hi. I do agree with others, Apple have gone a long way up the tree too give us something we can actually use with out much problems. And it would indeed be nice if more companies did the same thing. But lets face it with the handicap we got, sometimes we gotta make a few more go arounds before we are in for a safe landing. :) I don't particularly like the fact in order too end my education i have to know a ton more about computers than other females, but well, on the other hand i know that no one else is coming too the rescue so i might as well just learn it my self, i believe it have been like that since i started with linux. This situation is the same we had when they first came out with the lit ebook format.
regards sandi On 8/7/13, eric oyen <eric.o...@gmail.com> wrote: > below is a proposed comment I will make to the FCC. I would like you all to > review it and see if I need to make any changes before submitting it to the > agency. > > -eric > > --- > > In the matter of Amazon (and others) who seek exemption from both the 1934 > communications act and the recently enacted Accessibility in > telecommunications act, I am one of the people who will be most affected by > this. > > Though Amazon (and others) claim to seek this exemption for every > disability, it is evidently clear that most disabilities don't need > accessibility in such devices. For instance, the deaf can read well without > the use of sound, the mobility impaired can (with only a few exceptions) > manipulate the controls just the same as most others. However, the blind > cannot manipulate any of the controls on such devices without either a > tactile or audible feedback. The claims that Amazon (and others) are making > are specious on their face. As proof, I offer the example of Apple and their > various devices and software. They have made every attempt to be as > accessible as possible to every class of disability as is possible. As a > result, their equipment and software are used by a majority of the blind and > done so easily. The cost of their equipment is comparable to that marketed > by other entities that don't offer such features. Apple is proof that > designing in accessibility from the start costs very little and gains them > much in market share (as well as being profitable). > > There is only 1 reason why Amazon (and others) would choose this route: > they intend to create niche market items that are so specialized as to > be > useful only to one class. Like other vendors of such products, they would > increase the price well beyond the reach of most of the blind to be able to > afford. As an example: The manufacture of the Braille Sense U2 costs less > than $200 per unit to manufacture and yet the retail price exceeds $6,000 > per unit here in the US. This is largely owing to the fact that such vendors > use an income stream model where the devices are funded by the government. > Under this model, Amazon (and others) would be able to charge far higher > prices and sell them to the various Vocational Rehab Agencies. This would > put the blind back into having to justify acquiring such equipment (and most > times being denied). This cannot be allowed. > > There is also one other point: > Amazon recently suffered the consequences of litigation as a result of > trying to market their inaccessible devices to students and to make such > equipment a necessary part of that course completion. This violated the > Americans with Disabilities act. Both Amazon and the institution involved > were found in violation and required to make recompense under the law. For > this reason, they should not be allowed the exemption. > > On the face of it, Amazon (and others) seek the exemption so as to > circumvent the law of the land. They also claim that including such > accessibility features would be an onerous cost (which it will not given > Apple Corp's example). Their short sightedness in asking for this exemption > would, in the long run, be far more costly. > > Thus, I request that you deny the application for exemption. I request this, > not only for myself, but also as a member of 3 major organizations for the > blind here in the US (the National Federation of the Blind, The American > Council of the Blind and Lion's Club International). The current estimated > population in the US that suffers Print Disabilities (such as visual > impairment, dyslexia and some other related issues) exceeds more than 50 > million individuals in all population age groups. This, gentlemen, is a > non-trivial percentage of the population of the U.S. We cannot allow Amazon > (and others) to deny us the basic right to read with whatever method we can > use (be it Braille, Audio or other means not listed here). > > Thank you for your consideration. > > -- > 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 macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > 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 macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
