I might get an iPad in the future. I hear the speakers are better than
even the iPhone which don't get me wrong is excellent but the more the
merrier I say. Also because the screen is large I may enjoy using iOS
more as typing on the iPad I predict will be less laborious thanks to
the large screen. Don't get me wrong I love my iOS devices but again the
more the merrier I say.
Christopher Hallsworth
On 28/04/2012 13:50, Donna Goodin wrote:
Hi Lew,
congrats on your iPad. they really are cool devices. My husband has one, and
I thought long and hard about getting one too. But eventually I decided that
since I didn't need the larger screen, that the iPhone could do everything I
needed, so it didn't make sense to duplicate devices. I confess, though, I'm
envious. Every once in a while I look at my husband's iPad and get a sudden
craving for coolaide. lol
Cheers,
Donna
On Apr 28, 2012, at 8:44 AM, Lewis Alexander wrote:
nice one donna, I fully agree.
the iPad is a product which can truly change the lives of blind users
throughout the world. I'm in the process of buying an iPad as it's needed for
work both in the workshop and on site as a rep for a company, so the online
catalogue needs to be available and accessible to me all the time, the iPad for
me feels absolutely amazing, after road testing the new model, I've fallen in
love with it. I don't need a wife, just an iPad lol
lew
On 28 Apr 2012, at 13:39, Donna Goodin wrote:
Hi Christine,
I'm perplexed. How do you see the push to have iPads in classrooms as
something that leaves the blind/VI student out? If anything, I see that as
something that better enables us to participate, thanks to the fact that Apple
has made the iPad a fully accessible device.
Best,
Donna
On Apr 28, 2012, at 8:36 AM, Christine Grassman wrote:
With all due respect, Scott, laws which disparately impact certain groups or
classes of people have been flouted through civil disobedience since the
introduction of legal systems, e.g., civil rights, disability rights,
employment rights, etc. The United States might not exist were it not for
disobeying laws.
I am an attorney, and it continues to amaze me how slowly the U.S. is moving to
accommodate disability, and how snail-paced the societal shift in attitudes toward us has
been. and it seems that whenever a company like Apple makes great strides in
accommodating blindness off the shelf, plenty of other technologies come along and do not
bother to incorporate us into their equation. So many educational apps, for example, are
not accessible, though they could be, and given the push now to have iPads in classrooms,
once again blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print-disabled students will be left
out. Apple moves us two steps forward, and "progress" (for others) moves us
three steps back. I should be able to turn on a television, flip a switch, or turn on a
transmitter, and get descriptions. I should be able to access books on the Nook or the
Kindle, not just iBooks. I cannot express, and I am sure others here agree, the happiness
I feel when a new release or best-selling publ
ication is available on iBooks.
(Incidentally, if a book is available on iBooks and on bookshare.org, I
purchase the book. Yet, I have lost quite a lot of money as a published author
-- as soon as my book was published, I sent a copy to bookshare.org; it was
more important to me to have it available at the same time to the blind and
print-disabled. The Authors Guild apparently does not care about such access,
despite the fact that they would actually get money from us.)
I would happily go to the movies more and happily purchase audio-described
movies through iTunes if they were available. Even movies which are released
with audio description are not always sold through movie resellers -- goodness
knows I have tried. To date, I have only located The Incredible Hulk, from
2008, which I purchased for my son.
Even Apple could do more. It could strengthen its requirements for apps. It has
provided developers with the means to make their apps VoiceOver accessible, and
there are plenty of apps out there which could be so. Only apps that are visual
by their very nature should be exempted. But, as usual, profit trumps people,
despite the fact that the disabled community rewards those who remember us with
our business.
Frankly, I would prefer to purchase the audio-described movies and shows I
download from the vault, so that I could watch them with sighted friends and
family. I wish I could show a film to a class and not have to ask my para or a
student to tell me what is going on. The entertainment industry gets plenty of
my money. If they want more, they should remember that I deserve to be able to
access their material independently. OK. Topic over. Those of you who wish to
continue this off-list are welcome; I've appreciated your correspondence thus
far.
Christine
On Apr 28, 2012, at 6:13 AM, Scott Howell wrote:
I am sure commenting on this only adds fuel to the fire, but I did want to
point out that as I recall the person that is responsible for this movie vault
thing also runs a legit company. I would find it difficult to believe that he
has not checked into this because no one would want to put their business
assets at risk. If there truly is an investigation then prove it. I get pretty
annoyed when people claim something, but cannot or do not provide any reference
to back those claims. And for the record I do not condone pirating of any kind
and believe that regardless of accessibility issues even blind people must
follow the laws.
On Apr 27, 2012, at 10:51 PM, Christine Grassman wrote:
Naturally, if the moderator deems this discussion verboten, I will refrain
further, but I would feel remiss not to point out the following for
consideration:
1. As of several hours ago, there was nothing on the FBI's official web site
regarding an investigation, nor were there any press releases or other
comparable references to an investigation of the movie vault. A reference would
be appreciated; mere speculation or rumor could be deemed libelous.
2. The problem industries have with illegal file-sharing is loss of revenue.
Since, at least in the United States, there is virtually no way to purchase
audio-described movies or television shows, the industry is not being cheated
of revenue.
3. The files are straight audio, with no ability, for example, to "watch" with
sighted peers while having the benefit of the audio description. This is not at all
remotely similar to downloading a film for the family to watch. That being said, the vast
majority of the sighted community does this with impunity, even though many of the shows
and movies they download can be seen for free when they are are shown on television. We,
on the other hand, cannot even enjoy full access to these shows when they *are* on
television. Either they are not audio-described at all, or it is not easy to turn on the
secondary audio channel, or a particular station only carries foreign language broadcasts
on the SAC rather than audio description. Comparing access to audio-described movies and
shows in mp3 format to the type of file-sharing which goes on 24/7 on hundreds and
thousands of sites is a stretch.
4. If the government and/or the involved industries wish to do something about
the existence of resources like the movie vault, the former should mandate, and
the latter should provide a market from which we can obtain these items. I have
been able to watch a non-described movie with others after listening to an mp3
file and tell another blind person what is going on thanks to that previous
experience. My two blind children have been able to enjoy fare which their
peers enjoyed months or years ago. Until the entertainment industry levels the
playing field, I will utilize resources like the movie vault with the same
guiltless pleasure I take in bookshare.org (and, by the way, it is possible to
download books from bookshare.org which are available commercially.) We cannot
use the Kindle as others do. WE cannot use the Nook. We are severely limited
in what we can access independently when it comes to entertainment, and we must
even still fight for access to education at ever
y level, despite technological advances. Holding us to the same standards as
the vast majority of illegal file-sharers is legally, morally, and
economically inequitable.
Christine
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