From The Boston Globe:After a gentle nudge from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Apple Inc. is redesigning its popular iTunes music software to make it easier for blind people to use.
"Blind residents seek to live independently and be active members of their communities," said Coakley, "and this agreement will help them do that."
The improved version of iTunes will make it easier for blind users to purchase music and movies online. But these days, iTunes is also a vital educational tool. Its iTunes U feature offers free downloads of lectures by faculty of major universities, including Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ITunes U lectures are used by schools and independent scholars around the world.
Officials at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) worried that blind people were being left out. Blind students use "screen reader" programs that translate on-screen text into spoken words. Screen readers let users control the computer without having to read text or point and click with a mouse. But earlier versions of Apple's iTunes software won't work with screen readers, making it virtually impossible for blind people to use it.
The federation asked Coakley's office to intervene. Coakley said that by failing to make its software more accessible to blind people, Apple was violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act. But Coakley said that instead of threatening Apple, she suggested the company address the matter voluntarily. "They agreed to work with us on this," Coakley said. "We felt that this was one where we had a good argument, and Apple frankly agreed with us."
As a result, the newest version of Apple's iTunes software will work with popular screen reader programs. In addition, Apple will make its online iTunes U service fully accessible to blind people by Dec. 31, and its entire iTunes service by June 30. Apple will also donate $250,000 to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to buy software for blind citizens to help them better use their computers.
