[nfb-talk] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Comments on New Kindles

[Rovig, Lorraine]

Have you read the one paragraph quote by Dr. Maurer below?  I keep thinking what a good thing, really-really Good Thing it is that the NFB is working on this for all the blind and visually impaired students going off to school (K-12, college, and adult education) and all the blind and visually impaired employees whose employers employ inaccessible equipment.  Inaccessible equipment and inaccessible Internet sites mean people who need accessibility have lives with more difficulty and often unnecessarily much poorer than for people who can use stuff out of the box.  If, I mean, "when" we have won the fight with Amazon for accessibility being built into devices in the design stage, and, when Amazon discovers this means more money for the company (which it will), we will have won BIG across the board.  Amazon is worldwide; we will be influencing companies and inventers worldwide.  Everyone will take notice-just like all the big players took notice when we sued AOL.  The biggest sad part is that the longer it takes, the more inaccessible devices are made and bought and out there.  I am just one person, Amazon won't listen to me but still I can help. I vote with my wallet - both by not buying a Kindle and by helping the NFB raise the funds it needs to carry the fight to the court of public opinion, to the Congress, and, when necessary, to our courts of law.

Go NFB!

Lorraine Rovig
Member of the NFB since July 1975

Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 9:12 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Federation of the Blind Comments on New Kindles

Baltimore, Maryland (September 6, 2012): The National Federation of the Blind<http://www.nfb.org>, the nation's leading advocate for accessible technology and content<https://www.nfb.org/access-technology>, commented today on Amazon's press conference announcing new Kindle e-readers and tablets.

Dr. Marc Maurer<http://www.nfb.org/marc-maurer-bio>, President of the National Federation of the Blind<http://www.facebook.com/NationalFederationoftheBlind>, said: "The U.S. Department of State has just withdrawn a single-source contract proposal involving the Kindle family of devices, possibly due to our concerns about the lack of accessibility<http://www.nfb.org/national-federation-blind-files-complaint-against-state-department> in virtually all iterations of the Kindle.  Despite the State Department action, our repeated encouragement of Amazon to incorporate accessibility, and the fact that companies like Apple and Google are actively engaged in the incorporation of accessibility features into their devices, there is no evidence that these new Kindles are accessible.  It seems abundantly clear where Amazon stands.  The National Federation of the Blind will continue to fight for access to all manner of devices and content and to oppose the deployment of inaccessible devices and content by entities that are covered by our nation's disability laws."
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About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.




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