[rehab] Accessibility Anywhere Braille Display Petition

[Serotek Announcements]

A petition has been started by George McDermith at 
<http://www.petitiononline.com/brldis/petition.html>http://www.petitiononline.com/brldis/petition.html 
asking Braille display manufacturers to base their drivers on the 
human interface protocol, found on all Windows computers.  Such a 
design philosophy will ensure that users can be certain of having 
support for their Braille display on any computer, not just one which 
has been custom-configured for such access, and will eliminate the 
need to depend on specific screen reader drivers.



The text of the petition reads as follows:



"To: Braille display manufacturers
We, the undersigned, who are Braille display users, friends and 
family of Braille display users, and teachers of the blind,
*: Believe that accessibility to information for the blind on a par 
with their sighted piers is a right. Believe that due to this right, 
and due to the cost of Braille displays, accessing Braille through 
the use of Braille displays should not be limited by the type of 
screen reading solution used by the blind.
*: Strongly request that all manufacturers of Braille displays cease 
basing the drivers of their Braille displays off of particular screen 
reader drivers, but rather base all Braille display drivers off of 
the Human User Interface Protocol, which can be found on all Windows computers.
*: This will allow true portability and equal access to information 
for the blind, as they will be able to use their display with any 
computer. This will create greater competition in the market for the 
best Braille display to stand out, grant greater literacy in Braille 
through greater access to electronic Braille books and other 
materials, and support the right of all blind people to have 
accessibility anywhere."



To add your support to this worthy cause, visit the petition web page at

<http://www.petitiononline.com/brldis/petition.html>http://www.petitiononline.com/brldis/petition.html



The Serotek Team