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

Tue Dec 7 13:51:20 UTC 2010

Now I understand where're you're coming from.  But even on public transit, 
you may not be able to receive emergency information on a cell phone because 
there is no reception.  What good is a cell phone in the subway?  And not 
owning one is not unusual by any means.

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 7:54 AM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Blind Massachusetts Residents Unable to Access 
EmergencyInformation

>I wasn't referring to people not having radios etc., but rather to
> places where you can take or have a phone but not a radio.  I speak
> from the unusual perspective of not owning a cell phone, which has the
> effect of causing me to notice places where nothing else is available.  :)
> Mostly this would be in transit or in work settings, in my experience
> at least.
>
> On Tue, Dec 07, 2010 at 07:50:04AM -0500, Gerald Levy wrote:
>
> 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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>
>
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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
> Reality is not what we see.  Reality is what is, whether we see it or not.
> (03/01/09)
>
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