[blindlaw] Lexis and Pacer

[Stewart, Christopher K]

Hi All,

I'm responding to the digest and will address both Scott and Will's
topics: the accessibility of LexisNexis and Pacer.

First, I've not needed to use Pacer because we have access to CM ECF,
but I've visited the website to familiarize myself with it. The
structure is very navigable with JAWS, and unless there are problems
with the payment process, I don't think it presents any accessibility
issues.

Second, I use both Westlaw and Lexis. I prefer Westlaw, but the Judge
I clerk for uses Lexis, so I often find myself using it when he sends
me cases to read. I've found Lexis to have a ton of features, and I've
never had an access problem with any of them. Having said that, I
almost feel like there are too many features to make screenreader
access as efficient as legal research should be. I'm sure if I were to
get a job where my employer only had Lexis, I would quickly learn the
layout and become as efficient with it as I am with Westlaw, but I
think Westlaw is, at least initially, more intuitive for screenreader
users.

Best,
Chris