Amazon to Improve Kindle for Blind and Vision Impaired

By Ian Bell Published December 7, 2009

amazon_kindle_21 Amazon.com Inc. will add two features to the Kindle e-book reader to make the gadget more accessible to blind and vision-impaired users.

Monday’s announcement comes a month after Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y., and the University of Wisconsin-Madison said they would not consider widely deploying the device until Amazon makes it easier for blind students to use. You can read about that here.

The Kindle has a read-aloud feature that could be a boon to blind students and those with other disabilities including dyslexia.

But to turn it on requires navigating 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.

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