iTunes for the Blind

Hao Guang Tse for Future Makers September 27, 2008

MASSACHUSETTS – The visually impaired no longer have to be musically impaired as well, thanks to an agreement reached between Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Apple Inc, makers of the hugely successful iPod digital music players.

Apple has tweaked its music software iTunes to be compatible with screen reader programs used by the blind. These programs translate text on a computer screen into spoken word.

Not only will blind people be able to play music more easily, they will also be able to boost their learning. iTunes U, Apple's online repository of lectures by faculty of top universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be fully accessible to the blind by Dec 31.

Interestingly, it was the seeming exclusion of the visually impaired from this service that got the attention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).

The federation turned to Ms Coakley, who said that Apple had violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act by failing to make its software more blind-friendly.

Instead of threatening legal action, Ms Coakley convinced Apple to voluntarily come up with a solution. "We felt that this was one where we had a good argument, and Apple frankly agreed with us," she said.

Ms Coakley also hopes that other companies follow Apple's lead. “Apple is the leader, they've become the industry standard,” she said. “Other companies that compete will have to or want to do this.”

The friendlier version of iTunes can be used as it is on a Macintosh computer, but PC users need to buy screen access software that costs around US$1,000.

John Olivera of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind said discounts are available around the United States. Apple has also said that it will donate US$250,000 to the commission to help the blind purchase the required software.

For Ms Coakley, this deal is significant. "Blind residents seek to live independently and be active members of their communities, and this agreement will help them do that."