[nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag

Wed Feb 3 15:52:37 UTC 2010

Kerri I would have to agree with you!
I too wish more placesdid what apple has done. Rania, 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Kerri Kosten
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 12:23 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag

Hi:

I think this is finitely an issue and I couldn't agree with you more.

Look at Apple and what they've done with the iphone. They have made a
mainstream product, a product with a touchscreen accessible.
There is no reason why other mainstream companies can not do the same or a
similar thing.

I love what Serotech is doing. All blindness companies should be like
them...there is no reason we should have to pay extra money for access to
something a sighted person gets to have readily available to them without an
extra price what so ever.

Just my opinion.

Kerri

On 2/3/10, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
> 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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