[vip_students] Amazon Doesn’t Want to Allow Disabled People to Use Its E-Readers
- From: "[NCBI] Support" <support@xxxxxxx>
- To: <vip_students@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:02:50 +0100
Amazon Doesn’t Want to Allow Disabled People to Use Its E-Readers
* by Kristina Chew <http://www.care2.com/causes/author/autismvox>
* August 21, 2013
* (care2)
Amazon, Sony and other companies are petitioning the Federal Communications
Commission
<http://gigaom.com/2013/08/07/amazon-kobo-and-sony-petition-fcc-to-exempt-e-readers-from-accessibility-laws/>
to be permanently exempt
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7022314526> from federal
accessibility laws for individuals with disabilities
<http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/08/14/sony-amazon-accessibility/18514/> .
E-readers, according to a letter they sent earlier this year, are “barebones
devices” made for only one purpose, reading text, and therefore should not have
to be fully accessible to the blind.
Under the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act
<http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/twenty-first-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-0>
, which President Obama signed into law in 2010, equipment that is “used for
advanced communications services [ACS], including end user equipment” must be
“accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.” Manufacturers who
are not in compliance with the law can be forced to do so by the government.
Including features to make e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader
and the Kobo Glo accessible to the blind would make the devices carry a higher
price tag. Cost is not the main reason that Amazon and the other companies cite
in their letter, though.
Rather, they base their request on the current legal distinction between an
e-reader and a tablet. E-readers, the manufacturers contend, have “purposeful
hardware limitations” — stripped down browsers, insufficient capacity to
display videos, no capacity to generate audio output — that makes them distinct
from tablets. Nothing less than the “fundamental nature” of an e-reader would
be changed if they included more features.
The suit even argues that “many view the absence of robust communication tools
on e-readers as a welcome break from distraction rather than as a limitation.”
The requirement to make devices accessible to individuals with disabilities
would, says the suit, “convert e-readers into something they are not: a general
purpose device.”
The FCC is soliciting public comments
<http://www.fcc.gov/document/petition-waiver-access-acs-services-and-equipment-0>
on the matter through Sept. 3.
Chris Danielsen, the director of public relations for the National Federation
of the Blind, urges Amazon and other manufacturers to do the right thing
<http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-08/amazon-and-sony-dont-want-to-build-e-readers-for-the-blind>
and “make the devices accessible because you have to. They’re not just being
used for pleasure reading; they are being used for education.”
Amazon is in fact giving hundreds of schools that have agreed to use its
devices a bulk discount
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/17/us-amazon-education-idUSBRE89G0UR20121017>
and has created software <https://whispercast.amazon.com/> that would allow
teachers to manage students using them.
Amazon is certainly seeking to have its devices used in educational settings.
That’s all the more reason that it and other manufacturers must make their
devices accessible as under federal law
<http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100629.html> ,
devices used in educational settings must be accessible to those with visual
impairments.
Apple’s iPads have found many uses among individuals with disabilities
<http://www.care2.com/causes/voting-via-ipad-makes-election-day-accessible.html>
precisely because they can be adapted to suit their needs
<http://www.care2.com/causes/thank-you-steve-jobs-ipads-and-autism.html> .
Built into Apple’s mobile devices is an application called VoiceOver, which
makes it possible for users to control devices with simple gestures and to hear
what is written simply by touching the screen. There are also a number of
Bluetooth-powered braille readers for mobile devices and Android is seeking to
develop similar features.
As Danielson points out
<http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-08/amazon-and-sony-dont-want-to-build-e-readers-for-the-blind>
, Amazon, Sony and Kobo are also seeking a permanent ruling about e-readers,
devices that have only been available for a few years. “We don’t know what
features the market will demand, or what manufacturers will ultimately provide
through these devices,” he says
<http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-08/amazon-and-sony-dont-want-to-build-e-readers-for-the-blind>
.
The argument that Amazon and other manufacturers are making rests on semantic
distinctions. The reality is that they are splitting hairs to avoid complying
with federal law and showing little regard for individuals with disabilities.
As disability rights advocates point out, one day most of us will have
disabilities, including possibly visual and hearing impairments. Amazon and
other manufacturers must make devices that any and everyone can use.
Tell the FCC
<http://www.thepetitionsite.com/921/344/533/tell-the-fcc-that-all-e-readers-must-be-accessible-to-the-disabled/>
not to make e-readers manufactured by Amazon, Sony and Kobo exempt from
accessibility laws! E-readers must be accessible
<http://www.thepetitionsite.com/921/344/533/tell-the-fcc-that-all-e-readers-must-be-accessible-to-the-disabled/>
to individuals with disabilities.
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