[gui-talk] Blind Massachusetts Residents Unable to Access EmergencyInformation

Tue Dec 7 12:50:04 UTC 2010

I certainly agree that captchas are a big problem for us blind computer 
users.  But do you really know anyone who doesn't have access to a radio or 
TV?  The fact is that the vast majority of blind people do not have cell 
phones because they are too expensive, too complicated or too inaccessible.

Gerald

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Lee" <dgl at dlee.org>
To: "Discussion of the Graphical User Interface, GUI Talk Mailing List" 
<gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 7:35 AM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Blind Massachusetts Residents Unable to Access 
EmergencyInformation

> First, that assumes inaccurately that radios and tv's are available in
> as many places as cell phones.  Second and I suspect more important
> though, this seems to me to be a more than usually direct strike at
> making our problems with captchas more well recognized and addressed.
> Surely no one on this list would argue that we have no significant
> problems with captchas these days.
>
> I regard the world of legal battles a strange one indeed, because
> sometimes one seems to have to fire a shot at one thing to effect
> another.  That said though, and with the admission that I'm only
> guessing, I think that's probably what's really going on here.
>
> On Tue, Dec 07, 2010 at 07:10:31AM -0500, Gerald Levy wrote:
>
> This is a bunch of nonsense.  Blind Mass. residents can just turn on
> their radios or TV's like everyone else to obtain emergency
> information.  Another example of creating an issue where none exists.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Freeh, Jessica (by way of David
> Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)" <JFreeh at nfb.org>
> To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 11:19 PM
> Subject: [gui-talk] Blind Massachusetts Residents Unable to Access
> EmergencyInformation
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>
>>
>>CONTACT:
>>
>>Mika Pyyhkala
>>
>>National Board member
>>
>>President, NFB of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
>>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Massachusetts
>>
>>(617) 202-3497
>>
>>pyyhkala at gmail.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Blind Massachusetts Residents
>>Unable to Access Emergency Information
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Contractor Everbridge Blocks Blind Subscribers
>> from Emergency Alert Systems
>>
>>
>>
>>Boston, Massachusetts (December 6, 2010): The National Federation of
>>the Blind of Massachusetts (NFB of MA) is working to resolve an
>>emergency issue with the City of Boston and one of its contractors,
>>Everbridge.  The city contracts with Everbridge to provide a
>>subscription service whereby residents can receive emergency alerts
>>by telephone, text message, or e-mail, but blind residents cannot
>>access the service because registering involves a visual captcha.
>>Captchas are automated tests used to tell humans and computers
>>apart, often through the use of distorted letters that must be
>>retyped by the person attempting to register for an online service.
>>Since blind people cannot respond to visual-only captchas, which
>>cannot be read by screen access software used by the blind, many
>>entities provide an audio alternative or some other form of captcha,
>>such as a simple logic question.  Everbridge's system provides no
>>such alternative.
>>
>>
>>
>>NFB of MA President Mika Pyyhkala has been unable to reach the
>>company since discovering the problem on November 29, despite
>>repeated attempts at contact through its Twitter and Facebook
>>accounts, e-mail addresses, and telephone customer service system,
>>as well as a telephone call to the office of its CEO.
>>
>>
>>
>>Mika Pyyhkala, president of the National Federation of the Blind of
>>Massachusetts, said: "Blind people need timely access to information
>>in emergency situations, just like everyone else.  Clearly, however,
>>Everbridge did not give this basic need any consideration when it
>>designed its system; nor did the cities of Boston, Waltham, and
>>Winchester consider the needs of their blind citizens during their
>>procurement processes.  The sluggish response by Everbridge and the
>>City of Boston to this emergency is deplorable given that it would
>>be very easy for Everbridge to fix this problem or for the city to
>>procure this service from a company that does not use a visual
>>captcha as the sole means of allowing users to register. The
>>Everbridge accessibility issue represents a wake-up call for every
>>CIO and CTO regarding technology, civil rights, and timely
>>communication with stakeholders."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>###
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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> -- 
> Doug Lee                 dgl at dlee.org                http://www.dlee.org
> SSB BART Group           doug.lee at ssbbartgroup.com 
> http://www.ssbbartgroup.com
> "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do
> what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with
> them while they do it."--Theodore Roosevelt
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