[A2k] US DOJ Says Kindle In Classroom Hurts Blind Students

[Jeffrey A. Williams]

All,

  See: http://yro.slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&type=story&sid=10/01/13/2159231
http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
angry tapir writes "Three US universities will stop promoting the use
of Amazon.com's Kindle DX e-book reader in classrooms after complaints
that the device http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/332405
doesn't give blind students equal access to information. Settlements
with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in
New York City and Reed College in Portland, Oregon, were announced
Wednesday by the US Department of Justice. The National Federation
of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind had complained
that use of the Kindle devices discriminates against students with
vision problems."

  Glad to see that the DOJ's influence regarding this issue finnaly
had a very positive result.  some kudo's IMO should go to members
of the A2K list, Paul Lehto, Eric Dierker, and his daughter at berkley
where a group of those students helped lead the charge.

  But this is only a set of small first steps, perhaps the facility
at Berkley and other universities that currently are contracted or
used Kindle's product will in similar fashion and in good example
as well as principal, follow suit.

  This said, Kindle has a new positive role and challange, that being
improving Kindle so that blind students can benifit equally from their
product as many have suggested, including myself.  Of course I am not
holding my breath in waiting on them to do so...

Respectful regards,

Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 294k members/stakeholders and growing, strong!)
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