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NCSAB

National Council of State Agencies for the Blind, Inc.
4733 Bethesda Ave., Suite 330
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
www.NCSAB.org
Telephone: 301-654-4485
Fax: 301-654-5542


Greg Trapp, President


August 13, 2007

Consumer Reports
101 Truman Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10703

RE: Consideration of Access Features during Product Evaluations, An Open Letter to Consumer Reports from the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind

Dear Consumer Reports:

As President of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB), I represent the views and perspectives of our member agencies. It is estimated that there are 10 million Americans who are blind or visually impaired. One of the most significant population groups we serve are senior citizens who are losing vision due to Age Related Macular Degeneration. There are an estimated 5.5 million seniors over 65 who are blind or visually impaired, and this number is projected to double over the next fifteen years. It is essential that all of these individuals be able to access and use the appliances and electronic devices that are available to the rest of society. We are therefore urging Consumer Reports to include consideration of the accessibility of appliances and electronics during your product evaluations.

Some of the items of greatest concern include products such as dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, stoves, ovens, microwaves, exercise machines, cell phones, televisions, DVD players, CD players, and iPods. Basically, any item that has a touch screen, programmable features, menu, or electronic display can cause access problems.

Consumer Reports can play a vital role in encouraging the manufacture of accessible products. The solution can be as simple as using surfaces with tactile features, audible tones to indicate menu selections, or high contrast displays. However, providing access to all features may require use of speech output technology. It should also be noted that provision of such features may improve usability and functionality for all persons, especially senior citizens. For example, we see this with the use of voice output functions in cell phones, which make the phone safer for use while driving, but which may also make the device more usable for persons who are blind or visually impaired.


There are organizations that are actively working on accessibility issues. There are also established industry standards that pertain to access features. Consumer Reports can utilize these resources to evaluate the accessibility of consumer electronics. I respectfully request that Consumer Reports contact NCSAB to let us know what it plans to do concerning this area of vital concern to persons who are blind and visually impaired. We will be glad to discuss this issue further, and provide guidance with respect to how we believe Consumer Reports can begin to include accessibility in product evaluations.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other concerns or questions. I can be reached at 505-841-8844, by email at greg.trapp@state.nm.us, or by mail at 2200 Yale Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.


Sincerely,



Greg D. Trapp, J.D.
President, National Council of State Agencies for the Blind
Executive Director, New Mexico Commission for the Blind


Cc: National Federation of the Blind
American Council of the Blind
American Foundation for the Blind

"The mission of NCSAB is to promote through advocacy, coordination, and education the delivery of specialized services that enable individuals who are blind and visually impaired to achieve personal and vocational independence."
 

 

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