ON TRACK

The Newsletter of COTIS
The Confederation of Transcribed Information Services

To promote the provision of information in alternative formats to print

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ISSUE 38 - May 2001

Editor - Linda Pearce, Email: ontrack@cotis.org.uk .
Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 ODP. Tel: 01829-733351 (Answerphone)
Reg Charity No: 299024 © Issue 38 - May 2001

Minutes of Annual General Meeting.

held on Tuesday 23 January 2001 in the Armitage Hall, RNIB 224 Great Portland Street, London W1N 6AA

PRESENT: 13 members

1. President's Opening Remarks.

The meeting opened at 1.30 with apologies for his absence from the President, Sir John Wall. He had recorded his opening remarks on a tape which was played to the meeting. At this first AGM of the millennium, he took the opportunity to take stock of COTIS' achievements, noting improvements in the service since the 1950s, acknowledging the valuable role of the compact cassette and highlighting the need to work to uphold COTIS' standards in the future. He confirmed that he was happy to continue as President and extended his good wishes to the meeting and to the new committee members.

2. Apologies.

Apologies for absence were received from: Sir John Wall, President; Peter Howell, Committee member; John Proudler, Committee member; Winnie Morrell, Committee member; Linda Downey, Committee member; Ruth Frampton, Committee member; Sister Hayes (St Cecila's Guild for the Blind); Alison Baxter (Directory of Social Change); Jessica Finch; Ronald Sturt; and Mrs Lisa Bhogal.

3. Minutes of previous AGM and matters arising.

The minutes of the previous AGM held on Saturday 13 November 1999 were agreed without amendment.

3a. Amendments to the constitution and voting on the motion tabled at the previous AGM.

Changes to the constitution were necessary to allow COTIS to be involved with formats other than audio. Although the motion had been agreed at the previous AGM, it could not stand, as the meeting had not been quorate and the constitution did not allow for postal votes.

Motion: "That the constitution be changed to allow the application of methods of communication besides traditional tape based techniques at present in use. It was proposed that the following clauses be changed: 1; 2.1; 2.2a, b and i; 3a, b; and 14".

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The wording would be as indicated in the minutes of the 1999 AGM.

The motion was carried: 13 in favour; 0 against. No abstentions.

The meeting also agreed to consider the motions in item 6 at this point.

Motion: "That the constitution be amended to allow for postal voting on motions to be put at an AGM". Amendment to Clause 7d of the constitution.

This motion raised issues of the validity of postal votes and the need or otherwise for members to be physically present.

The motion was carried: 13 in favour; 0 against. No abstentions. In the discussion which preceded the vote the following points were raised:

• It would allow postal voting for the election of committee members.
• A quorum would still be required for the AGM.
• Members would need full information before voting. Explanation of issues should be sent out with the ballot paper.
• The committee recognised the need for prior discussion, especially before major decisions like changes to the constitution. Suggestions included articles in 'On Track' and inviting those proposing motions or presenting reports to submit them in time for dissemination in advance.

Motion: "That members be present at an AGM via electronic means (eg teleconference) other than in person." (Clause 7c)

COTIS members have difficulty in attending AGMs because of the distance they have to travel. Tele-conferencing or video-conferencing could make these meetings more accessible. These means would be an addition to the meeting, not a replacement. COTIS also needed to take into account the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. It was believed that these means would be acceptable to the Charity Commission if agreed at the AGM.

The motion was carried: 13 in favour; 0 against. No abstentions.

In discussion, the following points were raised:

• The need for a suitable venue (a couple of suitable venues were known).
• A voting system would need to be agreed.
• A verbal voting system was suggested. It would be equally transparent to visually impaired and non-visually impaired people, but an orderly, failsafe counting system would be needed. For motions on the agenda a tick-sheet could be prepared in advance, but motions from the floor and nominations/volunteers on the day would have to be added as required.
• Would numbers of participants be limited? This would depend on the system used.

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4. Chairman's Report from Wendy Davies.

COTIS has had a really good and interesting year. It was agreed to spend some of the windfall money buying in the services of Colin Antwis to carry out Committee plans that would otherwise not have made so much progress. Examples were the Accreditation Scheme and the Checklist. As well as producing guidelines, there was a need to monitor compliance.

Checklist.

The checklist was now available for most media, and was also available on the website. It was developed with the widest consultation possible, through several drafts, and now needed wider dissemination. It would also provide agencies with a stronger argument when advising potential customers on the best way to put their material across in another format. The need for this was illustrated by a complaint on In Touch about a recording which fell short of several points on the checklist, where the customer had insisted on several of the unsuitable features.

