[Nfb-science] Equation Editor Letter

[John Miller]

Hello.  This is John Miller.  I am asking each of you to write a letter to
Microsoft requesting that the Microsoft Office Equation Editor be made
accessible to the blind.  Please send a signed copy of the letter to
Microsoft and to me.  I have drafted a template letter which I have
attached.  Please personalize the letter and talk about yourself and your
Background; this would replace the first two paragraphs that talks about me
and my background.  Text of draft letter follows:

Bill Gates
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399

Dear Mr. Gates,

My name is John Miller, and I am President of the Science and Engineering
Division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest
organization of blind persons in the United States. The goal of my division
is to further the success of blind persons in scientifically related
professions.

I have worked as a blind engineer for twelve years.  I received my Bachelor
of Science and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford
University and my Ph.D. in the same field from the University of California,
San Diego.  At the telecommunications company where I work, it is my
responsibility to author high level design documents and review similar
documents prepared by others.  The majority of these documents are required
to be written in the Equation Editor.  I require sighted assistance to have
access to these documents.  However, I should be able to perform my work
independently.  Other programs do allow use by blind individuals.  For
example, Matlab is a simulation program from the University of Waterloo,
Canada, which permits math and science students to graph complex
mathematical equations, as well as perform other mathematical modeling
tasks.  Matlab is fully accessible to blind users, and blind students, using
Matlab, the blind can perform their work without sighted assistance.

I am writing to you to request your help in finding a solution to a
significant problem facing the blind community.  Currently, Microsoft's Word
Equation Editor provides no access or viable work around for its blind
users.  Because Microsoft's Word Equation Editor is considered to be the
"gold standard" for authoring mathematical documents in many industries, its
lack of accessibility presents a formidable challenge for blind scientists
and engineers working as professionals in technical fields.

Blind individuals who enter the fields of science, math, or engineering face
major challenges because they have no access to the Equation Editor.
Combine this with the fact that the number of unemployed or under-employed
blind persons in the US is about 70%, along with the fact that many would-be
blind scientists are overcome with the challenges of making tools others
take for granted usable, and it becomes easy to see how the Equation
Editor's inaccessibility becomes a real stumbling block for the nation's
blind tech professionals.

Blind individuals should be able to create, edit, and review equations
independently.  Reviewing equations would include reading them with speech
or refreshable braille and sending them to a braille printer for hard copy
output.

As a well recognized leader in technology, Microsoft needs to create
products that include access for the blind and must not exclude them from
using its products.  Microsoft needs to work to ensure a minority group like
the blind community does not get shut out of education and the work place
because of lack of access.  Microsoft needs to partner with the blind
community to find a solution to these pressing and important issues.  Please
share your plan for resolving this problem with me.  Please also contact
John Miller, who is a member of the National Federation of the Blind and is
the President of the Science and Engineering Division.  You can contact John
Miller at jmiller at ucsd.edu or 858-527-1727.  

Sincerely,

John Miller