[Trainer-talk] Freedom Scientific Offering Amazing Discounts at NFB Convention

[David Goldfield]

Freedom Scientific made some announcements this week via its FSCast 
podcast, with Jonathan Mosen breaking the news.  If any of you are 
planning to go to the NFB convention this year, this should be of great 
interest to you if you own or are considering buying software from 
Freedom Scientific.
First, ACB convention attendees will be offered slight discounts on FS 
products. There will be a ten percent discount on Freedom Scientific 
software. This would cover JAWS, MAGic and OpenBook. Five percent 
discounts are available on FS hardware products. While Jonathan Mosen 
did not mention specific products I am assuming that this would cover 
products such as the Sara stand-alone readers, their various video 
magnifiers, Braille displays, Plextalk Pocket and even the Pac Mate, if 
you can justify buying that particular device.
Jonathan explained that Freedom Scientific offers something known as 
home-use programs for certain organizations, which they started doing 
last year. This is a program offered to companies which have many 
software installations for their employees and the home use program 
allows employees of such companies to purchase a product like JAWS at a 
considerable discount. Other tech companies do this for certain 
organizations. As an example, when my wife was a college student the 
university she was attending was able to offer her new, legal copies of 
software at very, very inexpensive pricing. Apparently, Freedom 
Scientific offers similar programs. Jonathan mentioned that 
organizations such as the IRS, Social Security and some state agencies 
for the blind are able to offer discounts to their staff. Since NFB uses 
many copies of JAWS at its headquarters and because it is celebrating 
its 75th birthday this year, Freedom Scientific is extending this same 
pricing offer to all registered attendees of this year's NFB convention, 
regardless of where you work or, for that matter, whether you're 
employed or not. These offers are only for the duration of the NFB 
convention and you must actually visit FS at the exhibit hall to obtain 
their products at this special pricing.
A complete JAWS 16 Home Edition license will be available, under the 
conditions I've described above, for $75.00. This is not a misprint: 
that's seventy-five dollars. This is not an upgrade but will get you a 
brand new JAWS 16 license. If you already own an older  version of JAWS 
you can upgrade your old version to version 16 for just $50.00. For this 
offer, it doesn't matter which version of JAWS you own; it can be an 
upgrade from version 14 or from version 2.0.\
An SMA will cost you $100.00.
New copies of OpenBook are available for $75.00.
MAGic with speech can be purchased for $50.00.
  MAGic SMAs are being offered for $75.00.
I have proofread this message and what you are reading is not a series 
of misprints.
Also, FS will be demonstrating JAWS 16 with an intro to Windows 10. 
Since it is possible that we may see Windows 10 released by the end of 
July it sounds like that JAWS 16 will be able to work with Windows 10, 
without users needing to go to JAWS 17 to obtain Windows 10 support.
I am personally quite excited about this series of offers. My personal 
JAWS license is stuck at version 6.0 and, as a trainer, I do need to 
update my license but frankly cannot afford to do so. However, as I have 
family in that area I am seriously considering attending my first NFB 
convention to upgrade my version of JAWS.

-- 
Please read about the petition to allow Sister Diana Momenka, a persecuted Iraqi Christian, to visit the United States
http://bit.ly/1IYJjMu


      David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology specialist

Visit my Web site
http://www.davidgoldfield.info

Feel free to visit my LinkedIn profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-goldfield/12/929/573

Follow me on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/davidgoldfield