Copyright Round Table.

COTIS was invited to take part in the Copyright Round Table, substantially recognised by Rights Holders, in which UKABP and STV were major contributors. Its guidance to the industry was that if a visually impaired person has legally acquired the print item, it could legally be transcribed into another format without further permission. This represented a major success for COTIS and would lead to greater recognition and authority.

• Amendments were being made to the EC directive and a White Paper was expected from the UK Government in July.
• COTIS enables networking and informal exchange of experience. Thought would be needed as to how best to continue this kind of contact in the future.

Accreditation Scheme.

In the accessible information industry anyone can set up in business with little more than a computer, and there is no established industry standard. Transcribers had developed services themselves with no feedback or quality control. Now that guidelines and criteria have been drawn up, the next stage is to try them out by setting up a user panel on a voluntary basis. COTIS will take random samples from the market. The long-term aim would be a statutory scheme to ensure an acceptable standard across the industry that would also be achievable by smaller producers.

Underlying issues:

• Is it a standard aimed only at large organisations? It should be appropriate for all. For example it does not specify the type of labelling required - such basic solutions as a verbal message and an elastic band could suffice for a one-off job.
• A subscription would be needed to pay for the scheme. The fee would be scaled to the quantity of production.
• A random sample of an organisation's work would be checked on joining. Accreditation would last for a year and would have to be renewed annually. There would be less sampling from smaller producers.
• The panel would not remain voluntary indefinitely, but a voluntary panel would be needed to get the scheme started.

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In 2000, discussions with other organisations have led to revised guidelines and the following points:

• It would be useful to draw up a list of specialists within COTIS to target specific queries. Member organisations could also offer services commercially.
• This year the committee hoped to encourage more involvement from members.
• The website needs input from members.
• Message boards and mailing lists could also be set up and members could access these facilities through COTIS.
• Content of the website could be reproduced in the newsletter as not all members have internet access.

User Panels.

• These are a good way of involving members.
• Points to be aware of:

• Panel members may give different, or conflicting, comments on the same tape.
• Comments may not fit with the checklist.
• It would be important to distinguish between personal preferences and more universal criteria.

• Some member organisations would welcome help to set up panels of their own clients.
• Less demanding clients may be encouraged to comment on quality. Several attendees recognised lack of feedback as a problem and would welcome help in tackling it.

Other.

• Selection of volunteers - volunteers feel more valued if they know they have passed a test or achieved a certain standard.

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5. Treasurer's Report

COTIS began the year with just over £8,000. A legacy of almost £20,000 was received from the late Mr Gerald MacKenzie Leet.
Expenditure was just over £8,500. At the end of the year the balance was £21,631.65. Some of the legacy was used to take forward projects by buying in expertise.

At the end of August there were 95 members: 67 organisations and 28 individuals. Membership continued to be wide ranging and to represent other media besides tape.

Thanks were extended to Sheila Jones, who was responsible for the day-to-day finance and paperwork, and to Lisa Plumb, who checks the accounts.

The form for the Charity Commission will be more complicated to complete this year because of the larger resources!

There were no questions concerning the accounts.

6. Nominations to the Committee.

Peter Howell, Chair until last year, did not wish to stand for the committee again; he was retiring from the committee to concentrate on other areas. It was agreed that Wendy Davies would write to thank him.

Four other committee members were standing down: Wendy Davies, Linda Pearce, John Proudler, Lesley Kelly. All four were willing to stand again.

They were nominated en-bloc.
Proposed: Deane Houston. Seconded: Mary Connelly.

Votes were as follows:

All elected unopposed.

Four more committee members were needed to increase committee membership to 12. Members were urged to encourage colleagues to stand for the committee. Colin Antwis remained co-opted.

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7. Any Other Business.

7a. Glenn Critchley - web site update.

The content of the website has been updated using the original structure. On Track is to be posted there in future. The address is: www.cotis.org.uk.
Members are asked to visit the site and give feedback to Glenn.

Glenn is studying for an Information Sytems MSc, focusing on human aspects of IT. This includes:

1. A feasibility study on website redesign, including new functionalities etc, and
2. A research proposal - turning the website into reality. This is aimed at user-participation in developing the website.

• Glen hopes to involve members in developing the website through feedback and contributions.
• Principles of customer care and accessibility need to be built into the website. It should be an example of the organisation's standards.
• Glen plans to work with organisations within COTIS, but also draw in new organisations with two aims:

1. to increase COTIS' knowledge base, and
2. to strengthen the network.

