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Re: Government site accessibility law

for

From: Ro
Date: Sep 22, 2010 1:36PM

Yes, first it was the phone system spitting me back into the menu like
a vicious circle, then it was the website, which my friend and I have
spent hours on, spinning us in circles. It's unbelievable. We both
have our cognitive wits about us. I can't imagine someone else trying
to do this who has a cognitive disability.

The tech support guy can't figure out why the Medicare Part B program
isn't on the website, so he sent my friend a PDF of the paper
application they are sending me. Even that doesn't have a checkbox for
what I need to apply for.

This is an absolute nightmare, but I'm getting off the subject of web
accessibility now, so I won't bore you with details. :)

~Randi and Guide Dog Jayden

In the Center of the Roof

http://raynaadi.blogspot.com/

On Sep 22, 2010, at 12:18 PM, Margit Link-Rodrigue wrote:

> 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/
>>>>
>>>>