[NFBMT-Parents] Ravalli Republic Newspaper Accessibility via Alexa via NFB Newsline

[Clint Combe]

Hello,

Thank you for your response and recommendations.

Please restore and enhance assistive technology like NFB Newsline and
provide help to entities and publications like the Ravalli Republic
Newspaper voice-enable their content for consumption via technology such as
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

I'm confident that the Voice Interface technology companies like Amazon,
Google, Apple and Microsoft would LOVE (as in would help with funding and
technology consulting) to have more content available for their customers.
As a consumer, my mother would gladly pay a fair and
reasonable subscription price for voice enabled content that is easy to
access and navigate.

My 78 year-old widowed mother and I are not citizens of the state of
Montana but my mother was born and raised in Montana and has hundreds of
family members living in Montana.  We live in Utah and it has been almost a
year since my mother lost her sight. I do not know how to put into words
how magical, transportive and life enhancing it has been to be able to find
ways for my mother to consume (primarily via Amazon Alexa and Google
Assistant and linked apps like NFB Newsline and Pocket) any text, video
and/or audio based media (newspapers, books, emails, texts, newsletters,
calendars, social media posts, scriptures, podcasts, TV shows, etc).

Since going blind and having to adjust to her new reality through the use
of assistive technology, my mother now consumes much broader, deeper and
more diverse news and information sources than she ever did as a sighted
consumer.  Don't get me wrong - my mother would prefer to have her sight
back because she has lost the ability to do a lot of activities she once
enjoyed (ie - she no longer drives, delivers communion to the infirmed or
plays golf, tennis, and pickleball).  However, being able to consume news
and information via Voice Enabled Interface technology allows my mother to
be more independent and not go stir-crazy and helps her keep engaged with
the greater community.   Being able to keep informed on what is going on in
her Montana home town and state gives her something to "discuss" with her
MT family members that she speaks to daily using her Alexa devices and
smartphone.

Please spend a day with a blind person and "see through their eyes" the
challenges they face as they try to stay engaged with the outside world.
My mother wants to be an active consumer within, contributor of and
participant to her community.

Please restore and enhance assistive technology like NFB Newsline and
provide help to entities and publications like the Ravalli Republic
Newspaper voice-enable their content for consumption via technology such as
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Thank you,

Clint Combe
801.643.8764



On Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 9:58 AM <president at nfbofmt.org> wrote:

> Hi Clint,
>
>
>
> As Robert Jaquiss said, NFB Newsline is no longer available in Montana due
> to funding problems.  Sheila Hogan, the Director of the Montana Department
> of Public Health and Human Services, refused to continue funding for NFB
> Newsline.  The National Federation of the Blind of Montana has been doing
> our best reverse Hogan’s decision, but, so far, we have had no success.  We
> are not giving up because NFB Newsline is so important to blind and
> visually impaired Montanans and others with print disabilities.  If you and
> your mother would like to lend a hand getting NFB Newsline re-established
> in Montana, here’s what you can do:
>
>
>
> Send an email to the following and ask each to restore NFB Newsline.  Be
> sure to tell what NFB Newsline means to you.
>
>
>
> Chanda Hermanson-Dudley
>
> Montana Vocational Rehabilitation Director and Administrator of the
> Disability Employment and Transitions Division
>
> chandahd at mt.gov
>
>
>
> Sheila Hogan
>
> Director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
>
> sheilahogan at mt.gov
>
>
>
> Governor Steve Bullock
>
> https://directory.mt.gov/contact-us
>
>
>
> Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney
>
> https://directory.mt.gov/contact-us
>
>
>
> Governor's Citizens Advocate Office
>
> citizensadvocate at mt.gov
>
>
>
> Note:  the webmail form for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor is not
> easily accessible with screen readers.  One must fill out all required
> fields on the form, and some are difficult to complete, such as the topic
> of the email.  Also, the form allows only 2000 characters, so the e message
> must be very short.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim Marks
>
> President
>
> National Federation of the Blind of Montana
>
> president at nfbofmt.org
>
> (406) 438-1421
>
> www.nfbofmt.org
>
>
>
> You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
>
> *From:* Clint Combe [mailto:clint.combe at gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Monday, February 24, 2020 2:21 PM
> *To:* fpodobnik at mt.gov; nopbcpres at gmail.com; nfbmt-parents at nfbnet.org;
> president at nfbofmt.org; jim.strauss at lee.net; Lpollard at ravallirepublic.com;
> jodi.lopez at ravallirepublic.com; gwen.florio at missoulian.com;
> jessica.abell at missoulian.com; michelle.mcconnaha at lee.net;
> pbackus at ravallirepublic.com; dsaltzman at ravallirepublic.com
> *Subject:* Ravalli Republic Newspaper Accessibility via Alexa via NFB
> Newsline
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> My mother is blind and listens to publications via Alexa via the NFB
> Newsline Alexa Skill.
>
>
>
> Prior to a recent change to the Ravalli Republic website she could/would
> listen to the Ravalli Republic newspaper articles (Obituaries, local
> letters, local news, etc) via Alexa via the My Pocket Alexa Skill (thru
> integration with the IFTTT app).  Since the change to the Ravalli Republic
> website, using the My Pocket Alexa Skill no longer allows her to listen to
> articles.
>
>
>
> Will you please make the Ravalli Republic newspaper available to be read
> via the NFB Newsline Alexa skill?
>
>
>
> I see the Missoulian newspaper has an NSB Newsline feed already but it
> needs some work (ie erroneous tags being read "{{featured_button_text}"
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Clint Combe
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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