[A2k] Fwd: Blind Groups Sue ASU flor Kindle Use

Fri Jun 26 19:04:26 2009

Seth and all,

  Now this is a far better legal strategy.  I am however sorry to see
that ASU is their first attempt yet wish them luck anyway.  Perhaps
after a series of these types discrimination cases, Amazon and the IP
lobby
will get the message that such discrimination is not expectable.

  I got to believe that Amazon and others in their segment of the
industry are starting to feel the heat.  Perhaps the ACLU will also
start on this legal strategy along with EFF.  I am also surprised
that the AARP has not seen fit to take this obvious form of discrimination

head on as well...

Seth Johnson wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Pattison <srp@internode.on.net>
> To: Access L <access-l@access-l.com>, VIP L <vip-l@softspeak.com.au>
> Cc:
> Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:10:40 +1000
> Subject: [Access-l] National Federation of the Blind and American
> Council of the Blind File Discrimination Suit Against Arizona State Un
>
>  From:    Freeh, Jessica JFreeh@nfb.org
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> CONTACT:
>
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> National Federation of the Blind
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> cdanielsen@nfb.org
>
> National Federation of the Blind and American Council of the Blind
> File Discrimination Suit Against Arizona State University
>
> University=92s Amazon Kindle DX Pilot Program Discriminates Against the
> Blind
>
> Baltimore, Maryland (June 25, 2009): The National
> Federation of the Blind (NFB) and the American
> Council of the Blind (ACB) filed suit today
> against Arizona State University (ASU) to prevent
> the university from deploying Amazon=92s Kindle DX
> electronic reading device as a means of
> distributing electronic textbooks to its students
> because the device cannot be used by blind
> students.  Darrell Shandrow, a blind ASU student,
> is also a named plaintiff in the action.  The
> Kindle DX features text-to-speech technology that
> can read textbooks aloud to blind students.  The
> menus of the device are not accessible to the
> blind, however, making it impossible for a blind
> user to purchase books from Amazon=92s Kindle
> store, select a book to read, activate the
> text-to-speech feature, and use the advanced
> reading functions available on the Kindle DX.  In
> addition to ASU, five other institutions of
> higher education are deploying the Kindle DX as
> part of a pilot project to assess the role of
> electronic textbooks and reading devices in the
> classroom.  The NFB and ACB have also filed
> complaints with the Office for Civil Rights of
> the U.S. Department of Education and the Civil
> Rights Division of the U.S. Department of
> Justice, asking for investigations of these five
> institutions, which are: Case Western Reserve
> University, the Darden School of Business at the
> University of Virginia, Pace University,
> Princeton University, and Reed College.  The
> lawsuit and complaints allege violations of the
> Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of
> 1973.
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
> Federation of the Blind, said: =93Given the
> highly-advanced technology involved, there is no
> good reason that Amazon=92s Kindle DX device should
> be inaccessible to blind students.  Amazon could
> have used the same text-to-speech technology that
> reads e-books on the device aloud to make its
> menus accessible to the blind, but it chose not
> to do so.  Worse yet, six American higher
> education institutions that are subject to
> federal laws requiring that they not discriminate
> against students with disabilities plan to deploy
> this device, even though they know that it cannot
> be used by blind students.  The National
> Federation of the Blind will not tolerate this
> unconscionable discrimination against and callous
> indifference to the right of blind students to
> receive an equal education.  We hope that this
> situation can be rectified in a manner that
> allows this exciting new reading technology to be
> made available to blind and sighted students alike.=94
>
> Darrell Shandrow, a blind student pursuing a
> degree in journalism at ASU, said: =93Not having
> access to the advanced reading features of the
> Kindle DX=ADincluding the ability to download books
> and course materials, add my own bookmarks and
> notes, and look up supplemental information
> instantly on the Internet when I encounter it in
> my reading=ADwill lock me out of this new
> technology and put me and other blind students at
> a competitive disadvantage relative to our
> sighted peers.  While my peers will have instant
> access to their course materials in electronic
> form, I will still have to wait weeks or months
> for accessible texts to be prepared for me, and
> these texts will not provide the access and
> features available to other students.  That is
> why I am standing up for myself and with other
> blind Americans to end this blatant discrimination.=94
>
> Regards Steve
> Email:  srp@internode.on.net
> MSN Messenger:  internetuser383@hotmail.com
> Skype:  steve1963
>
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Regards,

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