[Ohio-talk] Emailing: e-reader letter.doc

Sat Aug 31 19:09:57 UTC 2013

How do we address the email to National?
I mean what email address do we use to send our letter as an Attachment?
Colleen Roth

----- Original Message -----
From: Barbara Pierce <bbpierce at pobox.com>
To: "'Ationfb of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'" ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
Date: Saturday, August 31, 2013 11:50 am
Subject: [Ohio-talk] FW: Emailing: e-reader letter.doc

>
>
> Barb Fohl warned me yesterday that the attachments were not opening, and
> clearly the national office is having the same problem. I am sending out the
> message that I sent Barb yesterday. My letter is attached, and the pattern
> letter in in the body of the message. Between them you should get a good
> idea of what is needed. Just remember that the deadline is Monday evening.
> Barbara 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Barbara Pierce [mailto:bbpierce at pobox.com] 
> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2013 4:30 PM
> To: 'Barb Fohl'
> Subject: Emailing: e-reader letter.doc
> 
> First Name Last Name
> Title, if any
> Address
> Email
> 
> September 3, 2013
> 
> Kris Monteith
> Acting Bureau Chief
> Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Federal Communications Commission
> 445 12th Street SW
> Washington, DC 20554
> 
> Re: Reply to the Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers' Petition for Waiver
> from CVAA Accessibility Requirements, CG Docket No. 10-213
> 
> Dear. Mr. Monteith: 
> 
> [Introduction paragraph: Explain who you are, your profession, and make note
> of the fact that you're a blind person.  Explain what access to digital
> books would mean to you].  
> 
> I strongly oppose the Petition for Waiver submitted by the Coalition of
> E-Reader Manufacturers', requesting that e-readers be exempt from the Twenty
> First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA).  
> 
> [Select a few of the following talking points and put into a narrative using
> your own words.  Or you can write your own arguments that are consistent
> with the NFB's official comments put out by the national office:
> 
> 1. The spirit of the CVAA is to increase the accessibility of mobile
> advanced communications services (ACS) and e-readers have ACS functionality.
> Most e-reader users I know post to Facebook and exchange books with friends.
> It would not make sense to grant a waiver for a class of products that are
> clearly intended to be covered by the CVAA.
> 2. The Coalition claims that the primary purpose of e-readers is
> reading, not ACS, and yet I believe that the ACS found in e-readers is part
> of the intended purpose.  The ability to connect with friends, share
> content, and access the internet are the very features that set e-readers
> apart from print books.  ACS facilitates the reading experience and is,
> therefore, a co-primary purpose of e-readers.
> 3. E-readers can easily be made accessible.  All digital content can be
> made accessible to a blind person if the content is programmed to be read
> audibly, audio output like speakers or a phone jack are added, and
> accessibility is considered during the design phase.  The Coalition's claim
> that to make e-readers accessible would require a fundamental overhaul of
> the equipment is false.  
> 4. I want access to digital books.  Since the first e-reader came out
> in 2006, I have felt like a second class citizen missing out on all of the
> innovative benefits of digital books.  If I want to read a Kindle book, I
> have to buy a very-expensive Apple iPad.  Then I can download the free
> Kindle app, but that application is not fully accessible.  I want to be a
> mainstream user and would happily buy an e-reader if one was accessible, but
> the manufacturers continue to exclude me from their customer pool.  I reject
> the Coalition's notion that to make their product accessible would not
> provide me with any substantial benefits.  In reality, it will give me
> options as a consumer and equal access as my sighted peers.  
> 5. The Department of Justice and the Department of Education prohibit
> K-12 school districts and institutions of higher education from using
> inaccessible e-readers, yet the Coalition continues to knowingly sell
> inaccessible equipment to schools.  The CVAA is consistent with preexisting
> legal requirements, and the FCC should not give the Coalition incentive to
> continue resisting accessibility. 
> 6. The Coalition suggests that the waiver only apply to e-readers that
> do not have ACS capabilities, but then says that the products may have
> browsers and social media.  This is not a meaningful limitation.  The CVAA
> requires that ACS be accessible, and the FCC should not allow some services
> to be more important and others worthy of a waiver.    
> 7. The Coalition fails to provide any details on the lifecycle of its
> products or a potential time frame for the waiver.  An indefinite, blanket
> waiver would harm the public, is inconsistent with the CVAA, and should not
> be granted in the face of these omissions.    
> 
> [Provide an anecdote of a time when you wanted to buy an e-reader, or could
> not use an e-reader, or saw a sighted person using an e-reader for ACS.  If
> you do not have an anecdote, you can just repeat what access to digital
> books would mean to you].
> 
> I strongly urge the FCC to reject the Coalition's petition and uphold the
> spirit of the CVAA.  E-readers and the ACS features found in that equipment
> must be made accessible and granting a waiver would perpetuate the digital
> divide and discrimination in the marketplace that I face every day.  
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Your name   
> Your message is ready to be sent with the following file or link
> attachments:
> 
> e-reader letter.doc
> 
> 
> Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent
> sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.  Check your e-mail
> security settings to determine how attachments are handled.
> 
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