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US DOJ Says Kindle In Classroom Hurts Blind Students

Posted by timothy on from the harrison-bergeron-please-report-to-the-front-office dept.

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 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."

5 of 492 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Amazon should love this precedent by Avalain · · Score: 5, Informative

    And from TFA...

    "he Kindle DX has the capability to convert text to synthesized speech, but the device does not include text-to-speech functionality for its menu and navigational controls, the DOJ said in a press release. "

  2. Ebooks not the problem, kindle navigation is by spun · · Score: 5, Informative

    I know no one reads the articles, as that would get in the way of the knee-jerking we all love to do. But the article makes it quite clear: the kindle includes a text-to-speech application, but no way for visually impaired folks to navigate. Therefore, the Kindle is not the right choice of e-book reader for institutions such as colleges and universities to promote. It is the Kindle that is unusable by the blind, not the e-books themselves.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  3. Kindle lacks navigation for visually impaired by spun · · Score: 5, Informative

    The problem isn't e-books or readers per-se. The Kindle even includes a text to speech application. But the Kindle lacks a way for visually impaired readers to navigate, and so, it is absolutely useless as it is. All that needs to be done is to tie the user interface into the text to speech application. That's it. Until that very, very simple problem is solved, colleges and universities are correct not to promote the use of this device. A good bit of publicity early on will ensure that all e-book readers in the future have this simple feature.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  4. Nonsense by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You didn't read the FA. The complaint is that the navigation menus etc are not included in the text-to-speech converter.

    --
    Infuriate left and right
  5. Re:Hmm, this seems illogical. by enFi · · Score: 5, Informative

    In fact, such devices exist: the BrailleNote is a portable computer with a Braille 'screen'. Among other things (wireless internet, bluetooth, voice memos, word processing) it e-book reading as a feature. (I have never used one myself - I am sighted, and can barely struggle along in Braille - but a blind friend of mine has one.)