The thing that worries me, is not the possibility that there might be less choice of screen readers in the future, but that we will still have to purchase a screen reader at all. If a company like VFO has acquired the two largest screen readers in the assistive technology market, what does that say about Microsoft's commitment to finally doing what they should have done years ago: namely providing a fully functioning screen reader for its disabled customers. It is highly unlikely that a company like VFO is spending all that money if there was the slightest rumor that Microsoft was finally getting itself a social conscience. For all these years Microsoft has sat on its hands while others have taken up the challenge of helping blind and visually impaired people find a better quality of life. Thanks to the hard work of all the folks who have made Window-Eyes and JAWS the great success they both are, we blind computer users live fuller and more productive lives. However, I feel the time has come when it should no longer be necessary for blind users to pay an additional cost for being able to use the product of a multimillion dollar company. I wish all those who use, and participate in the production of adaptive technology, in these changing and challenging times all the best which ever way the wind blows.
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