[vi-kindle] Re: Amazon, Why Do You Keep Burning Blind Readers?

  • From: "Amy Ruell" <aruell@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <vi-kindle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:55:54 -0500

Hello,
The Barnes and Noble Nook app is accessible, although the device is not.
The issue with Amazon goes beyond pleasure reading. Now they want to put it
in the k-12 schools, which is an issue because the current accessibility
provided on the Kindle keyboard does not allow navigation by page,
character, word, etc., and does not allow a student to look up items in the
dictionary, make annotations, and use other features accessible to sighted
students. Also, there is no facility allowing connection to a braile
display.


-----Original Message-----
From: vi-kindle-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vi-kindle-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of kb7uengene
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 11:46 AM
To: vi-kindle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vi-kindle] Re: Amazon, Why Do You Keep Burning Blind Readers?

Well, technically they've done that with the Kindle for PC app with the
accessibility plug-in.  If they took that app and matched it feature for
feature with the hardware based Kindle 3/keyboard, I don't know that there
would be much the blind community could argue about because Amazon would
just turn around and say that they've made the Kindle accessible through the
Kindle for PC app.  But also, why isn't anyone concerned about the Barnes &
Noble Nook Being accessible?

On Dec 14, 2012, at 10:25 AM, "Larry Lumpkin" <llumpkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

No, the kindle products just plain need to be accessible.

-----Original Message-----
From: vi-kindle-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vi-kindle-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of kb7uengene
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 10:18 AM
To: vi-kindle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vi-kindle] Re: Amazon, Why Do You Keep Burning Blind Readers?

Well, that's why I also mentioned the iPod touch, the Kindle for PC app with
accessibility plug-in, and the Kindle for Mac app as well, which Needs the
accessibility plug-in added to it.  And then there's the notetakers
developed for people, who are blind and visually impaired, which most of us
already have on hand, such as the Pacmate line of products,
Braillenote/Voicenote line of products, Braillesense/Voicesense line of
products, and so on, which Kindle and Nook Apps could be developed for.
With the Kindle and Nook apps, you would pretty much have access to all the
Ebook Content you can think of.  Or add Kindle and Nook file format support
to the Daisy readers that are already built into these notetakers.  There
are lots of ways this Issue could all be approached and done a lot easier
than it is now. - Gene

On Dec 14, 2012, at 9:44 AM, "Sherry Gomes" <sherriola@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Um, not all of us use an iPhone or iPad. I do, but why should people be
forced to use an expensive smart phone just to have access to a kindle app?
My best friend has no desire to have a smart phone, but he does like his
kindle keyboard.



-----Original Message-----
From: vi-kindle-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vi-kindle-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of kb7uengene
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 8:27 AM
To: vi-kindle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vi-kindle] Re: Amazon, Why Do You Keep Burning Blind Readers?

I know I'm going to get crap for making this statement, but I'm going to say
it anyway.  I still don't understand why Amazon is bothering to make the
Fire accessible in the first place when they could simply rely on all the
hard work Apple put into making their iOS devices accessible.  All Amazon
really needs to do is make their Kindle for iOS app, Kindle for PC app with
accessibility plug-in, and finally Kindle for Mac app, accessible so they
match up feature for feature with the Kindle 3/keyboard
hardware/firmware-based e-reader line of devices.  In essence, Amazon is
making a lot more work for themselves creating their own voice navigation
and screen reader for android-based hardware with their very proprietary
skin over the top of it.  Personally I think NFB demonstration the other day
in front of Amazon was a complete waste of time because the people raising a
stink about accessibility on the Kindle have lost sight of, pardon the pun,
of what's really important here.   It isn't about the hardware itself,
that's not important, it's about accessibility and being able to do the
things you want to do just like everyone else does and takes for granted
while they are doing it.  An iPhone and or an iPod touch with the
recommendations I mentioned above would completely replicate either a Kindle
keyboard with Wi-Fi or a Kindle keyboard with Wi-Fi and 3G.  So my big
question to everyone is why are you all asking Amazon go the long hard way
around to make the Kindle accessible rather than doing it the simple way by
making only the Kindle for iOS app and Kindle for Mac app accessible so that
you get what you want sooner rather than later?  Remember the iPhone and the
iPod touch can easily fit in a small pocket, you try doing that with Kindle
keyboard. - Gene

On Dec 14, 2012, at 7:36 AM, "Russ Kiehne" <russ94577@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Doing some research, I found the following from NFB.  I can't see buying a
Kindle Fire at this point in time.  I'll continue to use my Kindle Keyboard
to reae Kindle books.

