[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Comments on Amazon Kindle App
Freeh, Jessica
JFreeh at nfb.org
Thu May 2 07:59:38 UTC 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
<mailto:Cdanielsen at nfb.org>Cdanielsen at nfb.org
National Federation of the Blind Comments on Amazon Kindle App
Baltimore, Maryland (May 1, 2013): <http://www.nfb.org>The National
Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for
access to technology and education for the blind, commented today on
Amazon's incorporation of new accessibility features into its
application for the iPhone and other devices using Apple's iOS
operating system.
Dr. Marc Maurer, president of <http://www.twitter.com/NFB_voice>the
National Federation of the Blind, said: "We are pleased that Amazon
has taken advantage of the inherent accessibility of Apple products
and Apple's clear guidelines for creating accessible applications by
finally releasing a version of its Kindle app that allows blind
readers to access Kindle content on Apple devices. Continued
improvement of this app is needed, however, in order to make it
appropriate for use in educational settings, and Amazon must also
make its Kindle devices fully accessible. Amazon should also make
its future software, devices, and content available to the blind when
these products are released to the general public rather than
implementing accessibility at an unspecified later time. Today's app
release is a significant step on the journey to full access to Kindle
content by the blind, but that journey is not over, and the National
Federation of the Blind will not rest until its completion."
The National Federation of the Blind has advocated for full access to
Kindle devices and Kindle e-books since Amazon introduced the
Kindle. Most recently, NFB members staged
<https://nfb.org/kindle-books#Protest>an informational protest in
front of Amazon's Seattle headquarters to explain why Kindle e-books
should not be used in schools because they do not provide equal
access to all of the same information and features by both blind and
sighted students. For more information on this issue, please visit
<http://www.nfb.org/kindle-books>http://www.nfb.org/kindle-books.
###
About the National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest,
and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind
people in the United States. Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for
the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops
innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide
the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to
become independent and successful. We need your support. To make a
donation, please go to <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org/attachments/20130502/b4805e38/attachment.html>
More information about the NFBNet-Members-List
mailing list