Hello, You are lucky to be working for such a free thinking agency. I am a student in the Netherlands which means I can get a laptop, screenreader and braille display from the state. The mac combined with a handitech braille display would be the cheapest way to go for the government but they are rather inflexible about these things. Greetings, Anouk, On Nov 29, 2009, at 6:25 AM, Rich Ring wrote:
> The reasons that state and Federal agencies are not purchasing as many Macs > as they are Windows machines with screen readers are not simple. Nor are > they a product of some black helicopter United Nations sponsored left wing > conspiracy. I love how individuals bandy about the word socialism, > especially if the given government program is not currently benefiting them. > State and Federal dollars that are to be spent in the rehab field are > usually spent on two general categories of individuals. First, there are > students whose ultimate goal is to gain employment. Second, it is spent on > individuals whose immediate goal is to gain employment. I'd be curious to > know how many individuals who reside in the United States and are on this > mailing list are currently employed in a workplace whare they are using a > Mac? If you are self employed and using a Mac, then you are to be > commended. Most people, including myself, do not possess the intelligence > and the fortitude to successfully pursue such a venture. However, the point > is this. If some one my state agency serves has a good reason for using a > Mac, they will be quite likely to get one. Thus far, we have received only > a handful of such requests. No, we're not going to buy someone a Mac so > that they can tweet, make friends on FaceBook, or download music from > iTunes. If the popularity of the Mac continues to grow, and more work > places adopt it, my state agency will most likely purchase more of them. > However, we don't buy expensive equipment so that people can be entertained. > It is purchased so that individuals can use it to obtain work. > And while we're on the subject of socialism, let's get rid of the National > Library Service in the United States. After all, since books aren't > universally accessible, blind people shouldn't be required to read them, nor > should they want to. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jake" <j.schm...@gmail.com> > To: "MacVisionaries" <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> > Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 10:28 PM > Subject: Re: no mac for blind people in Belgium > > > Hi Scott > Although I agree with you completely, I'd argue that this situation > exists in the US as well. Has anyone successfully gotten the > government to buy them a Mac? I've never heard of a case, and the > reasons given are similar and some are even open about dealing > exclusively with one company or another. Ours, too, is a socialist > program gone wrong. > I'm actually curious now, has anyone gotten a Mac from any sort of > government agency and if so, what country? > In either case, though, let one thing be clear. You always have > choices, and you've the power to make them. I got my Mac because I > purchased it. Yes, I had to save up for a bit to do it, but it was > well worth it. You always have that option no matter what your > government decides to provide for you. So a ban on blind people > getting a Mac does not exist. Maybe if enough exercise their power of > choice we might counter the FUD spread by these blind companies. Come > to think of it, that's the only way I can think to counter it. > The sad thing is that these types of lobbies are all too successful > when they crop up, because most people will listen to anything as long > as the person speaking it acts like they know what they're talking > about. Marketing hype, in other words, and it's a very good way to get > at those in governments who know absolutely nothing about blindness or > access technology of any kind. That's why we do need to exercise our > freedom of choice. No one knows what product is better for a person > than the person in that situation. > > > > On Nov 28, 6:52 pm, Scott Howell <scottn3...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Well there ya go, a socialist program run totally amuck. If your going to >> get something for nothing, your going to be strapped with someone's idea >> of what you can and can't have. Yep, quite unfair, but obviously some >> screen reading developers are afraid of the Mac's ability. Well I'm sure >> my comments won't set well with some, but it is what it is and I'm glad I >> can make my own choices. >> On Nov 28, 2009, at 8:29 PM, anouk radix wrote: >> >> >> >>> Hello, I got this message from a friend (Paul Erkens) who will join the >>> forum soon (his status is pending now). I am not really up to scratch >>> with the general regime in belgium of giving access technology to blind >>> people. I am just afraid that this will spread to the Netherlands. >>> Here I know htat high school and university students that are blind can >>> get a laptop, a screenreader and a braille display from the state. You >>> dont have to pay for anything in this scenario. In this case clearly >>> getting a mac with infovox voices and a braille display would be the >>> cheapest scenario but if the screenreader manufacturers start a lobby >>> here as well... >>> Once again I am not sure how it all works out in Belgium. >>> Greetings, Anouk >>> On Nov 29, 2009, at 2:07 AM, Buddy Brannan wrote: >> >>>> So what's the problem here? Does the government (or insurance) >>>> routinely buy computers for blind people, or just the screen reader? If >>>> the former, I can see why this is a problem, but if the latter, the >>>> good news is that any Mac comes with built-in access anyway, not >>>> requiring any extra access add-ons. >>>> -- >>>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA >>>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY >> >>>> On Nov 28, 2009, at 7:50 PM, anouk radix wrote: >> >>>>> Hello, A friend of mine told me this morning htat in Belgium windows >>>>> screenreader companies have won a lobby that effectively bans blind >>>>> people in belgium from getting a mac from their insurance (or the >>>>> government). Because the screenreader people say it is unusable. >>>>> I think this is a very sad state of affairs indeed and I hope this >>>>> wont happen in other countries as well. >>>>> Greetings, Anouk >> >>>>> -- >> >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>> macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> For more options, visit this group >>>>> athttp://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> >>>> -- >> >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> For more options, visit this group >>>> athttp://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> >>> -- >> >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> For more options, visit this group >>> athttp://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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