[gui-talk] National Federation of the Blind and Blind BusinessOwner File Complaint with Small Business Administration

Fri Jul 24 18:25:08 UTC 2009

Until we get some good legislation passed which advocates and promotes
web accessibility as part of a website's design, or strengthen the
legislation we now have for web accessibility, I think we're going to
continue to see inacessible sites and suits filed against inaccessible
sites.

Jmt,
Wayne

On 7/23/09, Sahar Husseini <sahar at inebraska.com> wrote:
> If the government is going to have laws about accessibility, it needs to
> follow the laws it sets for everyone else.  Hmm, but then again, to me that
> just makes sense.  It's not the money that's the issue.  It's bringing
> attention to it and making it happen.
>
> Warm regards,
> Sahar Husseini
> For hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry, Please visit my Website at
> www.saharscreations.com
> And remember, "Obstacles don't have to stop you.
> If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up.
> Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
> Michael Jordan
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Gerald Levy
>   To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List
>   Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 6:17 AM
>   Subject: Re: [gui-talk] National Federation of the Blind and Blind
> BusinessOwner File Complaint with Small Business Administration
>
>
>
>   If I had a dollar for every government site that was inaccessible, I would
>   be richer than Bill Gates.  Have you ever tried navigating the IRS or
>   Medicare web sites?  The SBA site is just the tip of the iceberg.
>
>   Gerald
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: "albert griffith" <albertgriffith at sbcglobal.net>
>   To: "'NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List'" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>   Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 6:47 AM
>   Subject: Re: [gui-talk] National Federation of the Blind and Blind
>   BusinessOwner File Complaint with Small Business Administration
>
>
>   > I'm totally in favor of his complaint.  There's no good reason for sites
>   > run
>   > by governmental agencies not being totally accessible.
>   >
>   > -----Original Message-----
>   > From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
>   > Behalf Of Freeh, Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)
>   > Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:43 AM
>   > To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>   > Subject: [gui-talk] National Federation of the Blind and Blind Business
>   > Owner File Complaint with Small Business Administration
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > CONTACT:
>   >
>   > Chris Danielsen
>   >
>   > Director of Public Relations
>   >
>   > National Federation of the Blind
>   >
>   > (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>   >
>   > (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>   >
>   > cdanielsen at nfb.org
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > National Federation of the Blind and Blind Business Owner
>   > File Complaint with Small Business Administration
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > SBA's Inaccessible Web Site Discriminates Against the Blind
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > Baltimore, Maryland (July 22, 2009): The National Federation of the
>   > Blind, the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people
>   > and the leading advocate for equal access by the blind to information
>   > technology, and Virgil Stinnett, a blind business owner from
>   > Honolulu, Hawaii, filed an administrative complaint today with the
>   > Small Business Administration (SBA).  The complaint asserts that the
>   > SBA's Web site violates Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act because
>   > it is inaccessible to blind people who use text-to-speech screen
>   > access technology or Braille displays to access information on the
>   > Internet.  Because of the inaccessibility of the SBA Web site, blind
>   > people cannot fill out forms on the site or take online courses
>   > offered by the SBA.  Mr. Stinnett was unable to apply for
>   > certification under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act because of
>   > the inaccessibility of the Web site.  Section 8(a) certification
>   > would provide Mr. Stinnett's business with access to federal and
>   > private procurement markets.
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
>   > said: "Blind Americans have the same dreams, the same goals, and the
>   > same entrepreneurial spirit as all other Americans.  If we are to
>   > have equal access to the tools and techniques needed to be effective
>   > business owners and to compete on terms of equality with our sighted
>   > peers, we must have equal access to the resources offered on the SBA
>   > Web site and other government sites.  The National Federation of the
>   > Blind demands equality for blind business owners and will tolerate
>   > nothing less."
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > Virgil Stinnett, owner of Good News HI, a business providing military
>   > dining services, said: "As a blind entrepreneur, access to the SBA
>   > Web site is critical in order for me to use its programs and services
>   > and expand my business.  The fact that I could not access the Web
>   > site has cost me time and resources that I would not have needed to
>   > expend if I had been able to use the site like everyone else.  I hope
>   > the action we are taking today will prompt the SBA to take immediate
>   > steps so that all Americans, blind and sighted, have equal access to
>   > the programs, training, and resources that it provides."
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > Complainants are represented by attorneys Daniel F. Goldstein and
>   > Allison L. Harper of Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, <?xml:namespace
>   > prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />120
>   > E. Baltimore Street, Suite 1700, Baltimore, MD 21202, (410) 962-1030,
>   > fax: (410) 385-0869, <mailto:dfg at browngold.com>dfg at browngold.com,
>   > <mailto:ah at browngold.com>ah at browngold.com,
>   > <http://www.browngold.com/>www.browngold.com.
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > ###
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