Posted on 01/14/2010 9:11:32 AM PST by rellimpank
Arizona State University has made a deal with the Justice Department to stop using popular electronic readers like the Kindle until they are made functional for the blind.
ASU is one of three universities participating in a pilot program that gave Kindles to students to see how they would work -- as opposed to actual books -- in the classroom.
The program started in May of 2009 and by June two different groups representing the blind got all butt-hurt and filed a lawsuit claiming that by using the devices, the universities were violating the Americans With Disabilities Act because they weren't easy for the blind to use.
Funny thing is that if the universities just kept the program a little hush-hush, the blind probably never would have known they were doing it. It's not like they can see students using Kindles.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com ...
If one is crippled, all must be crippled.
And paper books are easier for the blind to use?
that sounds like a joke
Somebody help me out here. Ok, what do they give blind people in lieu of the regular textbooks? So, why can’t they just keep the status quo for the blind students and allow everyone else to use Kindles. They’re at no more of an disadvantage than they were before.
Well, there are keypads in braille on the DRIVE-THRU banking machines...
So if a blind person can’t use them then nobody can? Nice. Idiots.
this cannot possibly be serious
Counting down the time till the Justice Dept. goes after the automakers for not offering braille steering wheels and dashboards.
—in the same league as Braille at bank drive-up auto-tellers—
yep...the Justice dept is focused on things like this, while they bury things like voter intimidation by one of 0bama’s prefered community organizing groups
I guess then ZZ Top would have to drop “Arrested for Driving While Blind” from their set list.
So are regular textbooks also banned?
Aren’t “pilot programs” supposed to be used to see how things would work out? As such wouldn’t they be exempt, since the program would expose the short comings such as “accessability issues” ?
Rhetorical questions.
“Well, there are keypads in braille on the DRIVE-THRU banking machines...”
I hope there is a cop stationed at them and arrest anyone using one!!!!
They’ll be making the road sings in braille soon.
“And paper books are easier for the blind to use?”
Are TVs and video monitors banned as well?
sings = signs. I’m dylxseic today.
To introduce a note of levity here:
I went to a resort recently on my Harley and was invited to park my bike up a little ramp against a pillar.
A guest in a wheelchair complained bitterly about me doing that and threatened to have me fined, even though the ramp was not marked as a wheelchair ramp and led to nowhere in particular, except smack dab INTO the pillar.
But it was ENOUGH that it was a RAMP, and THEREFORE it BELONGED to the handicapped. LOL.
I love the people at the resort and go there frequwntly, so I moved the bike, but SHEESH!
Interestingly stupid. My son will go blind at some point in his life (genetics) and I bought him a Kindle 2 Christmases ago. Actually it was supposed to be a family gift - but he absconded with it and does ask when he wants to download another book. He loves the way the Kindle can “read” to him, and the capability of the Kindle to adjust font size depending on how tired his eyes are. He usually goes through several books a week - this can get quite costly and room consuming - so the Kindle kills many birds with one stone (just wish I could eat those birds - might be quite tasty).
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