Next moves:

1. General feeling from membership as to "where next?"
2. Put ideas into effect.
3. Get feedback.

Comments and suggestions from the floor:

• Add search engines and links to help newcomers.
• Need to integrate site and organisation fully: website information to be available also in other formats, and COTIS information to go on website.
• Must be accessible.
• Possibility of setting up a Newsgroup? This can be free.
• Contact names and phone numbers for member organisations.
• Set up a sales site for the accreditation scheme.

There is an article in the current issue of On Track and there will be further details in the May issue.

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7b. The Accreditation Scheme was taken earlier in the meeting under 4. Chairman's report.

7c. 2001 Conference.

The proposal for a seminar elicited 5 responses. A conference may be possible. However, requests for workshops and training sessions were received more frequently and this might be a better option. The Committee was asked to take this forward.

7d. UKABP.

UKABP's AGM is to be held next week, at which a motion is to be put forward proposing closer links with COTIS, probably in the form of an umbrella including COTIS and UKABP.

Participants were thanked for attending and the meeting closed at 4.10 pm.

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Speaking Volumes.

by Deane Houston, Chief Executive Officer, Blind Centre for Northern Ireland.

In 1999, the Government created a small pool of money to go towards the National Year of Reading. Minister of Education, David Blunkett MP, was anxious to encourage people to read more and to access their libraries with the basic aim of raising the standards of reading across the UK.

Members of the Blind Centre's Senior Management Team met the five Health and Welfare Librarians who provide a wide range of services to physically and sensory impaired people as well as to the elderly, and run the regional Mobile Housebound programme covering all of Northern Ireland.

The outcome of our meetings was the creation of the 'Speaking Volumes' Project.

With a grant of £5,000 from the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, who were administering the 1999 National Year of Reading funds in the province, the partnership between the Charity and the Education and Library Boards progressed.

It was agreed that:

• Ten local books would be selected and recorded.
• Local professional actors would be auditioned and appointed to read books onto audio cassette.
• All recordings would take place at the Blind Centre studios at North Road, Belfast.
• Actors would be paid up to £200 per book depending on the length of the book.
• The Charity would give, free of charge, five copies of each of the 10 titles to librarians for distribution.
• Copies of the 'Speaking Volumes' series would be carried on the Mobile Housebound vehicles.

The success in the first year astounded us! All 10 titles were constantly on loan to visually impaired people. The 'Speaking Volumes' services highlighted the success of the project.

Other outcomes showed that visually impaired people in urban areas registered with their local branch library. Indeed, some visually impaired adults with partial vision registered with branch libraries to borrow other audio tapes and large print material.

On the downside, we got our sums badly wrong! The cost for Year 1 was £22,500. This included professional fees to actors, cassettes, audio cases, costs for studio time, technicians, plus specially designed covers. The upturn to the 'Speaking Volumes' project was that the Blind Centre won the Province's award for the Allied Irish Bank's Millennium Award.

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The prize … 25,000 Irish pounds. The final was held in Dublin in January 2000, when the Blind Centre's 'Speaking Volumes' project was in the final 12 schemes out of an original 2100 applicants from across the island of Ireland. We didn't win … but it was wonderful to have been placed in the final dozen.

As for 'Speaking Volumes' in 2001 … a further 18 titles have been added to the original list created during the National Year of Reading. By 2002, the 'Speaking Volumes Talking Book' service should reach its half century!

Titles available from the 'Speaking Volumes' series include:

For further information on the 'Speaking Volumes' series contact: David Galway, Tape Services Manager, Blind Centre for N Ireland, 70 North Road, Belfast. Tel: 028 90 654366 or visit our website www.bcni.co.uk.

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Copyright Update.

by Marilyn Oldershaw, Copyright Officer, RNIB.

Many visually impaired people and agencies representing them are hard at work at the moment, ploughing through the Government's Consultation Document on Copyright and Visually Impaired People. Hopefully, all COTIS members have had a chance to look at either the Document, or the (much shorter!) notes, written specifically for COTIS members. These bring out the main points of the document, which are particularly important. By now, you should also have seen the RNIB draft response, which will be of further help.

Although responses to the Patent Office should be sent by 25 May 2001, they have indicated that any received a few days after then would be taken into consideration. If anyone is still unclear about how to respond, or would like to discuss any issues with me before responding - either individually or as an agency representative - I will be more than happy for you to contact me. By the time you read this newsletter, David Mann and I will have met the civil servant responsible for writing the Document and so will perhaps have a better insight into Government thinking.

