Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 15:49:26 -0500 From: "Michael M Moodie" To: CC: ,"Jean Moss" Subject: Digital Talking Book Player Mr. Kenneth L. Stewart President Metropolitan Council of Low Vision Individuals 357 West 55th Street, Suite 1F New York, NY 10019 Dear Mr. Stewart, Your letter of December 11, 2005 was forwarded to me for reply. You raised a number of concerns regarding the design of the digital talking book player currently under development. I will address your concerns in the order in which they were presented. Conspicuous appearance. The player will be a very dark gray and nearly all of the buttons will be a very light gray. The buttons are large and the cluster of primary controls at the front of the machine creates a large light-colored area that will contrast strongly with the body of the player. In addition, the cartridge will be white, with a white label, and a significant portion of the cartridge will be visible when it is inserted in the player. This will provide an additional area of contrast. Physical stability. The player will be less than two inches high and considerably longer and wider, so it will have a very low center of gravity. In addition, we have specified that it include rubber feet that prevent it from sliding if inadvertently knocked. High visibility labels. The labels on the cartridges will contain title and author segments in 36 point type for maximum legibility by low-vision readers. We have not yet specified type size for the mailing container label but will work to include as large a type font as possible within the limits of available space. We will include braille on some or all cartridge labels, but will work to mitigate its impact on the legibility of the print information. We note your suggestion that we include a representative from an organization of the low vision community and will explore the best way to do so. Thank you for your suggestions. Your previous letters have contributed positively to the design of the player and cartridge. I think you will be pleased with the results. Sincerely yours, Michael Moodie Michael M. Moodie Deputy Director National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library of Congress 1291 Taylor Street, NW Washington, DC 20542 Phone: (202) 707-5108 Fax: (202) 707-1690 mmoo@loc.gov