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scveteran · 03-29-2009, 10:22 PM

I am a disabled veteran who is looking for the veteran’s administration to purchase an eBook reader for me to use. This would through their Independent Living program. The IL program helps veterans to live as independently as possible. In my case, it is not only hard to use a regular book, but it is very difficult to travel to the library. So the VA would purchase the reader for me: provided they have the funs.

What I am looking for here is your recommendations as to which one would best fit both my and the VA’s requirements. I will start off with the VA requirements.

Price: The VA is not going to pay more than what is in the generally acceptable price range for this type device unless there is a specific feature that my service connected disabling conditions require. For example if most readers will cost $400, they are not going to pay $500.

Warranty: The VA prefers that all devices that are purchased have a warranty of 1 to 3 years, with the longer the better. The warranty preferably should cover damage to the device caused by accidents due to the disabling condition. For example, if I have a seizure while sitting in my power chair and it gets destroyed, they would prefer that the policy cover this. Of course that is not an absolute requirement since they can purchase insurance. Also they prefer warranties that provide for a straight swap of the cheaper devices instead of repair.

Vendor: They require that the vendor be someone that does business with the government or that can do business with the government.

Now onto my requirements:

Text size: In addition to the conditions that are already service connected, the VA will be soon granting service connection for diabetes. My diabetes is not under control and greatly affects my eye sight. As the blood sugar levels fluctuate, the text size that I can see changes. Therefore, the EBook reader will need to have a range of text sizes.

Audio: I need the ability to use audio books and other audio. At times I am not able to read at all, so the ability to use Audio Books is a great help. Same with the ability to listen to music as I read.

Lightweight: I have severe damage to the nerves in my hands. This means that I can not hold up any device for extended periods of time that have any significant weight.

Controls: Again, I have severe nerve damage: so the controls need to be easy to use.

Formats: Having the widest range of formats would be a plus. I have heard of one called Net Library where you can download books as a rental instead of purchasing. I would want the EBook reader to be able to do this since I have limited income. Also, I have a fair number of PDFs and HTML that I have collected in the past: so the ability to handle these are essential.

Audio: I need the ability to use audio books and other audio. At times I am not able to read at all, so the ability to use Audio Books is a great help. Same with the ability to listen to music as I read.

Boot / Battery time: I would like the EBook reader to have as fast as possible boot time. If this is not possible, then have the ability to leave the EBook reader on for extended periods of time so that I am not wasting a lot of time waiting to use the device.

Access to Internet: I would love to be able to access the Internet for things such as Wikipedia and/or blogs. Also newspapers and magazines would be nice. Of course this is not a deal breaker for me, but it would be a nice extra feature if it is available.

03-29-2009, 10:22 PM	#1
scveteran Groupie Posts: 162 Karma: 1230 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	Recomendation for Disabled Veteran I am a disabled veteran who is looking for the veteran’s administration to purchase an eBook reader for me to use. This would through their Independent Living program. The IL program helps veterans to live as independently as possible. In my case, it is not only hard to use a regular book, but it is very difficult to travel to the library. So the VA would purchase the reader for me: provided they have the funs. What I am looking for here is your recommendations as to which one would best fit both my and the VA’s requirements. I will start off with the VA requirements. Price: The VA is not going to pay more than what is in the generally acceptable price range for this type device unless there is a specific feature that my service connected disabling conditions require. For example if most readers will cost $400, they are not going to pay $500. Warranty: The VA prefers that all devices that are purchased have a warranty of 1 to 3 years, with the longer the better. The warranty preferably should cover damage to the device caused by accidents due to the disabling condition. For example, if I have a seizure while sitting in my power chair and it gets destroyed, they would prefer that the policy cover this. Of course that is not an absolute requirement since they can purchase insurance. Also they prefer warranties that provide for a straight swap of the cheaper devices instead of repair. Vendor: They require that the vendor be someone that does business with the government or that can do business with the government. Now onto my requirements: Text size: In addition to the conditions that are already service connected, the VA will be soon granting service connection for diabetes. My diabetes is not under control and greatly affects my eye sight. As the blood sugar levels fluctuate, the text size that I can see changes. Therefore, the EBook reader will need to have a range of text sizes. Audio: I need the ability to use audio books and other audio. At times I am not able to read at all, so the ability to use Audio Books is a great help. Same with the ability to listen to music as I read. Lightweight: I have severe damage to the nerves in my hands. This means that I can not hold up any device for extended periods of time that have any significant weight. Controls: Again, I have severe nerve damage: so the controls need to be easy to use. Formats: Having the widest range of formats would be a plus. I have heard of one called Net Library where you can download books as a rental instead of purchasing. I would want the EBook reader to be able to do this since I have limited income. Also, I have a fair number of PDFs and HTML that I have collected in the past: so the ability to handle these are essential. Audio: I need the ability to use audio books and other audio. At times I am not able to read at all, so the ability to use Audio Books is a great help. Same with the ability to listen to music as I read. Boot / Battery time: I would like the EBook reader to have as fast as possible boot time. If this is not possible, then have the ability to leave the EBook reader on for extended periods of time so that I am not wasting a lot of time waiting to use the device. Access to Internet: I would love to be able to access the Internet for things such as Wikipedia and/or blogs. Also newspapers and magazines would be nice. Of course this is not a deal breaker for me, but it would be a nice extra feature if it is available.