MAGAZINE ARTICLES FOR PERSONS WHO ARE BLIND OR WITH VISION IMPAIRMENTS

www.choicemagazinelistening.org is the site for persons who are blind or visually impaired to go to in order to get recordings of selected articles from the top 100 magazines. It does require a four track player is required but instructions for getting a free player from the Talking Book Program of the Library of Congress can be found on the website.

SPRINT OFFERS SPECIAL SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Sprint has announced a new service they will offer free for persons who are blind, visually impaired or physically disabled. The service which allows calls to be dialed by speaking the contact or phone number, also includes 10 free directory assistance calls. This service is currently available for $5.00 a month.
To take advantage of this program, customers should contact Sprint to obtain an application form. The form requests basic customer information, in addition, customers are asked to have their doctor or ophthalmologist sign the form certifying the customer's eligibility. For more information on this program visit http:www.sprint.com/accessibility, or contact Customer Solutions at 888-211-4727.

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ISSUES LIST OF RESOURCES OF TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES

The State of Illinois Departmenmt of Human Services has issued a list of Resources of Transcription Services. This listing provides names of companies both in and out of state which will assist in transcribing data to Braille. For more information contact the Illinois Department of Human Services.

WAL-MART INSTALLS NEW EQUIPMENT TO PROTECT FINANCIAL PRIVACY OF WAL-MART SHOPPERS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

In a move applauded by members of the blind community nationwide. Wal-Mart recently announced that it had begun installiong state-of-the-art point of sale devices to protect the privacy and security of Wal-Mart shoppers with visual impairments. The new devices will have tactile keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad and will allow Wal-Mart shoppers who have difficulty reading information on a touchscreen to privately and independently enter their PIN and other confidential information. The announcement which was made in November of 2005 was the result of a collaboration between Wal-Mart and major organizations representing persons who are blind including the American Council of the Blind and the California Council of the Blind. According to the website of the American Foundation for the Blind, there are approximately 10 million persons who are blind or visually impaired in the United States.

 

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois has a website at:

www.nfbofillinois.org

The National Webpage is at:http://www.nfb.org

Customers who are Blind Take Action Against the Cell Phone Industry

During the first week of August, 2007, customers who are blind and visually impaired began taking legal action against the cell phone industry in an effort to improve cell phone accessibility. 11 customers from across the nation filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commision (FCC), which enforces Section 255, the law that requires phones to be designed to be accessible for people with disabilities. Complaints were filed against both the cell phone carriers and manufacturers.

"These complaints illustrate a market failure on the part of the cell phone industry to address accessibility,"said Paul Schroder, VP, Programs and Policy Group at the American Foundation for the Blind. "While some companies have taken steps, consumers with vision loss have few good options for accessibility, and almost no reliable information about accessibility."

There is a growing need for accessible phones given the increasing rates of vision loss. Experts predict that by 2030, rates of severe vision loss will double along with the country's aging population. For people with vision loss, finding a cell phone with a readable screen or with voice output of essential features like menus or text messages is almost impossible. Some companies, like AT&T, have taken the lead on providing accessible phones. But too often the handsets and services are not designed to be user-friendly for persons who are blind or visually impaired. Earlier this month, American Federation for the Blind initiated a campaign called 255 Action to help people with vision loss understand access requirements, and if necessary, file complaints. As part of that campaign, AFB sent letters to leading cell phone service providers and manufacturers asking what they are doing to meet the needs of people with vision loss. Frequent complaints from  cell phone customers include:

. Cellphone do not provide for audio output of information displayed on the screen;

.The visual displays on most phones are hard to read;

.numeric and control keys are not easy to distinguish by touch; and

product manuals or phone bills are not available in braille,

The complaints filed with the FCC came from customers in Florida, Georgia, Colorado, California, and West Virginia.

To file your complaint at the FCC about an inaccessible cell phone, use FCC online form at http://fjalifoss.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm