This is Chilling news to Mwah, especially as
someone who not only uses the Washington State service multiple times daily,
but just overall makes me sick since this is such an Essential Service to the
multitudes of Michigonian's who rely upon this service daily... As I would
simply ask Y'all what would you do if you suddenly lost your vision and COULD
NOT READ ANYTHING! Or better yet, just for fun, try blindfolding yourself and
then try reading your local newspaper!
And I know I'm not supposed to go all
political on Yuhs, especially over something non-racing, but for Mwah the two
are very much inexorably connected at the hip so to speak, since this is one of
my main functions I utilize to keep abreast of what's going on around the world
motorsports-wise, i.e.; just one of the many newspaper sections I follow daily
is the IndyStar's Sports section.
So just what is Newsline for The Blind you
might be asking? Well its a very slick service that allows blind & visually
impaired people across the United States to simply call a specific telephone
number that links them to a multitude of some 300 local, national and
international newspapers & magazines that are read via synthesized computer
speech, a la 'Lucy, my much ballyhooed Screen Reader voice that I listen to
upon my 'Confuzer daily...
Thus I know that Michigan's ORIGINAL capitol
city Detroit has filed for Bankruptcy, or is in the process - and I won't even
get started upon the Republican Governor, legislature, etc, but the
cancellation of Newsline for The Blind is simply
UNACCEPTABLE!
SHAME ON YOU
RICK SNYDER & MICHIGAN!
As Gee Wally, guess what? I cannot find one
single peep 'bout this on thee A-L-L
knowing Internetz, which isn't overly shocking, right? After all who cares
about the blind? But it's pretty disturbing that when Mark Zuckerberg is currently
pontificating for everybody to have access to Facebook; YUK! It seems quite appalling
that once again a minority sector of America is being left in the dark
literally! Thus I urge Y'all to get Michigan to reverse this Abysmal decision
pronto! I mean if Zuckerberg thinks everybody should have unlimited access to
his Facebook; Err internet, then what about the blind who DON'T have access to
newspapers...
Zuckerberg wants everybody to have access
update
Good news for
Michigonian's was announced on August 28th regarding their local
Newsline for The Blind Audio Newspaper reading services which were set to expire
on August 31st. As the state's Bureau of Services for Blind Persons stepped up
at the last moment and rescued the Essential Services for Blind & Visually
Impaired persons - allowing NFB's Newsline for The Blind service to continue
uninterrupted for the next six months!
And although this funding issue should never have arisen in the first place, nor
should it be further threatened on Feb 28, 2014, nevertheless, way to GO Bureau
of Services for Blind Persons...