[gui-talk] Blind Americans demand Web access; Target fights back (fwd)

[Mike Freeman]

Did you purchase something?

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arliedog" <ddlmh50 at insightbb.com>
To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Blind Americans demand Web access;Target fights back 
(fwd)


With Window Eyes you use the number pad to do the same functions as using
the physical mouse.  I just went to the target web site and had no problems.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <slerythema at insightbb.com>
To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 2:13 PM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Blind Americans demand Web access; Target fights
back (fwd)


> Please explain your comment.  I am at a total loss as to how totally blind
> people use a mouse.
>
> Cindy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Arliedog <ddlmh50 at insightbb.com>
> Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2007 14:34
> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Blind Americans demand Web access; Target fights
> back (fwd)
> To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>
>> So the NFB thinks that blind people can't use a mouse?  WRONG!!!
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>> To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>;
>> <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>;
>> <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>; <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>; <nabs-
>> l at nfbnet.org>;
>> <promotion-technology at nfbnet.org>; <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 12:33 PM
>> Subject: [gui-talk] Blind Americans demand Web access; Target
>> fights back
>> (fwd)
>>
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >>This story appeared on Network World at
>> >>http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/010508-target.html
>> >>
>> >>Blind Americans demand Web access; Target fights back
>> >>Court battle expected to heat up in coming months
>> >>By Jon Brodkin, Network World, 01/05/07
>> >>Retailer Target's refusal to make its Web site more accessible
>> to the
>> >>blind
>> >>has fueled a high-profile court battle that is causing many
>> companies to
>> >>quietly upgrade their Web sites in the hopes of avoiding negative
>> >>publicity
>> >>and legal liability.
>> >>The case will unfold over the next several months, but a
>> federal judge
>> >>has
>> >>already dismissed Target's claim that Americans with
>> Disabilities Act
>> >>prohibitions against discrimination do not apply to commercial Web
>> >>sites.
>> >>This ruling, and other advocacy efforts on behalf of the
>> blind, has
>> >>caused a
>> >>number of "major e-tailers" to upgrade their sites to make them
>> >>compatible
>> >>with software the blind use to access the Internet, says Paul
>> Rosenfeld,>>senior vice president of federal accessibility
>> solutions at the SSB BART
>> >>Group in San Francisco, a consulting firm founded by
>> technologists with
>> >>disabilities.
>> >>These online retailers contacted SSB BART to assist in that
>> upgrade, but
>> >>Rosenfeld says he can't identify the companies because they
>> wish to
>> >>remain
>> >>anonymous.
>> >>"This Target case, it's been a wake-up call for e-tailers,"
>> Rosenfeld>>says.
>> >>Before the case, advocacy groups for the blind would often ask
>> companies>>to
>> >>upgrade their Web sites and not receive immediate results, he says.
>> >>Retailers typically don't make those upgrades right away
>> "unless there's
>> >>litigious action or some need for risk management," he says.
>> >>There are 1.3 million legally blind Americans, and nearly 9
>> million more
>> >>who
>> >>are visually impaired, according to the American Foundation
>> for the
>> >>Blind.
>> >>Click to see: A Web site as a sighted user sees it.
>> >>  Targeting Target
>> >>A class action lawsuit filed by the National Federation of the Blind
>> >>(NFB)
>> >>accused Target.com of lacking alt-text for many graphics, preventing
>> >>blind
>> >>customers from browsing products and looking for Target locations.
>> >>Moreover, Target.com requires that all transactions be
>> performed with a
>> >>mouse, the NFB said, a barrier that prevents blind people from
>> >>purchasing
>> >>products online. While a blind person can use a keyboard, just
>> as a
>> >>sighted
>> >>person can type without looking at the keys, a blind person
>> cannot use a
>> >>mouse because it requires the ability to see the mouse cursor
>> on the
>> >>screen.
>> >>Accessible Web design allows the blind to navigate sites using
>> just Tab,
>> >>Shift-Tab, and Enter.
