diglib: question

[Robert Felsing <felsing@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>]

e-Asia is working with an author who has translated an important, popular,
and (unfortunately) hefty classic Chinese novel.  The issue of the
visually-impaired has come up because the current format of the book is a
multitude of HTML files available from a web site. There are too many files,
in fact, for a visually-impaired person to download for a voice reader.
This is the claim of a blind person. 

The question is this:  while your standard print book is inherently hostile
toward the visually-impaired, do we make the effort (which means time and
expense) for digital materials? 

Microsoft has two companies under contract to provide sound synchronization
for the MSReader and MSReader is capable of displaying large print type,
neither solution may prove satisfactory for the blind.

Since ebooks hold the potential of providing reading for the blind, do we
make the effort?  There is the issue of expense and time when it comes to
conversion, so the appropriate answer may not be a cost effective answer.
My gut reaction is to provide voice-readable files for popular items at
least, but I have not a clue about the potential costs involved.



Regards,

Bob Felsing