[blindlaw] Seeking Opinions on the Accessibility of Government Forms

[Aser Tolentino]

Dear List:

I am currently working with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund as a volunteer attorney, and would like to ask for your assistance. As you may know, DREDF successfully litigated a case, ACB v. Astrue on behalf of a nationwide class of blind and visually impaired Social Security Administration benefit recipients, beneficiaries and representative payees, requiring SSA to provide notices in alternative formats upon request.  DREDF is now working to prove that the law requires SSA and other governmental agencies make the forms used to communicate with them accessible as well, -- electronically, in large print, and braille.

It would be extremely helpful if you could share with me any experiences you have regarding the accessibility of forms provided by agencies of the federal government. If anyone has dealt with SSA forms before, that would be terrific. But what I'm also looking to find out is how much luck have people had with accessible forms. So I would like to hear about your experiences -- good and bad -- and examples of best practices or success stories using PDFs, online submissions, braille ready formats, and any other alternatives.  Should a range of alternatives be offered and provided?  Why or why not?

Speaking of the Social Security Administration specifically, the agency's current position is that persons may request any form in an electronically fillable format. Has anyone ever successfully done this or been made aware of it as an option for submitting forms to SSA?

I would be very grateful for anything you would be willing to share on list or off. Thank you in advance and have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Aser Tolentino