initiatives this year. We are one massive step closer to accessibility legislation being passed in New Zealand, receiving unanimous support from political parties. Rick Hoskin We also have 12 initiatives in our Royal New Zealand Foundation of yearly business plan to improve the Blind (RNZFB) Board Chair 4 Outlook • Spring 2020 Spring 2020 • Outlook 5 Feature Feature 2011 A timeline of talking books The move from tapes to CDs – Over 3,200 members supplied with new digital players by the Blind Low Vision NZ through charitable 1937 funding. The first talking books were distributed on records. These were special slow-running 12- 2014 inch gramophone records, each side reading Blind Low Vision NZ launches BookLink – a for twenty-five minutes. web-based digital download platform for its 2011 - Daisy Player audio books. BookLink app added in 2015. 1961 The switch from records to the Clark and 2018 Smith big Mark 1 18-track cartridges. Launched DAISY Direct. 1937 - Gramophone 1962 2019 Launch of the Library’s new tape talking Blind Low Vision NZ launch the library Alexa book scheme. Skill. 1966 2020 – this is the last platform added The New National Talking Book Library Introduced EasyReader app to our members. 2019 Alexa Smart Available on iOS and android, it’s free to and the sound recording studio in Parnell, Speaker Auckland were opened by the Governor- download. General Brigadier Sir Bernard Fergusson. 1961 - Multi-track 1969-1970 particularly from the RNIB in the talking book Converted to Mark 4 tape-ette cartridges. machine A history of looking ahead UK and American Foundation for 1986 Some people are surprised to the Blind in the US. But that also The Library moves to the Library of know that our organisation has included titles from NZ authors Congress’s four-track talking book format – a had talking books since 1937. such as Ngaio Marsh and Sir two million NZD investment. Archibald McKindoe. Back then, talking books came in 1987 the form of gramophone records, Flower Power was all the go in 1961, when the gramophone RNZFB took on magazine production. and there were 61 talking book machines in use throughout NZ. records were switched for trendy 1996 cassette tapes – and in 1962 the Joined the DAISY Consortium to help It was quite forward-thinking for new tape talking book scheme 1969/70 - Mark 4 develop the DAISY Standard. the time, and most of the titles launched with over 470 new tape-ette had to come from overseas, talking book machines. 6 Outlook • Spring 2020 Spring 2020 • Outlook 7 Feature Feature century, the time was right to in the world to adopt the voice word of mouth with more people launch BookLink in 2014 – a technology into our digital becoming interested in audio web based digital download strategy, and create this new books,” says Geraldine. platform, which soon also type of skill for members. became an app. We really were pioneers in The Compact Disc conundrum DAISY Direct followed in 2018, developing this, and the uptake has been hugely gratifying, One of the trickiest changes to and the benefit of this was that with over 700 active users each Talking Books came in 2011 when people didn’t need to have WiFi tapes were switched over to a to listen with. month.” new technology – the Compact After that came the EasyReader “I think Alexa is the future for Disc, or CD. “The reason was we app in 2020. Already used talking books as people just just couldn’t get blank cassettes by many different blindness want to independently make anymore and it was becoming agencies around the world, their own decisions about the hard to get equipment for our it has excellent accessibility books and content they choose. tape duplicators,” says Geraldine. options for people who have low And as books are downloaded Although the transition wasn’t vision or are blind. instantly, they don’t have to easy for a lot of listeners, there wait for days for them to arrive were some immediate benefits. by mail.” “For example, a book might take Meet Alexa – your talking There are also many other 12 cassettes which we would book friend send out in batches – so you can One of the most exciting benefits to a smart-speaker imagine the frustration getting technological advancements such as checking public the end of your book before you for talking books is the transport timetables, the had read the first half!” Says introduction of Alexa services weather, Covid-19 updates and Geraldine.
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