[nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag

Wed Feb 3 17:53:06 UTC 2010

John,

That's the kind of feedback I'm trying to generate.  I don't know how much
it really costs to develop some of these products and do not want to
leverage criticism if it really costs a lot of money to design these
devices.  Braille, I understand, will require special expertise.  Yet, even
in this case one has to wonder about the cost after the initial release.  Is
it costing a lot because the engineering is complex, or is it costing a lot
because companies are being inefficient about how they are going about their
development?

The parts that make up a notetaker are not altogether unique ones.  Consider
the battery, for example.  We are talking about special products but not
special products with completely unique pieces.

And the Pac Mate?  It's applying an existing  screen reader to an existing
operating platform.  Is the price still justifiable?  You don't even get
built-in wi/fi, but Freedom Scientific thinks itself a hero for dropping the
price by a few hundred dollars and then making up just over half of that by
selling outdated wi/fi and bluetooth cards.

Is it justifiable for people to have to pay $900 for what is basically a
text-based GPS program?  It's not as though Sendero is developing the maps
for this thing!  A sighted person can pay $10 for GPS through their carrier.
It would take them seven and a half years to pay for what a blind person has
to pay in one cough.

I am in favor of blind people making some sacrifice to independently
purchase their own equipment.  Someone earlier made the observation that
sighted people have to pay twice as much for a vehicle.  To me, the two
expenses are irrelevant, because if you want to throw in independent living,
blind people have to set aside a certain percentage for readers, taxis and
public transportation.  There are far fewer people with salaries capable of
absorbing daily living and crucial technology, just as there are far fewer
employers capable of affording some of this crucial technology.  People
should not have to make a choice based on cost alone, and the real
difference to blind people is that for us technology is a necessity to
compete on equal footing.  It is not a luxury as it is for the sighted
public.

I am blessed to be in the position to pay for some of my technology needs.
I am even more appreciative of the companies who have made it their mission
to help blind people get jobs.  Still, I hate to come across e-mails from
people who could really benefit from the new technology but cannot do so
because it is too much beyond their financial means.  I'd like to do
something about it.  I don't want to make developers out to be the bad guys,
but based on the feedback I've been accumulating, there very clearly needs
to be a compromise that benefits consumers as consumers and not consumers as
clients of government agencies who can afford to pay for the totals these
companies put out.  I would like to take the issue to the developers
themselves, but before I do I would like to get a real feel for the people
who disagree and can give valid reasons for why the current price structures
for adaptive technology are reasonable.

Joe Orozco

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

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:30 AM
To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Independence with a Price Tag

I've often wondered about the issues you bring up.  About a year ago I 
remember seeing an announcement for a GPS system that was 
supposedly a price 
breakthrough. The price? $850. For just a talking GPS.

So I understand your frustration. But how can you be sure the 
prices for 
adaptive equipment are inflated? I think you have to have more 
than vague 
suspicions before formally making a charge like that. In fact, doing so 
might do more harm than good. People might demand that 
government agencies 
stop buying  adaptive equipment if they suspect that the 
equipment their tax 
dollars are paying for is over priced. Rather than lowering the 
price for 
adaptive equipment, the result might be that government 
agencies just stop 
buying it.

A new Pac Mate with a 40 cell display costs about $5600. That 
seems like an 
incredible amount of money for a product that doesn't even have 
built in 
wireless, right? But if the Pac Mate is so over priced, why 
doesn't one of 
Freedom Scientific's competitors come out with a product that 
blows it out 
of the water for price/performance?

Another data point is the KNFB Reader. The NFB itself came out 
with the KNFB 
Reader. But at a base price of $1600, its not exactly a 
breakthrough product 
in terms of price. I doubt that the NFB is part of a conspiracy to keep 
prices high.

We've been over and over the issue of the cost of the Pac Mate on 
thepacmateger.com email list. And I have come to the conclusion 
that it just 
costs that much. You can put together the hardware for a lot less and 
install a free screen reader. But if you figure in the cost of 
jaws vs nvda 
and the cost of support (and you have to give Freedom 
Scientific credit for 
providing great support), $5600 doesn't seem far out of line.  
Honestly, I 
am no fan of Freedom Scientific. I think their licensing policies are 
draconian and I am fed up with their tendency to sue their competitors. 
But when I really think about it, I have to admit that the Pac 
Mate isn't 
that much over priced.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "'Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students.'" 
<nabs at acb.org>; <tabs_students at googlegroups.com>; "'NFBnet 
NFBCS Mailing 
List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 10:45 PM
Subject: [nfbcs] Independence with a Price Tag

> 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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