[gui-talk] Microsoft Edge

Wed Aug 3 16:09:25 UTC 2016

IN alignment with Doug's comments here, it would not have been bad in my view to have a resolution to urge Microsoft to complete ongoing accessibility work on Edge in the least time feasible.  However, things like Microsoft Project and Dynamics could definitely use a lot more work and would be great additions to such a resolution in the future.  Resolutions can both praise progress and urge continued expedition of ongoing work in relationship to the overall impact and do help provide business need definition for providers.

Allen Hoffman
Deputy Executive Director
The Office of Accessible Systems & Technology
Department of Homeland Security
202-447-0503 (voice)
allen.hoffman at hq.dhs.gov

DHS Accessibility Helpdesk
202-447-0440 (voice)
202-447-0582 (fax)
202-447-5857 (TTY)
accessibility at dhs.gov

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-----Original Message-----
From: gui-talk [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Doug Lee via gui-talk
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2016 11:58 AM
To: Wayne Merritt via gui-talk
Cc: Doug Lee
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Microsoft Edge

I once heard an exec, I forget from which company, speaking at an NFB national convention about this. My best
summary of this part of his presentation goes like this:

At any given moment, I have piles of stuff on my desk. Some are cold, some are heating up, and some are on
fire. The ones that get attention right away, of course, are the ones that are on fire. When you file a
resolution against us on accessibility, you cause accessibility items on my desk to catch fire. That gives me
an excuse to put them at high priority.

I remembered that presentation for all these years as an indication that, at least sometimes, and because of
the way companies are often overstocked with things they could do, what we would consider an attack in a
personal context can be little more than a priority setter at a corporate level.

I am not fond of harsh approaches to problems, personally. However, I credit Microsoft, Apple and others with
understanding this priority-setting view of our actions. I think it takes wisdom to know when to use this
approach and to know when it will be interpreted as such; but I make the point that this view of resolutions
is a valid one.

On Wed, Aug 03, 2016 at 10:45:02AM -0500, Wayne Merritt via gui-talk wrote:
As a result of the NFB's latest convention resolution against Apple, I
did some research on past NFB resolutions and found 20 since 2009
which were directed at Google, Amazon and Microsoft regarding issues
and inaccessible products. This is not meant to drudge up that whole
debate, but rather to point out that we have accessible Kindle devices
now thanks to years of the NFB "going after" Amazon through
resolutions, protests, and other ways. Even Microsoft has said that
Edge is not accessible, however they have also done great work in
making Windows 10 accessible and their other products. Let's not give
up on them just yet. If there were no Windows alternative to Edge for
web browsing, that would be one thing. As was pointed out though,
instead of Edge, we can use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome,
and so forth to access the web. We are not bound to Edge and nothing
else.

Kind regards,
Wayne

On 8/3/16, Hoffman, Allen via gui-talk <gui-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Frankly, having tantrums should be reserved for those who are not
> cooperative, and then "going after" folks in an antagonistic fashion is
> something as last resort.  Microsoft is really turning up the heat regarding
> accessibility, of late, but does have work to do.  Slapping them when they
> are doing what we've been asking for now doesn't make a bit of sense.
> Pushing accessibility is my job, and my experience is that its not an all or
> nothing game, and that to get what you want you have to be clear,
> persistent, and escalate when you must, not when you feel like it.
>
>
>
>
> Allen Hoffman
> Deputy Executive Director
> The Office of Accessible Systems & Technology
> Department of Homeland Security
> 202-447-0503 (voice)
> allen.hoffman at hq.dhs.gov
>
> DHS Accessibility Helpdesk
> 202-447-0440 (voice)
> 202-447-0582 (fax)
> 202-447-5857 (TTY)
> accessibility at dhs.gov
>
> This communication, along with any attachments, is covered by federal and
> state law governing electronic communications and may contain sensitive and
> legally privileged information. If the reader of this message is not the
> intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,
> distribution, use or copying of this message is strictly prohibited.?? If you
> have received this??message in error, please reply immediately to the sender
> and delete this message.?? Thank you.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gui-talk [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of TaraPrakash
> via gui-talk
> Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2016 3:35 AM
> To: Discussion of the Graphical User Interface, GUI Talk Mailing List
> Cc: TaraPrakash
> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Microsoft Edge
>
> Sadly if you sponsor their annual convention they won't be as aggressive
> toward  you.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 3, 2016, at 3:54 AM, Don H via gui-talk <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> The NFB has been known to go after companies that don't make their product
>> or services accessible.  Why hasn't the NFB gone after Microsoft for not
>> making the Edge Browser accessible?
>>
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