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

[David Andrews]

Did you buy something, completing the check out process entirely?  In 
the past there was a graphic that had to be clicked with a mouse and 
Mouse Keys, or JFW's JAWS cursor wouldn't work.

Dave

At 02:50 PM 1/9/2007, you wrote:
>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
> >>
> >
>
>
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David Andrews and white cane Harry.