Amazon, Why Do You Keep Burning Blind Readers?
Submitted by cvangerven on Fri, 12/07/2012 - 13:00 Blog Date:
Friday, December 7, 2012
By Amy Mason

According to ZDNet and Engadget the Kindle Fire will be getting Explore by
Touch and Voice Guide to provide accessibility features to blind and
visually impaired customers.
These features were first introduced in Google's Android, Ice Cream Sandwich
operating system. (This is the basis of the OS for the Kindle Fire and Fire
HD which has been heavily skinned by Amazon for the device.)  Google has
since released Jelly Bean which has improved markedly on accessibility.  If
this were Amazon's only weakness, an out-of-date OS, I would be
disappointed, but I would understand. This is not, however, Amazon's only
problem.
Their weakness instead, appears to be a disregard for the wishes of its
blind consumers.
Blind people want Kindle books. We want them badly enough that I know
several blind people who have chosen to buy the Kindle Keyboard, despite
being unable to do anything more than start and stop text-to-speech on their
books.  The PC edition (with accessibility plug-in) is slightly better.  If
a user is willing to sit at a PC, they can read by navigational elements as
small as a sentence at a time, and as large as a page (seriously, you have
to sit at the computer and turn every page.  What a thrilling way to read a
book!) I hear a few of you saying, "Ok, Amy, so you are upset about the
past, but now Amazon is offering this additional accessibility in the Fire".
I am sorry to disappoint you, but for all intents and purposes it did not
improve on their existing efforts.
We purchased a Kindle Fire HD, and received it last Friday.  We read on
Amazon's website that there were accessibility features, so we felt that we
had to do our due diligence and test their work. First of all, when you get
the device, you have to have a sighted person turn on the accessibility
features because there is no way for a blind person to turn them on
independently.
Secondly, access is limited to the device settings, the collection of books
in a user's library, the primary navigation buttons (back, home, and more)
and allowing you to start and stop text-to-speech on a book.  A sighted
reader on this tablet has the capability to browse the Web, play music, play
audio books, download and read magazines and newspapers, buy Android apps,
read e-mail, view documents (this ay be accessible, I didn't get a chance to
check), browse photos, voice chat, and read books.  We are limited to access
to the settings, navigating our library, and using the digitized speech
equivalent of a cassette tape.  We can play and pause speech, and it will
read continuously, just like on the Kindle Keyboard, but we cannot navigate
accessibly.  No headings, paragraphs, pages, sentences, words or characters
can be distinguished, nor can you go back accessibly. Tables of contents and
social media integration are likewise unavailable to blind users.
We were concerned by these conclusions, and decided that perhaps we were
missing some details, so we called the company. (Accessibility was a very
small part of the help page after all.)  We spoke with two different
customer service reps, and indeed, the reps verified that yes, this is the
extent of the accessibility of the device.
It is hard to see the accessibility features in the Kindle Fire as a gesture
of goodwill.
Amazon is familiar enough with what true accessibility looks like, both
directly from us, from the work their competition has done, and even from
the screen access packages it requires to allow a PC user to read with text
to speech on a computer.
It cannot claim ignorance when Google, Apple, and Microsoft all offer far
more accessible devices (they all have their problems, but let's be honest,
these guys are all making a legitimate effort.). Furthermore, both the iPad
and the Nexus 7 are confirmed to offer accessible eReaders from other
creators (several of which can be used with Braille) while no access to
Kindle books is available on any of these platforms.
Amazon needs to stop burning blind readers with these half-hearted attempts
at accessibility in all versions of the Kindle, including the Fire. What is
needed now is for it to implement real accessibility, rather than expecting
blind readers to accept a cassette tape equivalent in an era of
multi-purpose tablets.








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