[Nfbmo] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds Release of KNFB Reader iPhone App

[Gary Wunder]

I thought folks on our Missouri mailing list might like to see this. It is a
very impressive app and one that those of us who have iPhones really might
want to consider. I'm available to demonstrate it for anybody who would like
to see it before they take the plunge. Works, I promise!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

 <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> cdanielsen at nfb.org

 

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Release 
of KNFB Reader iPhone App

 

Baltimore, Maryland (September 18, 2014):  <http://www.nfb.org> The National
Federation of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for access to print
by the blind, has applauded the release of  <http://www.knfbreader.com/>
KNFB Reader, a new app for the iPhone and other Apple iOS devices, which
uses the phone's camera and state-of-the-art optical character recognition
(OCR) technology to give the blind instant access to the contents of print
materials. Members of the National Federation of the Blind have worked with
K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc., which developed the app along with Sensotec,
Inc. KNFB Reader is
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/knfbreader/id849732663?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4>
now available in the iTunes app store.

 

Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"The National Federation of the Blind has been involved for forty years in
the development of technology that helps blind people to acquire access to
the various print materials that we all encounter from day to day. Ever
since our first collaboration with Ray Kurzweil to develop the Kurzweil
Reading Machine, which was the size of a household appliance, we have been
interested in the development of better and more portable reading
technology. Print on office documents, flyers, letters, menus, labels, and
throughout our environment is still a part of everyday life, even with the
increased electronic transmission of documents. Now revolutionary technology
that resides on the phones that many of us carry each day
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS-i9rn9nao&list=UU2VqDaqQP_m2JeznJm2yz0w>
provides instant access to the printed word. We can hear our mail or the
menu at our favorite restaurant spoken with the iPhone's built-in
text-to-speech technology, or read it in Braille with a refreshable Braille
display. This app will fundamentally change the everyday lives of many blind
people, helping us to get the information we need and live the lives we
want."

 

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About the National Federation of the Blind

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.