[gui-talk] A glitch in the righteous posture? (was Reading RightsCoalition Denounces Random House)

[David Andrews]

Andy:

Ajmazon has said that they intend to make the Kindle accessible to 
the blind, so it isn't for nothing that we are doing this -- and your 
organization has signed on too.

Dave

At 01:17 PM 5/21/2009, you wrote:
>HURRAH!  HURRAH!  HURRAH!
>
>Finally, the voice of reason.  Here, the blind are leading the charge.
>The charge to nowhere, because the blind can't use the device anyway. I
>began to think that I was somehow teleported to another planet, or had
>lost my mind.
>
>Andy
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>On Behalf Of Joel Deutsch
>Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 9:00 AM
>To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List
>Subject: [gui-talk] A glitch in the righteous posture? (was Reading
>RightsCoalition Denounces Random House)
>
>I have seen a lot of discussion on this issue about the Amazon Kindle
>and the juggling of copyright law in regard to speech output. I don't
>wish to address the legal issues, either from the copyright side or the
>ADA side.
>But what I do wonder, repeatedly, is what all this can matter,
>practically speaking, for someone like me lacking central (macular)
>vision or totally blind, as the controls that allow use of this device
>are said to be inaccessible, I believe because they're touch-screen
>controls and not mechanical buttons whose use can be memorized by an
>enterprising person with a little help from a sighted tutor, meaning a
>friend who will patiently teach the skill.
>
>For whose benefit is protest being made at this point? The partially
>sighted who can read visually given enough text size and contrast, but
>who for some reason can't locate and identify the control buttons? if
>so, I can say fine, no problem. But If the stated objection is without
>regard to the possible ironies and contradictions and, as such, is
>actually just a first step in an anticipated battle to inspire yet a
>further upgrade to the Kindle that will, this time, include
>blind-operable controls, that too I could understand.
>Hassle them about the copyright thing first, then, while they're busy
>fighting the NFB over that, hit them with the control inaccessibility
>thing.
>Never having been entirely serious about the copyright issue while it
>was still moot for practical reasons to do with nonoperability.
>
>Personally, if I were to purchase a Kindle, I'd have to do all my
>reading on it aided by a sighted person who could change the page
>display for me, like the page turner who stands beside the bench of a
>concert pianist as the pianist plays from his or her score. This isn't
>practical for me, as I have neither a slave or a paid assistant. So I
>continue to buy my commercial recorded books from audible. com and play
>the files either on my computer with the Jaws-friendly Audible Manager
>software or on my .mp3 player, which required two people, one blind via
>email and a second sighted and here with me, to teach me how to use well
>enough despite the unit's reliance on a menu window.
>
>I hope I've posed this seeming contradiction clearly enough.
>
>thanks.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>gui-talk mailing list
>gui-talk at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>gui-talk:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/gui-talk_nfbnet.org/andrew.baracco
>%40va.gov
>
>_______________________________________________
>gui-talk mailing list
>gui-talk at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>for gui-talk:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/gui-talk_nfbnet.org/dandrews%40visi.com
>
>
>__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus 
>signature database 4095 (20090521) __________
>
>The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>
>http://www.eset.com