>> >>The Target lawsuit is unique because most companies, when told
>> by blind
>> >>people that their Web sites are inaccessible, are willing to
>> make the
>> >>necessary upgrades, says John Pare, spokesman for the National
>> >>Federation of
>> >>the Blind. They may not make the change instantly, but
>> companies at
>> >>least
>> >>begin the process of fixing the problems. Legal action is a
>> last resort
>> >>for
>> >>the NFB, he says.
>> >>"We really work to resolve it locally," he says. "The only company,
>> >>certainly in the last several years, that has said just plain
>> 'no' is
>> >>Target."
>> >>Target's refusal surprised the NFB, because the retailer is
>> losing out
>> >>on
>> >>money blind people are willing to spend, and the lawsuit may
>> damage the
>> >>company's public image. "We're just completely shocked," Pare says.
>> >>When contacted by Network World, Target reiterated a statement the
>> >>company
>> >>originally issued in October, which reads as follows:
>> "Target.com is
>> >>committed to providing an online experience that is accessible
>> to all of
>> >>our
>> >>guests. Despite the lawsuit brought forward by the National
>> Federation>>of
>> >>the Blind (NFB), we have always and will continue to implement new
>> >>technologies to our Web site. We are in the process of making online
>> >>enhancements that will benefit all of our guests, including
>> those with
>> >>disabilities. These enhancements will occur regardless of the
>> outcome of
>> >>this lawsuit."
>> >>In court, Target argued that its Web site is not a "place of public
>> >>accommodation" the way a brick-and-mortar store is, and that
>> the site is
>> >>therefore not governed by the Americans with Disabilities Act
>> (ADA). A
>> >>U.S.
>> >>District Court judge in California rejected the argument,
>> saying that
>> >>restricting the ADA's discrimination provisions to physical
>> locations>>"would
>> >>contradict the plain language of the statute."
>> >>More than three years ago, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
>> >>argued
>> >>that the ADA requires commercial Web sites to be accessible, while
>> >>investigating Priceline.com and Ramada.com. The companies
>> agreed to pay
>> >>fines totaling $77,500 and implement a variety of upgrades to
>> help the
>> >>blind
>> >>navigate their Web sites.
>> >>Despite that agreement, the Target court ruling was the first to
>> >>directly
>> >>state that the ADA applies to private Web sites, advocates for
>> the blind
>> >>say. The court has not yet addressed the practical question of
>> how to
>> >>define
>> >>accessibility, Pare says. A court date is scheduled for April to
>> >>determine
>> >>whether the suit against Target can go forward as a class action.
>> >>"This is not going to happen quickly," Pare says.
>> >>Tracy Andrews, a 43-year-old resident of Cheshire, Conn., who
>> has been
>> >>legally blind since she was a child, says she often encounters
>> >>difficulty
>> >>when searching the Web but is surprised Target has opted to
>> fight the
>> >>lawsuit.
>> >>"I think in the long run, if Web sites can make themselves more
>> >>accessible
>> >>it's going to be to their advantage," Andrews says. "To fight
>> it is only
>> >>being a stick in the mud. The tide is moving, you might as
>> well go along
>> >>with it."
>> >>State and federal government Web sites are already required to be
>> >>accessible
>> >>to the blind due to the ADA and other laws, says Judy Brewer,
>> director>>of
>> >>the Web Accessibility Initiative at W3C in Cambridge, the
>> World Wide Web
>> >>Consortium, an international standards organization.
>> >>Although the legal requirements for private companies are not
>> as clear,
>> >>many
>> >>commercial Web sites have already made the switch to accessibility.
>> >>Amazon.com and Wal-Mart have Web sites that are in good shape, Pare
>> >>says.
>> >>Organizations can apply to the NFB for a certification demonstrating
>> >>that
>> >>their site complies with accessibility guidelines. Ten have
>> obtained the
>> >>certification, including Merck, Legal Sea Foods, HP, General
>> Electric,>>Wells
>> >>Fargo and the Social Security Administration.
