f We want to play on the same level field as non disabled people. Why
should we expect more than that?
How does Microsoft and Google stack up against Apple? WHne the first
iPhone came out, I had no idea that eventually it could be made
accessible. It blows my mind that I bought a mainstream iPhone 5 and
turned it into a totally accessible device...withOUT having to pay for
added accessibility no less. The same for the Mac which i bought last
year. What a surprise, I do not have to pay extra for accessibilty! What
the hell is wrong with that picture? A mainstream company that builds in
total accessibilty!? They are out of their minds!
But yet, we are no less prone to imperfections. Apple perhaps can
do better but why don't we lobby to bring Steve Jobs back to life?
(smiles) I am too damn pragmatic sometimes.
From The Believer. . .
. . . what if it were true?
ancient.ali...@icloud.com
On 10/19/2014 4:09 PM, Pamela Francis wrote:
In the answer to a couple of your questions, ask for a company making their products usable by the disabled, do you or do you not remember what sharp did for us with talking clocks and calculators? Do you also know that Panasonic makes optional talking caller ID in its cordless phones? For years swans foods offered all of their catalogs in braille along with their cooking directions as one could also read on their boxes. It is not unreasonable or pompous to expect to be treated the same as anyone else in the same store paying the same money for the same product. If you consider that pompous, you must be living with your parents who do everything for you. I do not. I've lived away from my family since 1974, then married, raise two children and have four grandchildren. I've been through the times where we didn't as much as have digital readings on elevators or braille on hotel room doors. I travel anywhere I want to go, do anything I want to do. I do not expect special treatment.
I ask for what I need.
Pam Francis
On Oct 19, 2014, at 5:10 PM, The Believer <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote:
That is a first. The general public now dictates what the disabled public
gets? Apple develops products for the mainstream market...and they also have
enabled these same products to be usable by the disabled. Can amy other
comppany claim that?
We all can walk into any Apple store along with the sighted general public
and buy the same products they do and use the same products alongside them.
And if we have an issue with our product, we can walk into any Apple store
or cal their toll free number and get the same assistance.
Why should we expect any different treatment? Because we are blind? That,
IMO, is shortsightedness and perhaps even pompous. It certainly will not get
one very far.
No one is glossing over anything. On the other hand, some are over the top
downright unreasonable.
From The Believer. . .
. . . what if it were true?
ancient.ali...@icloud.com
On 10/19/2014 2:02 PM, Pamela Francis wrote:
Hi,
I'm normally not one to complain for the sake of complaining. I am a realist. I
know that we as a market are a minority within Apple's customer base. I will
give them credit where it's due. They did take the lead in accessibility.
However, mainstream society has caught on to the fact that Apple products are
accessible to blind people. That in itself is a double edge sword. None of us
want to be put into a corner and told what is good for us by our cited peers.
we want general society to except what we can use on its own merit showing
them we can use products that they can use. there are still those who think
that Apple products are simply all we can use. It's an all or nothing statement
within the cited community as much as it is within our community. If that same
statement is made with an aside a community, no one gripes. However if we say
anything, we're complaining. Apple has become aware of what the cited community
believes it's capable of doing for us, therefore they have
become lackadaisical forcing us to settle for whatever they throw at us, as it
has been within Windows another third-party screen readers. If I go in to the
grocery store and purchase what is supposed to be a complete packaged product,
get it home find out it isn't, take it back to the store; am I complaining
because I can't see? I don't think so.
What I'm getting at by this rant is if there is a given feature supported by a given manufacturer that is designed for us or any other accessibility community, it should be fully featured and attended to with the same fervor as is done for the majority of its customer base. The fact that they maintain an accessibility line within itself on its face is a good thing. However, if those people truly have no say as to how things are done, are they there only for lipservice? I'm not willing to walk into a store, pay the same price for a product that my cited peers do and not have a right to complain about its functionality whether it's for me or for my cited peers. We as a blind community for too many years have been told we had to settle for second place. In many cases prior to the Internet we didn't have a means to communicate with people are issues, therefore we were forced to settle. That is no longer the case. To those who choose to regale the things that Apple does without being
w
illing to admit apples faults, you are hurting all of us. Take that for what
it's worth.
Pam Francis
On Oct 19, 2014, at 2:23 PM, The Believer <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote:
I did not have a disastrous experience. I had just gotten a new Macbook with
Mountain Lion and Mavericks came out shortly after that. And history repeats
itself today with Yosemite.
There were many complaints about Mavericks. Meanwhile, I worked with ML,
trying to forget Windows. Finally I upgraded to Mavericks about a month ago!
(smiles)
I am still learning to use the Mac but it may not take me as long to move to
Yosemite. Maybe a month? I will install iOS 8 at the same time but not intil
both are better behaved.
From The Believer. . .
. . . what if it were true?
ancient.ali...@icloud.com
On 10/19/2014 12:15 PM, Christine Grassman wrote:
I agree. While I would stop short of placing Apple on a pedestal, as no one or
company is worthy of that level of responsibility, I am realistic about the
varying preferences and needs of a customer base consisting of millions of
people, and I am steadfastly grateful for Apple and its integral part in
allowing me to complete the essential tasks of my job and to enjoy much of what
my sighted peers enjoy on a reasonably equitable playing field out of the box.
I intend to write to Apple as someone who continues to appreciate its devices
and software a great deal, and urge it not to forget little me and those like
me.
I think any "absolutist" or all-or-nothing statements do no good.
I decided after a disastrous experience with Mavericks when it was first
released that I would never again update immediately after a first release. I
am anxious to avail myself of continuity, hand off, iBooks, and answering calls
on my MacBook, but I can wait. I know for a fact that a VoiceOver lag will
bother me in the extreme, and the very first thing I did was read Applevis's
article on the bugs, even though I had no intention of updating right away. I
am currently content, and I await Yosemite's evolution.
Christine
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