FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Robert Vickers
Email: communications@thekingcenter.org
Phone: 404-526-8946
Fax: 404-526-8969
New York, New York
September 25, 2000
TIME WARNER AUDIOBOOKS AND AFB TALKING BOOKS MEET WITH PRESIDENT
CLINTON TO UNVEIL NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT BRIDGES "DIGITAL DIVIDE" FOR
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
As part of a White House initiative on bridging the "Digital
Divide", Time Warner AudioBooks and Intellectual Properties
Management, Inc. (IPM), in association with AFB Talking Books, unveiled
a prototype of a digitally synchronized audio and text version of
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech on a
Presidential trip to Flint, Michigan on September 21, 2000.
The demonstration was staged as part of the ongoing "Digital Divide"
tour, with this most recent trip focusing on empowering Americans with
disabilities. The event addressed ways to include and provide for disabled
communities in developing technological innovations.
The audio and text of "I Have a Dream" were linked using NISO
and DAISY technology, and shown to President Clinton on a laptop computer.
The program is compatible with both computers and eBooks, and will be
released free of charge to consumers in December 2000. It will be available
via the websites for Time Warner AudioBooks (www.twbookmark.com),
The King Center, by permission of IPM as exclusive licensor of Dr. King's
writings (www.thekingcenter.org),
and AFB Talking Books (www.afb.org).
"I Have a Dream" is part of A Call to Conscience: The Landmark
Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which will be published in hardcover
by Warner Books and as an audio program (featuring original recordings
of Dr. King) by Time Warner AudioBooks in December, 2000.
President Clinton remarked: "Bridging the Digital Divide is
not just the morally right thing to do, it is the smart thing to
do. Breaking down barriers is not enough. People actually have to
have the tools they need to take advantage of this remarkable moment
of opportunity-especially the tools they need in cyberspace. There
are truly amazing new possibilities, as I saw today on my tour."
Tricia Harris, Managing Director of the King Center commented: "We
are pleased that this hallmark of the King legacy will be used in groundbreaking
technology, which may benefit the blind and print-disabled, as well as
the general public."
Maja Thomas, Executive Director of Time Warner AudioBooks said: "We
are proud to have developed this prototype as part of the kind of industry/non-profit
coalition President Clinton considers crucial to bridging the digital
divide. This technology will revolutionize the way books, eBooks, and
audiobooks are used. The ability to "toggle" (or switch back
and forth) between audio and print versions of the same work will increase
the accessibility and enrich the value of each component.
People who are blind, visually impaired, and dyslexic will now be able
to enjoy these historical words in an exciting new way. In addition, this
synchronization technology has broad appeal for students, particularly
those learning English as a second language, schools, travelers, and commuters
who may wish to consult the text or listen to the audio independently
or simultaneously.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Jeanne-Marie Hudson
Time Warner AudioBooks
212-522-2628
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