[nabs] Fwd: [announce] FW: Press Release: Inaccessibility of Amazon's Kindle Fire

[Laura Glowacki]

I predicted this a few weeks ago when my roommate told me about the new 
Kindle... I'm sad that i was right.  Amazon has no excuse.  This is just 
beyond ridiculous.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[announce] FW: Press Release: Inaccessibility of Amazon's 
Kindle Fire
Date: 	Tue, 4 Oct 2011 14:39:12 -0400
From: 	Eric Bridges <ebridges at acb.org>
Reply-To: 	Receive timely announcements from ACB <announce at acb.org>
To: 	<leadership at acb.org>, <announce at acb.org>



*For Immediate Release*

Contact: Eric Bridges
Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
American Council of the Blind
Phone: (202) 467-5081
e-mail: ebridges at acb.org <mailto:ebridges at acb.org>

*American Council of the Blind Denounces the Introduction of *

*Amazon's Inaccessible Kindle Fire*

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 4, 2011 -- Last week when Amazon introduced the 
Kindle Fire, it marked yet another product offering that the blind 
community will not be able to use.

Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), 
said, "I had expected that, unlike previous releases of Kindle devices, 
Amazon would have included accessibility to Kindle Fire for people with 
disabilities right from its design phase given the accessibility that 
has been included in similar products that are on the market.Amazon's 
blatant disregard for the blind consumer demonstrates a profound 
arrogance and represents technological discrimination against our 
community."

Pratik Patel, chairman of ACB's Information Access Committee, stated, 
"As a blind consumer who wants access to the nearly one million-book 
Kindle catalog or access to the 10,000-plus instant video selections on 
a mobile device, I must ask why Amazon.com did not pick its underlying 
platform with accessibility in mind. The product undoubtedly went 
through a technical assessment period. Why did the company have the time 
to develop a new browser but not a magnifier or a screen reader?  I am 
forced to conclude that Amazon simply does not care about the blind 
community."

*About the American Council of the Blind *

The American Council of the Blind is the largest consumer-based 
organization of blind and visually impaired Americans advocating for the 
rights of blind Americans. Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across 
the United States, the organization is dedicated to making it possible 
for blind and visually impaired Americans to participate fully in all 
aspects of American society. For more information, visit www.acb.org; 
<http://www.acb.org;> write to American Council of the Blind, 2200 
Wilson Blvd., Suite 650, Arlington, VA 22201; phone (202) 467-5081; or 
fax (703) 465-5085.

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