Hi Harry
Thanks so much for the update. It is certainly interesting to see all
the things that have to align for accessible cellphone service.
First the handset has to be accessible
Then the network provider has to agree to include accessible handsets.
Both of these under the ADA should in my head be no-brainers but then I
am no lawyer. I also feel out of my depth talking abny applicable FCC
regs, but what can be done by Motorola to promote inclusion of
accessible equipment in the list used by Boost? Since other networks
use this equipment fine, what technological or other arguments would
Boost cite for not doing it?
I expect if Boost is competing on price, which it sounds like to me
that OF COURSE there will be a market among the blind and people with
other disabilities who are disproportionately low-income and may have
acute needs for mobile communications. So in my head, not doing it is
not an option and the question should be how to get it done most
efficiently. But there is always also something to be said for the
carrot and the stick.
In any case THANKS for your work on this.
DoreneC
-----Original Message-----
From: Harry Brown <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Fri, Sep 11, 2009 1:44 pm
Subject: [VICUG-L] the latest between Motorola and the blind community
Hi all,
Just got off the phone with Scott, Heather, and Katie, from Motorola. =0
D
I'm thrilled with what is going on!
Here's where we are.
Motorola has told me of the, you guess it, the q9c, and what a phone,
what
a phone indeed!
They are willing to do whatever we want done with text to speech, and
they
know of mobile speak, from Code Factory. To my knowledge, (and Dan in
Pittsburgh, you can correct me if I'm wrong on this), but everything
speaks on
the q9c. I really would love to hear a demonstration of the q9c, and
all
the features being used by a blind user with mobile speak. Is there a
demonstration like that available on the internet?
Here's the problem folks. Boost is new to all this. They have
no idea what text to speech is! They don't even know if the blind are
a
viable market or not.
The q9c is also used by other carriers, and they, put the speech
software
on the phone, for the customer.
The pressure is gonna have to come from Motorola, and Boost is one of
their
accounts, just like Sprint, Nextel, etc. Scott is trying like heck to
put
some pressure on Boost to include the q9c as one of their phones, it's
not right
now.
Now, to the number 1 concern that I wanted to see happen, which you
have
told me, "we want to see the blind be involved with Motorola", here is
the
latest on that.
There is a blind person working at Motorola, right now! I don't know
the name yet, but Scott or Heather, or Katie20is supposed to get me in
touch with
him/her. I want to have him/her subscribe to vicug-l, so he/she can
know
of our interest as blind people in Motorola phones being accessible.
However, Scott, does this full time. He works with the disabled with
any disability, to get access to Motorola phones. I was very excited
about
what went on in this conversation. He's worried though, that Boost
will have their lawyers block Motorola and not grant access to the q9c
phones to
their network.
If that happens, I will tell all of you, right now, that I will be
filing
another complaint with the FCC, but this time, it will be against Boost
Mobile. But let's hope I don't have to do that.
Some how, we need to help Motorola, somehow, if that happens. Scott
told me, "Harry, don't get to excited yet, because we gotta get access
for the
q9c on the Boost network, or this whole thing will fall through."
These folks are wonderful people, and I feel they do care. They are
opened to having the blind involved, and he told me, there is some kind
of an
access committee inside motorola, that meets on a regular basis, and I
guess
there's a meeting on October 14th.
So folks, that's where we are. He did say this, and I understand what
he's saying, and that is "Harry, the only thing is, any time I tell
disabled
people we want to hear from them, (and we do), each one wants their own 0D
custom
cell phone, so, it would be like 300 versions of a cell phone, when
what I
really want to see is, a cell phone made for everyone, both disabled
and
nondisabled alike."
So folks, I'll be meeting with Scott, Heather, and Katie, again, next
Friday at 4 o'clock eastern time.
If anyone is a member of the blind phones cell phone list, please,
forward
this email to that list.
Harry
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