2007 Access Awards Winners and Nominees

After tabulating hundreds of votes, we are pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 Blind Bargains Access Awards. For each category, you will find the winner as well as the other worthy nominees. Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees.

1. Best New Product or Innovation. This award goes to the best new product or innovation of 2007. The product or innovation must have occured during 2007.

Winner: Humanware Victor Reader Stream
Other Nominees: LevelStar Icon/BraillePlus, Code Factory user-centered licensing, Serotek System Access to Go

2. Best Company. This award is for the best company serving the blind community. They must have been in business for at least part of 2007.

Winner: Humanware
Other nominees: Code Factory, Freedom Scientific, Serotek

3. Best Screen Access Program. This award goes to the best screen reading or magnification product of 2007, regardless of the operating system.

Winner: Freedom Scientific JAWS for Windows
Other Nominees: Code Factory Mobile Speak, Code Factory Mobile Speak Smartphone, Serotek System Access, GW Micro Window-Eyes

4. Best Hardware Product. This is for the best hardware product for the blind or visually impaired. It must have been released or upgraded in 2007.

Winner: Humanware Victor Reader Stream
Other Nominees: Humanware Braille Note MPower/PK, K-NFB Reading Technologies K-NFB Reader, Freedom Scientific PAC Mate Omni

5. Best Software Product. This is for the best software product for the blind or visually impaired. It must have been released or upgraded in 2007.

Winner: Sendero GPS
Other Nominees: Code Factory Mobile Speak Smartphone, Applian Technologies Replay AV, Serotek System Access To Go/System Access Mobile Network

6. Best Accessible Game. This is for the best accessible game for any operating system. It must have been released in 2007.

Winner: Blind Adrenaline Simulations Rail Racer
Other Nominees: Lighttech Interactive Bop It Ultimate, L-Works Duck Hunt, Kitchens Inc. Games Homer on a Harley

7. Best Blindness-related Website. This award goes to the best website serving the blind community.

Winner: The Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday Repository
Other Nominees: Blind Computing, Blind Geek Zone, TOM LORIMER'S Whitestick Website

8. Best Blindness-related Blog. This award goes to the best blog covering the blind community.

Winner: The Fred's Head Companion
Other Nominees: Blind Confidential, Code Factory Team Blog, The Ranger Station
9. Best Store for Blindness-related Products. This award goes for the store, online or offline, that best serves the blind community.

Winner: Independent Living Aids
Other Nominees: Blind Mice Mart, MaxiAids

10. Person of the Year. This special award goes to the person who has most influenced the blind community or blindness in general in 2007.

Winner: Charles La Pierre
Other nominees: Jeff Bishop, Michael Curran, Earle Harrison

Background

The 2007 Blind Bargains Access Awards was administered in two phases. An open-ended nomination form was first presented to readers. From these forms, the top vote-getters in each category were picked for the voting round. Winners were determined solely based on vote totals.

Legalies

Blind Bargains and other properties by J-Squared Access Solutions were excluded from the contest.

No monitary value is attached to any awards given.

All decisions by the Blind Bargains staff are final.