- Starting with the Kindle 2, text-to-speech is available. This means that alternate format text is instantly available with no conversion, no extra cost, no extra time... to everyone who might benefit from it.
- Only the book text can be read aloud. Menus, other functions, and PDF files are not accessible through text-to-speech.
- The Authors' Guild got concerned about copyright rights.
- Amazon agreed to turn off the text-to-speech function on specific books or whole catalogs at the publisher's request.
- So far, 33 disability organizations have joined ReadingRights.org in an effort to make this new advancement available for all. This would include keeping text-to-speech intact on all books and extending it to the menus and other functions.
- Injunctions have been filed against several postsecondary institutions who are participating in a pilot project with Amazon; the basis is that the device and content are not accessible.
I bought a Kindle DX about a month ago so that I could have access to the books and scholarly articles I'm reading for my doctoral work without having to lug them all with me. I wanted the DX rather than the smaller, lighter, and less expensive Kindle 2 because the DX has the capability of handling native PDF files, rather than going through the rather cumbersome process of sending them to Amazon for conversion. What's been my reaction?
Love it.
But I don't have a disability that affects my reading, so how I evaluate it personally and how I evaluate it for student use might be different, right? Yes and no. Let's break it down.
Reasons to Buy a Kindle if You Are a Student With a Print Disability
- All the reasons that everyone else would buy a Kindle! Cool factor; much lighter than carrying 3,500 texts (on the DX - 1,500 on the 2); free wireless; immediate access to thousands of books, magazines, and newspapers (including an increasing number of textbooks); book samples; great display; ability to change font size on the fly; highlighting, annotations; text to speech...
- For students with low vision, the ability to change font size is great. Depending on your functional vision, it may not be large enough. A test-drive is absolutely recommended before plunking down the cash. You will probably want to have a handheld magnifier about though, as the menus and other functions, as well as the Amazon Store, don't enlarge.
- Text-to-speech is a big deal, and it's available for the large majority of items. The voices are quite tolerable and do have speed adjustments. More importantly, text-to-speech is available without waiting for someone else (me) to convert it. Buy and read. That's it. Doesn't that sound wonderful?
- For those textbooks that aren't yet available in the Amazon store, I can convert your text to a format that can be read on the Kindle. This is no different from the other text conversion services here at SOU; only the end product is different.
- There are thousands of free books out there at Project Gutenberg, LibriVox, and other sites. You can read these on the Kindle as well.
- For students with mobility impairments affecting your neck and/or spine, reading on the Kindle is pretty darn nifty. There are covers that double as a book stand so that you can read at a 90-degree angle quite comfortably. The buttons are large enough and have enough tactile response to be relatively easy to manipulate.
Reasons Not to Buy a Kindle If You Are a Student with a Print Disability
- Currently, the Kindle is not accessible for users who are blind. Frustrating, but true.
- It's not cheap. The Kindle 2 is currently going for $299, and the DX is $489. Yikes.
- Your text-to-speech capability is in the hands of Amazon... with no guarantees that it will continue to be available to you. This is worrisome.
- Some degree of fine-motor control is necessary to be able to operate the 5-way button (scroll and select functions) and the keyboard. Other buttons, especially the two you'll use most often - next page and previous page - are fairly large and can be manipulated with a closed fist.
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