[Blindtlk] Fwd: Winners Announced for 2007 BlindBargains.com Access Awards

[David Andrews]

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>Please forward where appropriate. Thank you.
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>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
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>Media Contact: J.J. Meddaugh
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>Phone: (989) 284-7915
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>Email: <mailto:info at blindbargains.com>info at blindbargains.com
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>WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN FIRST EVER BLINDBARGAINS.COM ACCESS AWARDS
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>HUMANWARE, SENDERO AMONG TOP RECIPIENTS
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>Kalamazoo, Mi, January 23, 2008 — After weeks of 
>nominations and hundreds of votes, 
>BlindBargains.com has announced the winners of 
>the first ever Blind Bargains Access Awards. The 
>accolades are being handed out to companies and 
>individuals in ten categories and represent the 
>best in accessible hardware, software, and design.
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>Taking top honors was Humanware’s Victor Reader 
>Stream, winning both the Best New Product or 
>Innovation and Best Hardware Product. The audio 
>book player was recognized by many as a 
>breakthrough product and also propelled 
>Humanware to the honor of best Company of 2007. 
>The stream is the first commercially-available 
>device to play the new digital book format 
>provided by the National Library Service.
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>Sendero Group also has attracted a following, 
>winning in the Best Software category for its 
>popular Sendero GPS product. The latest version 
>of the package includes faster route 
>calculations and descriptive audio points of 
>interest. One of the instrumental figures behind 
>Sendero’s success, Charles La Pierre, was also 
>recognized as 2007’ Person of the Year.
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>“We were thrilled at the level of participation 
>and interest our users showed in this contest,” 
>commented site owner J.J. Meddaugh. Well over 
>100 ballots were processed during the contest, 
>which included both write-in nomination and voting rounds.
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>Freedom Scientific’s JAWS for Windows continues 
>to be the screen access product of choice 
>according to the site’s users while Blind 
>Adrenaline Simulations’ Rail Racer took the 
>honor for Best Accessible Game in this year’s tightest race.
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>The awards also recognized the contributions by 
>webmasters, bloggers, and online retailers to 
>the blind community. Dean Martineau’s popular 
>Top Tech Tidbits Repository was voted as Best 
>Blindness-related Website while APH’s Fred’s 
>Head Companion took the honor for Best 
>Blindness-related Blog. Both resources include a 
>wide variety of knowledge, information, and 
>links to relevant and interesting information. 
>Finally, Independent Living Aids was recognized 
>as the Best Store for Blindness-related 
>Products. The retailer sells hundreds of items 
>from talking watches to playing cards.
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>For a complete list of winners and nominations, 
>visit 
><http://www.blindbargains.com/awardlist07.php>http://www.blindbargains.com/awardlist07.php
>
>
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>BlindBargains.com is a premier online 
>destination featuring news, deals, and articles 
>relevant to the blind and visually impaired. 
>Visitors can find the lowest prices for 
>assistive technology and other useful hardware 
>and software through the site, Email, or RSS. 
>Other site features include user forums, an EBay 
>Auction Gateway, and a merchant search portal.
>
>J.J.
><http://www.BlindBargains.com>www.BlindBargains.com
>Deals, news, and resources for the blind and visually impaired