[nfbwatlk] Fw: Visual Verification: do you want the good news or the bad news?

[Lauren Merryfield]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <BlindNews at GeoffAndWen.com>
To: <BlindNews at FreeLists.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 2:54 PM
Subject: Visual Verification: do you want the good news or the bad news?


> The Blond - a Blind Blog
> Thursday, November 15, 2007
>
> Visual Verification: do you want the good news or the bad news?
>
> By The BAT!
>
> November 15th, 2007  Time: 01:58 am
>
> http://vip-uc.livejournal.com/
>
> As I'm sure every blind Internet inhabitant knows, accessibility is 
> problematic for us on many web sites, thanks to the proliferation of 
> visual-only CAPTCHAs. These are the distorted characters you have to copy 
> to get into some web sites. The reason for their use is understandable 
> enough. These sites are trying to stop spammers using automated systems to 
> put rubbish on to their sites. I'm sure that's a sentiment we can all go 
> along with. The problem is the way the sites implement the CAPTCHAs. 
> Usually they are visual only, though some sites are now providing a sound 
> alterntive. Not that all of the audio alternatives are easy to use, but 
> it's a step in the right direction when major providers such as Google 
> implement audio CAPTCHAs.
>
> Well, today I've come across several obstacles, and one site that was a 
> delight to use. Let's start with the good news.
>
> Being a busy screen reader user, I wante to try something a little less 
> wearing than the default Microsoft voices in Windows XP. I tried the 
> Acapela web site, which has several high-quality voices for download.
>
> http://www.acapela-group.com/demos/desktop.asp
>
> To get any voices to download, yes you have to pass a CAPTCHA, but the 
> version they have there has an audio alterntive, and that audio 
> alternative is spoken in a high-quality voice, very easy to hear. Their 
> DVDs containing software are also Brailled, incidentally, so they are 
> clearly doing their best to be accessible.
>
> Well, that's the good news. I was very disappointed when trying to join 
> the VLC Media Player Forum to find a visual-only CAPTCHA preventing me 
> from getting in. Having a little residual sight, I tried to fathom out the 
> CAPTCHA, but all attempts failed. Considering what a wonderfully 
> accessible program VLC Media Player is, it was a nasty surprise to 
> discover that they had an inaccessible forum.
>
> http://forum.videolan.org/viewforum.php
>
> The other bad news doesn't come from my own experience, but was mentioned 
> by someone on a mailing list I belong to. This person said tat when trying 
> to reply to an e-mail from someone in inbox.com, he had to pas the same 
> kind of visual verification in order to be able to reply.
>
> http://www.inbox.com/
>
> They are not the only web-mail service that puts up such a barrier by any 
> means, but it disappointing to discover more of them!
>
> Update 29th November 07. The latest in my Rogues' Gallery of inaccessible 
> sites is JLC's Internet TV Forum. A CAPTCHA again that I though I could 
> crack, but I couldn't get it right. They offer an email contact for 
> visually impaired people, at least but I'm waiting for a reply, and don't 
> know how long it's going to take. Hear my claws drumming on the table??
>
> The BAT!
>
>
> http://vip-uc.livejournal.com/17405.html
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