Stop Sprint from adversely affecting the legally blind!

[PeoplemoverMatt]

This came in an email from my 80+ year old legally blind grandmother who lives in Delray Beach, FL. She lives alone and still works as one of the best real estate agents in the state. If Sprint ends this service, she and tons of other legally blind cell phone users will no longer be able to use their cell phones. What's more, no legally blind person may EVER be able to use a cell phone again. Help us stop Sprint from taking away cell phone use from the legally blind forever!!!

 

I have a great need for your help. Please read the following:

 

Sprint has offered a little known service: talk.sprintpcs.com. With a large monitor and a zoomtext program enlarging to 12x, the legally blind could enter and store their address book with all home, work, and cell numbers into their cell phone via the internet. This provided cell phone use via the use of voice commands and made the cell phone a valuable companion. (Basically it allowed them to use their cell phone without being able to see any buttons or its screen because being legally blind, they can't.)

 

In late April, Sprint notified the subscribers to download their numbers and print their address book (to save the info stored in them). The website will come down on 7/1/08.

 

If the numbers are not already in the phone come 7/1/08, the legally blind will not be able to use the voice command (and thus, their cell phone at all). The info will be gone and the address book will not be able to be updated.

 

Calling and e-mailing Sprint has done no good because we can not get past the menus and the publication reply letters to explain the seriousness of the problem to the higher executives and ask them to reconsider.

 

U.S. Congressman Robert Wexler has an assisstant working with me, but we need all of you to forward an email to everyone you know and ask them to write to Dan@Sprint.com and say: "PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE WEBSITE: TALK.SPRINTPCS.COM DOWN ON JULY 1ST PLEASE! RECONSIDER HOW THIS WILL AFFECT THE LEGALLY BLIND, WHO HAVE SUBSCRIBED TO THE SITE AND THE LEGALLY BLIND WHO WOULD HAVE IF THEY HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE SITE AND THE SERVICE. READ SEC. 223 OF THE FCC 1999 ACTION."

 

Can you imagine going through life not being able to see your kids, grandkids, or even pictures of them? Not being able to drive yourself anywhere? Can you imagine trying to be a professional anything, at 80+, under those conditions? My grandmother and many like her have an amazing drive to do just that, but the world is increasingly turning its back on the legally blind with new technology not being accessible for them. This address book via the internet is a paid service whose legally blind subscribers are perfectly willing to pay anything Sprint asks for for it! NO ONE is asking for ANYTHING free here!

 

PLEASE support the legally blind, email Sprint and stop them from taking the site down and cell phones away from those who're perfectly willing to pay as much as you do and more because they can barely use what you take for granted - your eyes!

 

Email Dan@Sprint.com and please forward this news to any Congress person or media outlet that would be interested in getting this story further out to the public's ear.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

In case anyone's wondering out there - this is not spam. This is a wholly legit get the word out campaign about a little-known service that's doing wonders for those legally blind who know about that's going away.

 

2 main goals here:

 

1) KEEP THE SERVICE ALIVE! We need Sprint to change their mind about taking this site down. It's easy for corporate bigwigs to look around at stuff lying around from before a merger/takeover, see something like this site, and think they have an easy kill. Trouble is, some legally blind people are dependent on this service for cell phone use! They won't be able to use their cell phones if this site gets taken down. With all the burdens already placed upon the legally blind in just everyday living, they don't need this too!

 

2) The more the word gets out - the more people will want to sign up for this service! This is not a freebie handout to the visually-impaired, this is a PAID service. Yes that's right - some legally blind are paying more than everyone else just because they're legally blind. But the real issue is, IF this site is being taken down because of lack of subscribers, then more subscribers might do some good in saving it. So talk to everyone who's legally blind that you know, especially if they've resigned themselves to never using a cell phone again, and see what they think about this. The more the word gets out about this, the more the Sprint top brass will know people care about it, and the less attractive a kill this site might be.

 

Yes we know this is not likely to end up how we want it to end. But if we do nothing, it surely won't end how we want it. It's not asking much of people to send an email to tell Sprint that you support the legally blind, and ask them to consider the legally blind before they take this site down, so that's all we're asking. Help us won't you?

 

-- Peoplemover "I'm PMM and I approve this message" Matt

[haux]

This is a wholly legit get the word out campaign about a little-known service that's doing wonders for those legally blind who know about that's going away.

Says who? Where is there proof that this is happening? Getting an e-mail doesn't count since anyone can type that up and send it off.

 

I'm not saying I'm not for your cause. I just don't believe it. And if it is true, e-mailing some "Dan" fellow at Sprint isn't going to change the company's mind. Get a new service or find another way to use a phone.