[PHOTO/CAPTION: Curtis Chong]

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Curtis Chong]

The Braille Monitor

June,

2002

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Website Accessibility

Again

by

Curtis Chong

Curtis

Chong

From

the Editor: In late April NFB Director of Technology Curtis Chong received an

e-mail message from a man, not an NFB member, who was unhappy about inaccessible

job applications. He was looking for support for his solution to the problem

and wondered how Mr. Chong thought he should proceed with his project. Curtis's

answer to this message provides an excellent discussion of this difficult and

complicated issue. This is what he said:

May

7, 2002

Dear

____,

I

read with interest your e-mail dated May 25, 2002. You raise some thought‑provoking

points.

You

decry the fact that job applications--especially those on paper--are often difficult

or impossible for a blind person to fill out without sighted assistance. You

say that even job applications that are on the Web or available in some other

electronic form are difficult or impossible for a blind person to use. You would

solve this problem by establishing a requirement for all government-funded agencies

to post all of their job applications on the Web, using a standard format that

is accessible. You then go on to suggest some alternatives for turning this

idea into reality.

Anything

posted on the Web by anyone--whether it be a governmental agency or private

organization--should be accessible to blind people using screen-access technology.

This is a position which has been espoused by the National Federation of the

Blind ever since nonvisual access to the Internet became an issue. We filed

a lawsuit against America Online, and because of it AOL 7.0 is much easier to

use with screen-access technology than its predecessors. We went after a number

of Web‑based tax‑filing services, and today major companies such

as Intuit regularly come to the National Federation of the Blind to ensure that

the next year's tax‑filing Web application works with screen-access technology.

Of course we have a long way to go, as your e-mail so concisely demonstrates.

Most Websites are not designed to be accessible to the blind, and consequently

those of us who have some ability to use the Internet often run into trouble

when trying to use them.

Do

we really want to require all job applications to be posted on a Website simply

to benefit the blind? If an employer decides to post job applications on the

Web, then all of those applications should be accessible to everyone, blind

and sighted alike. But to say that, to help the blind, an employer must make

job applications available on its Website sends a message which reinforces the

notion that the blind cannot compete effectively in the workplace. Imagine what

an employer would think. If a blind job applicant can't handle the simple process

of filling out a printed application, how can he or she be expected to deal

with printed leave slips, memos, reports, and the myriad of printed material

that crosses the desks of many professionals every day? Taking this line of

reasoning a bit further, should the employer be required to put every piece

of printed material on its Website? I don't think so, and I don't believe you

do either.

Much

of the responsibility for handling printed information must be borne by the

blind person. We live in a world that is oriented to sight. The blind are a

minority. While we can expect to have some information provided to us in an

alternative format, the plain fact of the matter is that there is a fine line

between a reasonable accommodation and an unreasonable demand. I happen to believe

that requiring nonvisual access to job applications that are already posted

on a Website is reasonable.

However,

it is not reasonable on the one hand to say that we want an equal chance to

compete for a given job while on the other hand we demand that all job applications

be provided to us in an accessible electronic format. If an application is available

to us only on paper, we should muster the resources necessary to fill it out,

and we shouldn't complain about it. I believe this is part of what we mean when

we in the National Federation of the Blind talk about fully integrating the

blind into society on a basis of equality with the sighted. We do our part whenever

and wherever we can, and we ask for help when it can be given without seriously

inconveniencing anybody or when the person giving the help stands to benefit

by giving it.

Let

me be clear about what I am saying here. I agree with you that a lot of forms

on the Web are difficult or impossible for even the most highly trained blind

computer user to fill out without sighted assistance. You are right to say that

forms created using Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) are a real pain in

the neck. These are very real problems, and it is reasonable for us to expect‑‑no,

demand‑‑that they be solved through the simple expedient of considering

nonvisual access issues during the very early stages of the design of a Website

or application.

However,

when a particular form or application cannot be used without sighted assistance,

and if what we want requires us to use that form or application, then we must

procure the assistance necessary for us to complete the job. Independence does

not always mean that we do it ourselves. It means that we have the wherewithal

to take control of our situation and to solve the problems which confront us

in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

Yours

sincerely,

Curtis

Chong, Director of Technology

NATIONAL

FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

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