[nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag

[Jedi]

Joe,

You're not the only person taking a look at what some call the 
"blindness tax." Products that cost a lot of money, are geared 
specifically to the blind, and either don't compete equally with 
mainstream products and/or hardly do so have now been dubbed "blind 
ghetto products" simply because they do charge such an outrageous price 
even though they do exactly or nearly exactly what mainstream products do.

One company that's currently looking into these issues is SEROTEK. 
SEROTEK's business model is all about reducing the blindness tax and 
making necessary technology affordable to everyday blind consumers. 
SEROTEK openly supports companies who build products with universal 
design in mind since they would cost the same for a blind person to use 
them as a sighted person. Their products are priced according to what 
blind people can realistically be expected to pay, and SEROTEK supports 
mainstream products that have the duel function of helping the blind 
whether they were designed to or not. Keep your web browser pointed to 
http://www.serotalk.com for podcasts and other media related to both 
A.T. and mainstream technology with similar characteristics that I've 
mentioned here.

One way to put a dent into the pockets of those who would charge a 
blindness tax is not to buy their products or ask the government to buy 
them for us. For example, instead of choosing Jaws for Windows, a 
screen reader built by a company notorious for charging a blindness 
tax, try screen readers such as System Access, NVDA, or VoiceOver with 
the Mac. These readers are either free or low cost and work just as 
well as the conventional readers do for most every consumer. Similarly, 
buying mainstream products such as OmniPage instead of OpenBook is 
another example. Buying from blindness specific companies who make a 
genuine effort to lower their prices such as SEROTEK, TalkNav, and KNFB 
Reading Technologies is another way to make a statement with your wallet.

Just keep talking to people about your ideas. You will find quite a few 
people who support the mainstreaming of blindness technologies 
especially if it means lowering prices while meeting the same standards 
for quality as always. There will be some products whose prices won't 
change unless new materials are sought to make them and/or new methods 
of making them are discovered. One example would be the Braille 
display. In this case, it's worth shelling out the money because 
displays have a variety of uses. In that case, you want companies to 
support the use of displays without the extra hassle of finding unusual 
drivers. HandyTech is one company who supports plug and play drivers. I 
bought a Brailliant, but I'm thinking twice already.

Respectfully,
Jedi
Original message:
> Dear list,

> I'm continuously appalled at the price tags associated with adaptive
> technology.  While you're in college you might receive assistance from your
> rehab agency to purchase equipment.  You may get some assistance after you
> find a job, but inevitably there comes a point when the expense comes
> directly from your own pocket.  I wonder how many people have had to settle
> for outdated technology because they simply cannot afford it.  But, that's
> the thing.  I'm only assuming there are tons of people who cannot afford
> this technology.  I'd like to lead a campaign to call public attention to
> this monopoly, and, I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether or not you
> think me crazy.  If my assumption is wrong, I'll keep my views to myself.
> If there is a high number of people unable to tap into emerging software
> simply because they cannot pay for it, I'd like to hear from you.  I
> understand the technology itself costs a lot of money to develop.  Yet, it
> seems more of the price boost is owed to extravagant government contracts
> that allow the few players to charge something like $6,200 for a device
> that, despite its best advertisements, does not perform completely on par
> with its mainstream counterparts.

> At this time I have only a vague idea for a strategy.  Yet it's something
> I'm willing to build up if the need can be clearly identified.

> Looking forward to your input,

> Joe Orozco

> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
> crowd."--Max Lucado


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