[nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag

Wed Feb 3 08:23:27 UTC 2010

Hi:

I think this is finitely an issue and I couldn't agree with you more.

Look at Apple and what they've done with the iphone. They have made a
mainstream product, a product with a touchscreen accessible.
There is no reason why other mainstream companies can not do the same
or a similar thing.

I love what Serotech is doing. All blindness companies should be like
them...there is no reason we should have to pay extra money for access
to something a sighted person gets to have readily available to them
without an extra price what so ever.

Just my opinion.

Kerri

On 2/3/10, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
> Joe,
>
> You're not the only person taking a look at what some call the
> "blindness tax." Products that cost a lot of money, are geared
> specifically to the blind, and either don't compete equally with
> mainstream products and/or hardly do so have now been dubbed "blind
> ghetto products" simply because they do charge such an outrageous price
> even though they do exactly or nearly exactly what mainstream products do.
>
> One company that's currently looking into these issues is SEROTEK.
> SEROTEK's business model is all about reducing the blindness tax and
> making necessary technology affordable to everyday blind consumers.
> SEROTEK openly supports companies who build products with universal
> design in mind since they would cost the same for a blind person to use
> them as a sighted person. Their products are priced according to what
> blind people can realistically be expected to pay, and SEROTEK supports
> mainstream products that have the duel function of helping the blind
> whether they were designed to or not. Keep your web browser pointed to
> http://www.serotalk.com for podcasts and other media related to both
> A.T. and mainstream technology with similar characteristics that I've
> mentioned here.
>
> One way to put a dent into the pockets of those who would charge a
> blindness tax is not to buy their products or ask the government to buy
> them for us. For example, instead of choosing Jaws for Windows, a
> screen reader built by a company notorious for charging a blindness
> tax, try screen readers such as System Access, NVDA, or VoiceOver with
> the Mac. These readers are either free or low cost and work just as
> well as the conventional readers do for most every consumer. Similarly,
> buying mainstream products such as OmniPage instead of OpenBook is
> another example. Buying from blindness specific companies who make a
> genuine effort to lower their prices such as SEROTEK, TalkNav, and KNFB
> Reading Technologies is another way to make a statement with your wallet.
>
> Just keep talking to people about your ideas. You will find quite a few
> people who support the mainstreaming of blindness technologies
> especially if it means lowering prices while meeting the same standards
> for quality as always. There will be some products whose prices won't
> change unless new materials are sought to make them and/or new methods
> of making them are discovered. One example would be the Braille
> display. In this case, it's worth shelling out the money because
> displays have a variety of uses. In that case, you want companies to
> support the use of displays without the extra hassle of finding unusual
> drivers. HandyTech is one company who supports plug and play drivers. I
> bought a Brailliant, but I'm thinking twice already.
>
> Respectfully,
> Jedi
> Original message:
>> Dear list,
>
>> I'm continuously appalled at the price tags associated with adaptive
>> technology.  While you're in college you might receive assistance from
>> your
>> rehab agency to purchase equipment.  You may get some assistance after you
>> find a job, but inevitably there comes a point when the expense comes
>> directly from your own pocket.  I wonder how many people have had to
>> settle
>> for outdated technology because they simply cannot afford it.  But, that's
>> the thing.  I'm only assuming there are tons of people who cannot afford
>> this technology.  I'd like to lead a campaign to call public attention to
>> this monopoly, and, I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether or not you
>> think me crazy.  If my assumption is wrong, I'll keep my views to myself.
>> If there is a high number of people unable to tap into emerging software
>> simply because they cannot pay for it, I'd like to hear from you.  I
>> understand the technology itself costs a lot of money to develop.  Yet, it
>> seems more of the price boost is owed to extravagant government contracts
>> that allow the few players to charge something like $6,200 for a device
>> that, despite its best advertisements, does not perform completely on par
>> with its mainstream counterparts.
>
>> At this time I have only a vague idea for a strategy.  Yet it's something
>> I'm willing to build up if the need can be clearly identified.
>
>> Looking forward to your input,
>
>> Joe Orozco
>
>> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
>> crowd."--Max Lucado
>
>
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