[Nfbv-announce] FW: National Federation of the Blind Comments on Release of Large-screen Kindle

[Fredric Schroeder]

  _____  

From: Freeh, Jessica [mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2009 11:02 AM
To: Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Anil Lewis; Art Schreiber; Beth Rival; Bob
Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cathy Jackson; Charlene Smyth; Christine G. Hall;
Daniel Burke; Don Galloway; Donna Wood; Elsie Lamp; Frank Lee; Franklin
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Allen; Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Richard Bennett; Richard Gaffney; Ron
Brown; Ron Gardner; Sam Gleese; Scott LaBarre; Selena Sundling-Crawford;
Terri Rupp; Tommy Craig
Subject: National Federation of the Blind Comments on Release of
Large-screen Kindle




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


 

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen at nfb.org

 


National Federation of the Blind 
Comments on Release of Large-screen Kindle


Urges Accessibility of New E-book Reader for Students


 

Baltimore, Maryland (May 6, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind, the
nation's oldest and largest organization of blind Americans, commented today
on the release by Amazon, Inc. of a new version of its Kindle electronic
reading device.  The new Kindle has a larger screen than previous versions
and is being marketed by Amazon as a potential platform for the display of
textbooks for college and graduate students.

 

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"We are appalled that Amazon is releasing a new Kindle device ostensibly for
the use of students that does not contain features that make it accessible
to the blind.  While this new device has the ability to read text aloud, its
controls and user interface are not accessible to blind people; therefore,
blind students will not have access to electronic textbooks available for
the device.  If the controls on the Kindle are made accessible to the blind,
however, blind students will have equal access to textbooks at the same time
as their sighted peers for the first time in history.  We therefore urge
Amazon to introduce a user interface for the Kindle that is accessible to
the blind as soon as possible.  Until such an accessible interface is
introduced by Amazon, no college or university should deploy this device for
use by its students, since doing so will place blind students at an unfair
disadvantage compared to their sighted peers and will violate state and
federal laws requiring equal access to textbooks and course materials for
students with disabilities."

 

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