Apple will be addressing the needs of blind consumers, under an agreement with the National Federation of the Blind and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. The Cupertino-based company will use a screen access software which will turn information on iTunes into speech or Braille, allowing blind consumers to conduct searches by using their keyboard.

Visually impaired consumers will benefit from the new technology starting December 31, 2008, and according to the agreement, Apple will make sure that by June 30, 2009, all the iTunes applications and the iTunes store will use the same technology.

In addition to that, Apple will also make a $250,000 donation to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, in order to help the agency to purchase new software that can provide assistance for the blind and visually impaired.

On September 9, Apple released iTunes 8, offering an improved access for blind people, and according to Attorney General Martha Coakley, this agreement will enable blind consumers to obtain the same educational, cultural and other information available to sighted consumers on iTunes.

The National Federation for the Blind is already working on extending the availability of Internet services for the blind and visually impaired, and a proof of that is the lawsuit against Target.com, which they filed in 2006.

NFB is trying to make such services just as accessible for blind people as they are for people with no visual-related problems. The lawsuit between NFB and Target ended with a three year agreement to ensure access to the site for visually impaired users, through screen access software.