[Nfbsatx] Fw: [Access-l] Fwd: Article: Apple i pad brings easy reading to theblind

[james sofka]

Hi, all.
For your information.
Jim Sofka.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Pattison" <srp at internode.on.net>
To: "Access L" <access-l at access-l.com>; "CUG Members" <Members at bcacug.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 1:48 AM
Subject: [Access-l] Fwd: Article: Apple i pad brings easy reading to 
theblind


From:    steven taylor steven_taylor10 at bigpond.com
 To:      bactttoma at freelists.org

Taken from.
http://blogs.forbes.com/booked/2010/04/12/apples-ipad-brings-easy-reading-to-the-blind/

Apple's iPad Brings Easy Reading to the Blind
April 12, 2010 - 3:14 pm

By Benjamin Clymer
Benjamin Clymer is a freelance writer and founder of HODINKEE.com.

Ask any PC-loving computer nerd why Apple products have become the de
facto choice of the masses, and you’ll likely hear something like,
“People buy Apple products because they’re pretty.” That may be true
for many, but one group of consumers who care little for Apple’s
prodigious aesthetics are the blind.

They care more about how Apple products actually work. And while
theiPad may be Apple's most controversial launch in recent memory, the
blind community is unanimous in its support. The National Federation
of the Blind (NFB) even released a statement last January praising the
device.

What are they so excited about?

First, consider what an e-reader represents to the blind community. The
concept of an affordable, portable device that allows the visually
impaired to consume media easily and without special consideration is
an exciting proposition, but one never fully realized. In fact,
Amazon’s Kindle, which until the iPad’s release was the most acclaimed
and full-featured e-reader, had high potential for capturing the
hearts of the 314 million visually impaired persons around the world.
Instead, Amazon failed to fully consider what would be required for a
blind person to successfully navigate the Kindle’s menus without
assistance. While magazines, books and newspapers had full voice
integration, allowing easy listening of all text, Amazon provided no
way to enter a publication from the Kindle’s home screen. What good is
a reader to someone who is blind if it requires a seeing person to get
to the first page, let alone turn that page?

Both the NFB and the American Council of the Blind have lambasted the
Kindle, filing a lawsuit against Arizona State University, which had
been part of Kindle’s pilot program to replace textbooks with the e-
reader, and sending a formal complaint to the Justice Department
insisting all Kindles be removed from five other universities testing
the Kindle with their student body. Two other universities, Syracuse
University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, had previously
told Amazon they would not order any Kindles until the text menus were
fully accessible to the blind. Amazon has since released a statement
saying the Kindle will be blind-friendly by this summer. It's too
little, too late.

In stark contrast, all iPads have a standard application called
VoiceOver, which allows for audible control of every single menu, even
those included in third party applications. NFB has commended Apple
for producing a device that is usable right out of the box for both
seeing and the visually impaired alike. The NFB statement even
mentions that the touch-screen “need not be a barrier” to the blind.

Computer nerds, tech columnists and the general public may not know
where the iPad fits into the existing media consumption landscape--but
the blind and visually impaired see it as the only e-reader worth
owning. Call it further proof that Apple is more than just a pretty
face.

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
Skype:  steve1963
Twitter:  steve9782

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