I really wish companies would really look at Apple's example. They're so committed to accessibility, they've even made emogy, like "😃😰" accessible. And you know that, when a company goes through all that trouble to add all those unicode characters, and more, even logic and math symbols, into pronounciation dictionaries for iOS and OSx, you know they're trying to give us, a minority community that is still! in the days of Jaws and windows computers, equal access. I didn't even know about the emojy keyboard until a friend was using it to talk to her boyfriend. And all the unicode characters, even Russian, Arabic and Hebrew letters on the mac, are spoken. It was interesting to load a version of the Bible with the Hebrew names intact and find the characters spoken. Sure, you have to go character by character to here them, but my gosh it works, way better than Jaws, NVDA, or any other screen reader, except I think Window-eyes has this functionality as well, but the mac does it far better. So when we all start complaining about how locked down apple is, just think of how well they've done it all, better than Microsoft and the folks who work on Ubuntu have done it. And going back to the topic, I wouldn't want a whole phone based off a blindness company, when we've all seen read2go, and I for one see so much that could be improved. For example, that $19 or so could probably be ran down the maybe $10 if they'd have used NeoSpeech voices instead of Acapella, but oh no, people like those voices even though Heather and Ryan both have monsterous inflection and pronounciation. Macintalk fred could kick their butts any day. And I'm sorry if there are typos, I don't have any fingernail clippers and my nails are getting rather long; just so you know that my typing isn't usually so bad. Anyways, mobile accessibility is another really, love and hate kind of app. I hate how they do email, they just pull it down from the server when the app is launched, meaning if you don't have internet, no email for you. However, I do love that they provide braille systemwide, as long as you run their screen reader of course. But all in all, $100 is far more than I'd be willing to pay for such a horrid peice of software. But Apple has done far more than any blindness spacific company ever could, and ever will. There will, in my opinion, always be a want for blindness spacific things, like the Braillesense. Hyms has done a remarkable job of it. It has youtube, dropbox, RSS things, a built-in wifi card, sterio speakers, the ability to act as a USB harddrive, far more than the Braille note could ever do. And they only real reason its at such a high price is because of the braille technology. It even has a small visual display. So that shows that if they try, and listen to users, blindness spacific companies can do well. But if they don't, they fail epicly.
Sent from my iPod On Jun 8, 2013, at 5:21 PM, [email protected] wrote: > Hi folks, > I don't even have to read the article to know it's a bad idea. We as a blind > community have strived to assimilate ourselves in to normal society, through > accessibility of mainstream products. I don't even like the idea of large > print phone keypads. The keypad within itself is uniform & not hard to learn > as a young child. Any carrier, who feels the need to market itself solely to > the blind community is a direct slap in the face to Apple, Android, & other > smaller companies who have created accessible equipment for us. It would be a > definite step backward. I hope the ignorant creators of this outlandish idea > follow lists such as this one & others to guage reaction. > > Pam Francis > > On Jun 7, 2013, at 1:33 PM, Ray Foret jr <[email protected]> wrote: > > Well, Mike, if the response of this list is any indication, that third party > effort will faulter very soon: that is, assuming it even gets off the ground. > > > Sent from my mac, the only computer with full accessibility for the blind > built-in! > Sincerely, > The Constantly Barefooted Ray > Still a very proud and happy Mac and Iphone user! > > On Jun 7, 2013, at 12:54 PM, "Michael Babcock, Marketing and Sales Manager, > Commtech LLC" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> All that I am trying to say, is that if they want to try to do this company, >> and experiment with how well there is a response to their services, then >> that is up to them. It is up to the consumer, or us, that determines whether >> or not this is going to be a successful business venture or not. >> >> Michael Babcock >> Marketing and Sales Manager >> Commtech LLC >> Web: http://commtechusa.net >> phone: (888) 351-5289 Ext. 704 >> Fax: (480) 535-7649 >> >> On Jun 7, 2013, at 10:54 AM, Ray Foret jr <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Quite correct I'd say. It seems like what's happening here is that most of >>> us seem to feel this seperate carrier business just is a waste of time. >>> What's wrong with putting out a little effort to get what you want or need? >>> >>> >>> Sent from my mac, the only computer with full accessibility for the blind >>> built-in! >>> Sincerely, >>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray >>> Still a very proud and happy Mac and Iphone user! >>> >>> On Jun 7, 2013, at 11:45 AM, Donna Goodin <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Yep, I agree 100%. this approach sends the wrong message to the >>>> "mainstream" world, by implying that they either can't or don't need to >>>> make their products accessible to us. And also enables disabled people to >>>> say they can't fully participate in things because they have to have all >>>> these special services, equipment, etc. It also short-changes us by >>>> giving us the illusion that we have something that is empowering while >>>> really it's just separating us from the rest of the world. And as for the >>>> notion of being able to dial 611 and get a question about JAWS answered, >>>> there are lots of other places where one can get answers to those sorts of >>>> questions if people just take the time to learn where to look. >>>> Donna >>>> >>>> On Jun 7, 2013, at 11:13 AM, Christine Grassman <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Not just a specialty phone, though: a specialty carrier providing those >>>>> phones. Such things make equality and equity harder for us; it makes it >>>>> possible for companies to say, "Well, there's that special company >>>>> helping the visually impaired, so there is no need for us to make our >>>>> goods and services accessible. This perpetuates the idea that we require >>>>> marginalized goods and services as well, which has ramifications for >>>>> education, employment, recreation, and integration into our communities >>>>> at every level. >>>>> Christine >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Jun 7, 2013, at 11:54 AM, Mike Arrigo <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> We really don't, especially with the out of box accessibility that is >>>>>> provided by IOS and Android. There's simply no need for specialty phones. >>>>>> Original message: >>>>>>> Does anyone know anything about these phones or this project? Seems >>>>>>> pretty pointless if you want more than just a phone, and the full range >>>>>>> of experiences available to the sighted on any mobile carrier. Why on >>>>>>> earth do we need a special phone carrier? Separate and marginalized, >>>>>>> rather than expecting to be included in available services. >>>>>> >>>>>>> Christine >>>>>>> http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/05/odin-mobile-first-mobile-service-provider-for-the-visually-impaired/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget >>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>>> email to [email protected]. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>> email to [email protected]. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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