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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jeff Collins, Marketing Director
Freedom Scientific
Inc. Blind/Low Vision Group
St. Petersburg, FL 33716
800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
info@FreedomScientific.com
Freedom
Scientific and Microsoft Launch PAC Mate,
First-Ever Pocket PC for People Who Are Blind
Breakthrough Assistive Technology Device Offers Anytime, Anywhere
Access to Documents and Web Content Through Windows CE and JAWS Screen
Reader Technology
(Washington, DC - October 24, 2002) — Freedom Scientific Inc. and
Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the PAC Mate by Freedom
Scientific, a revolutionary personal data assistant for people who are
blind. This launch signals the first time a mainstream PDA product has
been available to people with disabilities. Built on the Microsoft®
Windows® CE platform and tightly interwoven with Microsoft Pocket
PC applications, the PAC Mate is equivalent to Pocket PC devices for sighted
users, supports many of the same third-party applications and enables
individuals who are blind to make the most of their time, whether they
are at their desk or on the go. Unveiled during National Disability Employment
Awareness Month, the PAC Mate promises to play a key role in empowering
and increasing the productivity of persons with disabilities in the work
force.
Using Microsoft Pocket PC technology in combination with the JAWS screen
reader running on the Microsoft Windows CE operating system, the PAC Mate
converts objects and text to speech so users who are blind can hear documents,
images and Web content. In addition, the PAC Mate integrates easily with
desktop software and other Pocket PC devices, making data exchange, including
infrared wireless transfer with sighted people, fast and convenient. Other
benefits include the ability to take notes and make and keep track of
appointments in real time.
“Freedom Scientific is proud to introduce the first handheld device
that allows people who are blind to download the same information as a
sighted person with little or no modification,” said Glen Gordon,
chief technology officer at Freedom Scientific. “As a person who
has been blind since birth, I know it is vital that people with disabilities
have access to data and computing products that enable them to perform
on the job without limitation. The PAC Mate is successful in providing
this level of functionality.”
According to the 2000 Census, there are more than 50 million people with
disabilities living in the United States. In addition, according to a
2000 Harris Interactive telephone poll, approximately 70 percent of those
with severe disabilities surveyed were looking for work but remained unemployed.
“Technology is uniquely positioned to empower people with disabilities
to pursue careers that suit their individual talents and skills,”
said W. Roy Grizzard Jr., Ed.D., assistant secretary of the Office of
Disability Employment Policy for the U.S. Department of Labor. “Technology
can be a key factor in leveling the employment playing field for people
with disabilities.”
“Through more than a decade-long commitment to accessibility, Microsoft
realized long ago that information technology is one of the most significant
workplace tools for people with disabilities,” said Madelyn Bryant
McIntire, director of the Accessible Technology Group at Microsoft. “We
are extremely pleased to partner with Freedom Scientific to bring the
PAC Mate to fruition.”
More information about assistive technologies is available from the Microsoft
Enable Web site.
About Freedom Scientific
Freedom Scientific is the world’s leading manufacturer of technology
products for those who are blind and vision-impaired including software,
notetakers, Braille displays, embossers and products for the special education
and learning disability markets.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide
leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and
business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services
designed to empower people through great software — any time, any
place and on any device.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, press only:
Elisabeth Wahlers, Waggener Edstrom, (425) 638-7000, (425) 241. 9459 (cell)
elisabethw@wagged.com
Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7070, rrt@wagged.com
Tari Susan Hartman, EIN SOF Communications, (310) 650-0595, tari@einsofcommunications.com
Jeff Collins, Freedom Scientific, (800) 444-4443, ext. 1131, (727) 515-5734
(cell), jcollins@FreedomScientific.com
Note
to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on
Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at Microsoft
Press Pass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links,
telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but
may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts
may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate
contacts listed at Microsoft
Contacts.
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