[Athen] Kindle Accessibility Features

[Todd DeVries]

Hi Jeff,

The new Kindle is rather nice in some ways, but it still has a ways to 
go. The "read to me" feature works a lot like a tape recorder. Play and 
stop. One cannot read by lines or words. The menus all speak, once voice 
guide is enabled. Unfortunately, features like setting bookmarks can 
only be done at a screen-based level because of the inability to hear 
where exactly one is in the text. The same applies to highlighting.

Type size within a book can be changed significantly. Unfortunately, the 
menus are only given one size.

I've shown the device to several low vision and LD students and received 
positive feedback. My sense is that, if one can see the screen at all, 
the Kindle is a good tool. If you are relying solely on the spoken menus 
and reading feature, work still needs to be done.

On 11/4/2010 7:03 AM, Jeffrey Dell wrote:

> I just got an email from Amazon with info about a new Kindle this

> morning.  It appears to have higher contrast and self voicing menues.

> There are still blocks on the Read to Me feature for some books.

> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_70050_17498080_pe_00_head/?ASIN=B002Y27P3M

> Voice Guide

> With Text-to-Speech, Kindle can read out loud to you. New

> Text-to-Speech enabled menus allow customers to navigate Kindle

> without having to read menu options. In addition to listening to books

> aloud, users now have the option of listening to content listings on

> the home screen, item descriptions, and all menu options. To turn

> Voice Guide on or off, press the Menu button from your Home screen.

> Select Settings and then press Next Page to go to Page 2 of Settings.

> Select "turn on" or "turn off" next to the Voice Guide setting.

> Sounds like the NFB lawsuit and the DOJ statement rattled them a little.

> Jeff

>

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