>> >>Merck became certified in April 2005, before the Target
>> lawsuit. An
>> >>external
>> >>contract to upgrade the site cost about $35,000, and Merck
>> devoted at
>> >>least
>> >>two employees to the project, says Larry Tattoli, associate
>> director of
>> >>Merck.com. The process "wasn't that difficult," he says.
>> >>A bigger challenge has been maintaining accessibility as the
>> Web site
>> >>grows
>> >>and changes, Tattoli says. Whenever a new image is added, a
>> Web site
>> >>developer has to add alt-text that can be read to a blind person.
>> >>On a positive note, Merck officials found that making the site
>> >>accessible to
>> >>the blind did not alter the visual presentation, as they had feared.
>> >>"It was this feeling that the text would have to be huge, or you
>> >>couldn't
>> >>have any images on it, it would be text-only pages. It's not true,"
>> >>Tattoli
>> >>says. "The pages I could show you before it was accessible and
>> after it
>> >>was
>> >>accessible are exactly the same."
>> >>The cost of making a Web site accessible usually equals 5% to
>> 10% of the
>> >>cost of Web maintenance, says Preety Kumar, CEO of Deque
>> Systems, a
>> >>Reston,
>> >>Va., company that helps Web site designers automate the task of
>> >>complying
>> >>with accessibility standards.
>> >>"A very small percentage" of companies have made their sites
>> accessible,>>she
>> >>says.
>> >>"They're overwhelmed, that's what I'm sensing," Kumar says.
>> "There are
>> >>companies that are responding to the Target lawsuit, and
>> they're paying
>> >>attention because they realize the risks of noncompliance are not
>> >>insignificant."
>> >>Beyond the blind
>> >>Blind people aren't the only ones with disabilities using the
>> Internet.>>Deaf
>> >>people, for example, can access visual portions of the Web without
>> >>assistance but are often out of luck when it comes to audio
>> files or
>> >>sound
>> >>on video files, even though there are tools Web developers can
>> use to
>> >>add
>> >>captions.
>> >>People with severe motor disabilities can use voice
>> recognition software
>> >>to
>> >>surf the Web, as paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve did before
>> his death.
>> >>If
>> >>they still have some ability to use their hands, they can also
>> be helped
>> >>by
>> >>the same accessibility guidelines designed for the blind.
>> Someone who
>> >>can
>> >>type but cannot manipulate a mouse can surf Web sites that are fully
>> >>accessible with a keyboard.
>> >>"If you do it right and you make your Web site accessible to
>> the blind,
>> >>you
>> >>do cover other [disabled] populations largely," Kumar says.
>> >>Among the disabled, Kumar says she thinks blind people are the most
>> >>challenged because they need a clean text-to-speech
>> translation in
>> >>addition
>> >>to a mouse alternative.
>> >>People who are deaf and blind would be worse off, obviously,
>> but they
>> >>can
>> >>use a Braille display, a strip located in front of the computer
>> >>keyboard. A
>> >>mechanism inside the strip controls small pins that go up and
>> down to
>> >>form
>> >>Braille letters.
>> >>Andrews, the legally blind Connecticut resident, says she's
>> using a
>> >>7-year-old version of ZoomText, a program that reads text out
>> loud and
>> >>magnifies the screen. Sometimes text is read to her in a nonsensical
>> >>order,
>> >>particularly when it is arranged in columns instead of
>> paragraph form.
>> >>Andrews says her outdated version of ZoomText may be causing
>> problems>>but
>> >>that poor text-to-speech translation is also often due to the
>> Web sites
>> >>themselves.
>> >>"Newer Web sites are better than older Web sites," she says.
>> Learning>>how to
>> >>use the Internet when you can't see is something that takes
>> time, even
>> >>if
>> >>the technology is up to date, she says.
>> >>"It can be a little slow going. Like anything, you get better
>> at it.
>> >>It's a
>> >>skill you develop," Andrews says.
