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Re: Government site accessibility law

for

From: Margit Link-Rodrigue
Date: Sep 22, 2010 1:27PM

Oh, that sounds frustrating. I have been trying for weeks to understand how
to calculate online sales taxes for all the parishes in Louisiana (each
parish has their own way of doing business), and no website or phone call to
state and local agencies has helped much. Each call produces a different
answer. Must be something about the way government works.

- Margit

On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 2:07 PM, Ro < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Yes, I needed sighted assistence because my Apple computer could not
> access the application. Turns out, the whole website is completely
> useless anyway. I won't go into details, but even my sighted friend,
> using their required Internet Explorer, cannot get the application to
> do what I need it to do, and what I've been told to do countless
> times. So my sighted friend had to call because I wasn't even really
> given the time of day since I couldn't see the screen we were having
> problems with. She was given a work around and we are trying that now.
> Wow. :)
>
> ~Randi and Guide Dog Jayden
>
> For me, acceptance was the first step towards recovery.
>
> On Sep 22, 2010, at 11:59 AM, Margit Link-Rodrigue wrote:
>
> > Randi,
> > It sounds to me that by applying for benefits, you had to access a web
> > application rather than a website, the difference being that you
> > needed to
> > go through a data entry workflow.
> >
> > Working on web applications myself, I know that often (even on
> > federally
> > funded projects) the accessibility testing is very basic. These
> > applications
> > are often programmed by subcontractors which are rarely held
> > accountable
> > when it comes to accessibility. I know this is unacceptable, but
> > unfortunately a reality.
> >
> > I am curious why you needed sighted assistance to get through the
> > process.
> > Was it impossible for you to submit your application (maybe because it
> > required access to a lot of paperwork)? Or is it just easier and
> > faster for
> > you to submit your application with the help of a sighted person? If
> > the
> > latter is the case, then I don't think it's a big deal for the
> > sighted user
> > to switch to Internet Explorer in order to assist you.
> >
> > If you needed help because you found the application process
> > inaccessible,
> > you should definitely report this to the agency you were dealing
> > with. It
> > would not be acceptable if the application didn't meet the technical
> > requirements of your assistive technologies.
> >
> > -Margit
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at 6:53 PM, Ro < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >
> >> Hi accessibility experts,
> >>
> >> I am not versed in all the laws that govern the internet, and I need
> >> your help.
> >>
> >> All government sites are supposed to be accessible, right? Now, under
> >> that, do all web browsers and operating systems have to be able to
> >> use
> >> that site? For example, can a government site only be used with
> >> Internet Explorer, locking out users of Safari?
> >>
> >> Any help would be appreciated, as I encountered this today. I have to
> >> have sighted assistence to apply for benefits, and my friend had to
> >> open Internet Explorer, when she uses Firefox primarily.
> >>
> >> If this is not following guidelines, I'd sure like to know, because
> >> it
> >> totally locked me out of my own business.
> >>
> >> Thanks in advance,
> >> Randi
> >>
> >> http://raynaadi.blogspot.com/
> >>
> >>