The members of my family have been Amazon customers for years and I use a Kindle device.  I was shocked to read press releases by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) noting that the new Kindle Fire is not accessible to people with vision loss.  How can this happen again?

Dr. Marc Maurer of the NFB said, “Blind Americans have repeatedly asked Amazon to include accessibility for the blind in its Kindle product line.  The feasibility of including accessibility in similar products has been demonstrated.”  He went on to say, “We condemn this latest action by Amazon and reiterate that we will not tolerate technological discrimination.”

Arizona State University, concerned about the costs of textbooks, began a pilot program in 2009 to provide Kindles to students.  The NFB and the American Council of the Blind sought an injunction to prevent ASU from moving forward, as the device that they had chosen lacked features that would allow a blind person to select a title or have a book read aloud.  ASU reached a settlement through the Department of Justice in 2010 and agreed to pull the plug on the program.

Kindle took the issue to heart, and in July of 2010, the NFB issued another release.  This one commended Amazon for including a voice guide with the new Kindle that would read all menu options aloud.  Good for them!

The move was not without its critics.  The Authors Guild pressured Amazon into allowing publishers and authors the ability to turn off the text-to-speech feature for select titles, as the Kindle 2 was not in a position to pay for audio rights.  The Authors Guild makes a handsome penny by representing those selling audio books.

Darren Burton writes a blog for AFB, and his comments on October 5^th, 2011, point out that Apple has done quite well with devices and apps that are quite suitable for people with vision loss who are “eager to read”.

The people of the blind community have been through this again and again with the Kindle.  We asked for a device and we got one.  The next generation was not accessible and we howled.  Amazon responded, and we rewarded their actions by purchasing their products and services.  Advocacy groups commended them.

It is a shame that the newest version of the Kindle is inaccessible.  1 in 3 households in the U.S. is impacted by disability.  We are over 500 million worldwide.  The Internet has opened many opportunities and improved the quality of life for many of us, but we still face barriers.  It is not just us.  How many of our aging population are now coping with vision impairments?  Can any organization afford to turn its back on this audience?

Amazon is a wonderful company, and I’m sure that they’ll eventually make the Kindle Fire accessible.  Wouldn’t it be nice if accessibility became a standard part of their design process?  It sends a mixed message when they give it and then take it away, then give it and then take it away.  Why not just make it accessible from the beginning?  We want to buy your products.   You just need to give us a chance to use them.

Debra Ruh is a member of the VABLN Board of Directors

Written by VABLN

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