>> >>Web site developers may find it easier to establish
>> accessibility if
>> >>they
>> >>are building a whole new site, rather than upgrading an old
>> one. That's
>> >>what
>> >>officials at Legal Sea Foods found when they decided to
>> replace their
>> >>Web
>> >>site in January 2005 because it had become old and stale, says Ken
>> >>Chaisson,
>> >>vice president of information technology at the Boston
>> restaurant chain.
>> >>Starting from scratch is a "heck of a lot easier" than changing
>> >>everything
>> >>on an existing Web site, he says. Financially, making the site
>> >>accessible to
>> >>the blind is worth it for Legal even if just five extra groups
>> of people
>> >>come to one of the restaurants, he says.
>> >>But only a small number of companies have upgraded their Web sites,
>> >>according to some observers. A March 2006 survey found that
>> >>three-quarters
>> >>of businesses listed in the FTSE 100 Index in London failed to meet
>> >>minimum
>> >>Web site accessibility requirements set by British laws to end
>> >>discrimination against disabled people.
>> >>Observations by Brewer of W3C square with the study's findings.
>> >>"The majority of sites on the Web are not fully accessible to people
>> >>with
>> >>disabilities," she says.
>> >>Click to see:
>> >>
>> >>Can the blind, and other disabled people, use your Web site?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>Here are 10 quick tests to check accessibility:
>> >>1       Make sure informational
>> images (like your organization's logo)
>> >>have
>> >>alternative text. Place the cursor over the image. A box
>> should appear
>> >>with
>> >>a brief, accurate description.
>> >>2       Check decorative images
>> for alternative text. If the image has
>> >>no
>> >>function other than to look nice, it should not have any alternative
>> >>text.
>> >>
>> >>3       "Listen" to audio and
>> video content with the volume turned off.
>> >>This
>> >>is the situation faced by a deaf person. Make sure your Web site
>> >>supplies
>> >>written transcripts for all audio content.
>> >>4       Make sure forms are
>> accessible. Each item in a form should have
>> >>a
>> >>prompt text. When you click on the prompt text, a flashing
>> cursor should
>> >>appear in the box next to the text.
>> >>5       Check that text can be
>> resized. In Internet Explorer go to
>> >>View>Font
>> >>size>Largest. If the text does not increase in size, your site
>> may be
>> >>inaccessible to users with low vision.
>> >>6       Check your Web site in
>> the Lynx browser. This is a text-only
>> >>browser. If a site makes sense in Lynx, it probably fulfills many
>> >>accessibility guidelines.
>> >>7       Use your Web site
>> without a mouse. If you can't navigate your
>> >>site
>> >>using just tab, shift-tab, and enter, then neither can people
>> using only
>> >>a
>> >>keyboard or voice recognition software.
>> >>8       Make sure there is a
>> site map
>> >>9       Make sure alternative
>> text associated with links make sense out
>> >>of
>> >>context. Blind users often jump from one link to the next with
>> the tab
>> >>button.
>> >>10      Check your Web pages with an
>> automated program, such as WebXACT
>> >>or
>> >>Wave.
>> >>11      Use ASCII text that screen
>> access software can convert to speech
>> >>or
>> >>Braille.
>> >>12      Provide meaningful text
>> labels for hypertext links. Labels like
>> >>"click here" aren't good enough.
>> >>13      Make sure tables and multi-
>> column text does not prevent screen
>> >>access software from rendering pages in an intelligible and useful
>> >>manner.
>> >>Even sophisticated screen access software has trouble with
>> tables that
>> >>contain many columns, such as bus and train schedules.
>> >>Source: Webcredible, London
>> >>All contents copyright 1995-2007 Network World, Inc.
>> >>http://www.networkworld.com
>> >>
>> >
>> > David Andrews and white cane Harry.
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > gui-talk mailing list
>> > gui-talk at nfbnet.org
>> > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk
>> _______________________________________________
>> gui-talk mailing list
>> gui-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk
>>
>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> _______________________________________________
> gui-talk mailing list
> gui-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk
>
_______________________________________________
gui-talk mailing list
gui-talk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk