Under pressure, Apple agrees to make iTunes more accessible
September 27th, 2008
From AP, the Boston Globe:
Massachusetts Attorney General Matha Koakley has reached an agreement with Apple Inc. to make the iTunes software accessible to people who use computer screen reader software that reads text aloud.
Under the agreement, Apple must make iTunes accessible to all systems by next June. The iTunes software is used not only to purchase movies and music online, but also as an educational tool for listening to lectures by faculty of major universities.
Coakley said that by failing to make its software more accessible to blind people, Apple was violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act. But Coakley said that instead of threatening Apple, she suggested the company address the matter voluntarily. “They agreed to work with us on this,” Coakley said. “We felt that this was one where we had a good argument, and Apple frankly agreed with us.”
(Above: AP photo of Coakley with students of Perkins School for the Blind.)
UPDATE, 09/29/09: See also ITunes eases access for the blind — Wall Street Journal
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September 27th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I am big fan of Apple. I like the quality of what they produce and customer service is outstanding most of the time. But in terms of access, in my case wheelchair access, most Apple retail stores are terrible. The stores are accessible in name only. Those genius bars are not wheelchair friendly in the least. Employees are helpful but poorly trained when it comes to being willing to work at a lower station.