I sent the following (off list) as a reply to the original message:

Jody,



You are not alone.  Whether or not he heard Gandhi say it, I don't know, but,
Daniel Makus certainly lives by the Gandhi quote in your message- "WE MUST BE
THE CHANGE WE WISH

TO SEE IN THE WORLD".  If you are seriously fed up with the opportunists and
patronizing corporate pirates, then I would like you to take a look at:



www.speechio.com



My Mother taught me, "Don't throw good money after bad."





I've been fortunate enough to have access to a copy of the software and it will
knock your socks off!  The developer, Daniel Makus, is also the developer of
JAWBONE.  To make his design work properly, he needed a more stable and reliable
screen reader.  So he set out to make a better product with the consumer first
in mind.



So, if you manage to find a way to come up with the $400 for the JFW upgrade,
think about spending your money on a cleaner, more stable screen reader.



I am totally blind as a result of an auto accident 11 years ago.  Prior to being
blind, I had never used a computer.



Teaching blind people how to use the computer is what I have done for the last 5
years.  The hardest part of learning, for the blind, is the screen reader.



If you can use JAWS, then there is nothing new to learn to use this new product.



Over the last 5 years, I have been a consultant to different product development
teams at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, using a variety of screen readers in
my presentations.  I sometimes coordinate usability testing for the development
teams, at approved computer labs, so they get the input of blind computer users
of all skill levels.



Based on my recent experiences, I am more optimistic about the next release of
WINDOWS than ever.



Randy Hayhurst


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