Thursday, December 10, 2009

Amazon's Kindle adds blind-friendly features

From WKOW-TV in Seattle:


SEATTLE -- Amazon.com's Kindle e-book reader is getting two new features to make it more accessible to blind and vision-impaired users.

The announcement came a month after UW-Madison and Syracuse University said they wouldn't consider making the device available on campus until Amazon made it easier for vision-impaired students to use.

The Kindle will have a read-aloud feature that could be advantageous to blind students and those with other disabilities including dyslexia, but getting to that point is a problem. The turn the Kindle on, users have to navigate through screens of text menus.

Amazon says it's now working on audible menus, which would let the Kindle speak menu options out loud. It's also working on an extra-large font for people with impaired vision. The additions should reach the Kindle next summer.