The Joint Industry Guidelines on Copyright and Visually Impaired People were to be officially launched in March, at a rights holders' symposium being held just prior to the London Book Fair. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled and so was the launch, but the Publishers Licensing Society (PLS) have assured us that these guidelines can be used. They can be found on the PLS website at www.pls.org.uk. Basically, they formalise and endorse the view that any person who has legally obtained a copy of a book (bought or borrowed) can either convert it themselves into an alternative format, or ask another person or agency to do it on their behalf.

Also to be launched was the Publishers Brochure, written in collaboration with RNIB and published by the PLS. However, I understand this has not yet gone to the printers and so their March date was a little optimistic, I feel. This brochure is aimed at rights holders who receive requests for permission to convert material into alternative formats. The (perhaps optimistic) hope of the PLS is that it will help to speed up the permissions process. It was born out of a genuine desire to be of assistance, but of course, anything which could weaken our argument for legislative changes would be a perceived benefit to rights holders. Finally, you may be interested to know that WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organisation) has announced an essay competition, entitled "What Intellectual Property Means to You in Your Daily Life". The aim is to increase awareness about intellectual property and to try and stem the tide of 'piracy'.

However, what intellectual property means to a visually impaired person may well be very different to that of a sighted person… I understand there is to be a counter essay for people wishing to express an alternative view, and if anyone would like details of either, I will forward them to you.

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Update Page.

1. COTIS/UKABP - partnering.

Following a restructure of the UKABP committee and the appointment of a new chairman, time is needed for all to be re-acquainted with the principles previously discussed on 6 October 1997.

This proposed joint approach in the area of provision and quality of information, in particular braille, could be the subject of a joint COTIS/UKABP committee meeting within the next six months.

2. Accessible Information Seminar.

Returns from individuals and groups indicate a wide spread of subjects where advice and training is needed, regarding the provision of accessible information.

In responding to these comments the COTIS Committee will endeavour to respond in the most practicable way, be it in Regional Workshops, a shared conference, or inclusion in the AGM.

3. Accreditation Scheme.

There is no doubt of the need for such a scheme to establish standards in the provision of alternative formats - braille, audio, large print etc.

However, if it is to have credibility with users and producers alike, a period of training and trial runs will have to take place.

• There will need to be a 'dummy' run based on sample material, with open questions to confirm that the issues raised do match the checklist.
• There will need to be training for User Panel members in applying the checklist.
• There will need to be established a system for receiving and recording checklist scores.

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Who will record a 'Guideline'?

In order to promote good practice with those responsible for the production of material in various formats, COTIS has issued and continues to issue 'Guidelines' on a variety of topics. Recording Techniques, Reading Skills, Labelling, and Describing Illustrations are a few of the subjects covered.

To provide a variety and freshness to their production and to give you the chance to get your name known to users and service providers, we are looking for transcription organisations who are prepared to put our new revised 'Guidelines' into audio format.

For details, interested organisations should contact the COTIS Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 0DP or telephone 01829-733351.

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Advertising in and the Sponsorship of an Edition of On Track .

Circulated three times a year in a variety of formats to its membership, On Track also reaches a wider audience by being posted on our web site with links to other organisations.

In promoting your goods and/or services, your organisation can be viewed through the COTIS window in two ways: either by taking space within the journal, or as sole sponsor for the production of an edition of On Track.

Interested charitable or private organisations should contact the COTIS Project Office for details.

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Disclaimer.

by Linda Pearce, Editor

On Track brings to your attention details about equipment, materials and services that COTIS feels will be of interest to you. Please note that this is for your information only. COTIS is not endorsing them or making any recommendations. Equally, reviews are personal comments by the writers of the articles.

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Copy Deadline.

Please remember - if you would like to submit an article or send details of any forthcoming events which may be of interest to COTIS members, the latest dates by which material should reach the editor are:
18 September for October's issue,
6 January for January's issue and
1 May for May's issue.

© Written permission to use any On Track article or other COTIS material to be obtained from
The COTIS Secretary, Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley,
Cheshire, CW6 0DP, tel: 01829-733351 (answerphone)
or from the On Track editor.

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For further information, membership application form and purchase of guidance notes and tapes please contact:

COTIS, Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 0DP, United Kingdom.

Telephone: +44 (0)1829 733351

Email: administrator@cotis.org.uk

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COTIS President: Sir John A. Wall - Charity Number 299024

COTIS Web Site last updated 24th June 2005