Kindle: Shutting out the blind?

Activists for the visually impaired scored a victory last week when the U.S. Department of Justice ruled that Amazon's Kindle e-reader should not be used in college classrooms until the company creates a truly "blind-friendly" version (one is due this summer). Meanwhile, some commentators claim that barring the device from the classroom is unfair to sighted students. Is the Justice Department's ruling politically correctness gone awry?

The Justice Department overstepped its bounds: None of the schools involved in this case attempted to make Kindle usage "mandatory," says Todd G. at Student Stuff. So why is the government getting involved? By telling universities what they "can and can’t 'recommend' to students," the Justice Department is encouraging similarly frivolous complaints.

"The Kindle meets its toughest critics: the blind"

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Don't discount the blinds' concerns so quickly: Advocates for the visually impaired make a good point, says gadget blog Geek with Laptop. Yes, Kindle "may go down in history as the device that brought digital books out of the realms of sci-fi." But the device "still has a long way to go" before it's perfect. And that won't happen "until someone learns to accomodate every reader’s needs and freedoms."

"Amazon Kindles up a little controversy"

Using Kindle could be a learning experience: Plenty of high-tech devices require special accommodations for disabled students, says Rico Mossesgeld at EveryJoe's Gadget Blog. Rather than take the Kindle away from sighted students, why not involve them in assisting their visually-impaired peers? That way, the allegedly "discriminatory" Kindle could provide a valuable learning experience for everyone.

"Using the Kindle in class hurts the blind"