[nfb-talk] National Federation of the Blind Defends Rights of Blind Students

Tue Aug 10 15:26:57 UTC 2010

John,  you'll get no argument from me on any of the points you bring up in this message for sure.

ON this matter, we're exactly on the same page.

Sincerely,
The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!

A Very Proud and Happy Mac User!!!

E-Mail:
rforetjr at comcast dot net
Skype Name:
barefootedray

On Aug 10, 2010, at 9:38 AM, John Heim wrote:

> Yeah, the arguments against what the NFB, ACB, and Justice Department have done are laughable.  Critics would have us believe Amazon made the Kindle accessible on its own because the free market required it. Hmmm.... Nah, I gotta say I don't think so.
> 
> The closest that argument comes to making sense is the fact that some universities  not named in the lawsuit dropped their plans to buy kindles because it wasn't accessible. But they did that because of the lawsuits. Some universities had the foresight to realize that their plans to buy kindles violated anti-discrimination laws and dropped their plans before any legal action was taken against them.  The University of Wisconsin, where I work, was one of them. But there is no reason to believe they'd have done that if the law didn't require it.Amazon saw what was happening and fixed their device.
> 
> Critics also point to the variety of accessible devices out there like the IPhone and IPad saying its evidence that the free market works. But its just not true. Apple developed a screen reader because they knew that if they didn't have a screen reader, they wouldn't be able to sell Macintoshes to schools and universities. I saw this first hand at the University of Wisconsin. We started putting Windows machines with jaws into the computer labs where there used to be Macs. We didn't have any choice. We had to supply computers with screen readers. Now, Macs are going back into the libraries and computer labs because each Mac comes with a free screen reader.
> 
> The key point here is that Amazon and Apple  made their products accessible to sell them to schools, not to blind people.  They didn't say, "We need to make our products accessible in order to tap into that very lucrative blind market." They simply realized they wouldn't be able to sell their products to schools unless they were accessible and that's because of laws and regulations, not the free market.
> 
> The fact is that even schools and universities will ignore the laws requiring access unless they are forced to comply. I've seen this too first hand at the University of Wisconsin. People want to do the right thing but they have budgets and time constraints to deal with. As someone who ahs dealt with these issues for many years, I don't believe for a second that any university would have stopped its plans to buy the Kindle had it not been for the lawsuits.
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)" <JFreeh at nfb.org>
> To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 2:42 AM
> Subject: [nfb-talk] National Federation of the Blind Defends Rights of Blind Students
> 
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> 
> 
> 
> CONTACT:
> 
> Chris Danielsen
> 
> Director of Public Relations
> 
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> 
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> 
> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> National Federation of the Blind Defends Rights of Blind Students
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Calls for Equal Access to Information and Technology in America's Universities
> 
> 
> 
> Baltimore, Maryland (August 9, 2010): The
> National Federation of the Blind (NFB) responded
> today to recent attacks on the right of blind
> students to have equal access to technologies
> used by America's universities and to the
> textbooks and course materials offered by
> institutions of higher learning.  The NFB and the
> United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights
> Division, have come under attack in recent days
> for reaching settlements with universities
> requiring that the universities refrain from
> purchasing any e-book technology that is not fully accessible to the blind.
> 
> 
> 
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
> Federation of the Blind, said: "Blind students
> must have access to the same textbooks and course
> materials and the same technology to read them as
> all other students.  This is not only a matter of
> fairness to blind students but a requirement of
> federal law.  For this reason, we applaud the
> United States Department of Justice, acting at
> our request and pursuant to its mandate to
> enforce this nation's disability rights laws, for
> reaching landmark settlements with colleges and
> universities ensuring that e-book technologies
> deployed by these institutions will be accessible
> to all their students.  With the announcement of
> a new accessible Amazon Kindle, the recent
> introduction of the Apple iPad, and the promise
> of future accessible e-book products many of
> which would not have been made accessible without
> our advocacy efforts colleges and universities
> will find it increasingly easy to procure e-book
> technology that benefits everyone.  These
> settlements benefit not only blind students, who
> will now have access to the same books at the
> same time and at the same price as their sighted
> peers, but also institutions of higher learning,
> which will no longer incur the administrative
> burden of producing or procuring accessible books
> through separate and inferior methods.  To the
> extent that inaccessible e-book technology
> remains a barrier to the equal education of the
> blind, however, the National Federation of the
> Blind will continue to fight for the educational
> and legal rights of blind students, and we will
> not hesitate to call upon the Department of
> Justice and other government authorities to
> assist us in doing so when necessary."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ###
> 
> 
> 
> About the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> With more than 50,000 members, the National
> Federation of the Blind is the largest and most
> influential membership organization of blind
> people in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
> />United States.  The NFB improves blind people's
> lives through advocacy, education, research,
> technology, and programs encouraging independence
> and self-confidence.  It is the leading force in
> the blindness field today and the voice of the
> nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened
> the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
> Institute, the first research and training center
> in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-talk mailing list
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-talk mailing list
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org