[blindLaw] accessibility of DC's mandatory ethics course

Mon Aug 31 21:32:29 UTC 2020

All,

I have been in touch with some folks at the DC bar.  They have
promised to, within the week, update the course description page,
welcome emails, and accommodations descriptions to make it apparent
that visual codes are embedded within the video so that blind course
takers are not caught off guard.  They will also standardize their
method for handling such accommodation requests.  Not surprisingly,
the most difficult part will be to actually fix the issue, because, as
we all know, it's harder to retrofit accessibility than to just
implement it from the ground up.  But they have expressed a commitment
to fixing it.  I, of course, will make sure to follow up, but it's a
very encouraging message.  If anyone is planning on or is in the
process of waiving in, though, please be in touch, as your experience
will be the only way to verify that the issue has been fixed.

Thanks,

Laura

On 8/27/20, Laura Wolk <laura.wolk at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Diana,
> We are talking about two different courses. The mandatory ethics course for
> new admittees is not generally available. I just took it this morning and
> can confirm that no codes are spoken out loud. I am in the process of
> communicating with the bar though, so hopefully it will be fixed soon.
>
> Laura
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 27, 2020, at 2:07 PM, Diana1 <dianaoliveira58 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> Hi Laura,
>>
>> Yes, that’s correct.
>> Each code was spelled out loud by the facilitator, twice, and he even said
>> M as in Mary, B as in boy. The numbers were also repeated along with the
>> letters.
>>
>> Let me know if I can be of help.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>> Diana Oliveira
>> NFBV Potomac Chapter, member
>> NFBF Legislative Committee, member
>> NABS, member
>> NFB Employment Committee, member
>> (305) 988-2713
>> dianaoliveira58 at gmail.com
>>
>> From: Laura Wolk
>> Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2020 5:57 AM
>> To: Bianca Moreiras
>> Cc: Diana1; Blind Law Mailing List; Angela Matney
>> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] accessibility of DC's mandatory ethics course
>>
>> Hi Diana,
>>
>> Are you saying that the codes were spoken out loud during the video? You
>> did not need to use your vision to read them?
>>
>> Laura
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>> On Aug 26, 2020, at 10:44 PM, Bianca Moreiras <moreirasbianca at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Nice
>>
>> Bianca Moreiras
>> Bianca Moreiras & Associates
>> 305-986-0905
>> www.biancamoreiras.com
>>
>> “Simple solutions for complex issues. That will propel you to great
>> leadership. Don’t overthink, overwork, or over create things. Use your
>> energy to motivate, stimulate and elevate others.” — Bianca Moreiras
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone - please excuse typos
>>
>>
>> On Aug 26, 2020, at 10:41 PM, Diana1 <dianaoliveira58 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> Hello Laura and greetings to all!
>>
>> Motivated by all email messages, I decided to register for this ethics
>> class and am very happy I did.
>> I am partial, have some useable sight, but use JAWSL.
>>
>> Just for information purposes, the codes were spoken by the facilitator of
>> the DCBar. I just submitted my questions and codes.
>>
>> It was very interesting, well paced and we had active feedback from the
>> attendees, including myself. Informative, enjoyable and gave me a new
>> positive perspective on ethics.
>>
>> I am glad,  even proud to share with you that most of my answers to the
>> quizzes were right on. This entices me to keep pursuing my legal education
>> in this country and persevere against all odds.
>>
>> In time, I’d like to observe that the ABA website feels more difficult to
>> navigate for me than the DCBar. Because I’m in the Greater DC area, I will
>> be looking forward to other webinars.
>>
>> Laura, if you need help with the codes, I have them.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>>
>> Diana Oliveira
>> NFBV Potomac Chapter, member
>> NFBF Legislative Committee, member
>> NABS, member
>> NFB Employment Committee, member
>> (305) 988-2713
>> dianaoliveira58 at gmail.com
>>
>> From: Laura Wolk via BlindLaw
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 8:43 AM
>> To: Angela Matney
>> Cc: Laura Wolk; Blind Law Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] accessibility of DC's mandatory ethics course
>>
>> Thanks for  getting back to me so quickly. This is just so disheartening
>> and a classic example of what happens when universal design is not
>> implemented from the ground up. I still have a month before starting my
>> new job, so I just may make this my new hill to die on.
>>
>> Laura
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Aug 25, 2020, at 8:11 AM, Angela Matney <amatney at loeb.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > 
>> > Hi Laura,
>> >
>> > I took this course in September/October of last year, and I was one of
>> > the first (if not the very first) to take the course in its current
>> > format with a screen reader. The codes you mention are imbedded in the
>> > video and are therefore completely inaccessible to screen readers. I was
>> > instructed to write short sentences summarizing each section of the
>> > course and email them to the appropriate person at the DC Bar.
>> >
>> > While this process was disconcerting and not particularly
>> > well-documented, the individual I worked with was very responsive and
>> > quite helpful. I’m pasting her contact information below. Also, feel
>> > free to get in touch privately if you have any other questions about
>> > this.
>> >
>> > Best,
>> >
>> > Angie
>> >
>> > SUHANA RAI
>> > Sr. Programs Attorney, Continuing Legal Education
>> > District of Columbia Bar
>> > 901 4th Street, NW
>> > Washington, DC 20001
>> > (: 202.737.4700 x2789
>> > 8: srai at dcbar.org
>> >  www.dcbar.org
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Angela Matney, CIPP/US
>> > Attorney at Law
>> > <image001.jpg>
>> >
>> > Loeb and Loeb LLP
>> > 901 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300 East | Washington, DC 20001
>> > Direct Dial: 202.618.5038 | Fax:202.403.3407 | E-mail:amatney at loeb.com
>> > Los Angeles | New York | Chicago | Nashville | Washington, DC | San
>> > Francisco | Beijing | Hong Kong | www.loeb.com
>> >
>> >
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>> > From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Laura Wolk via
>> > BlindLaw
>> > Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 8:01 AM
>> > To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> > Cc: Laura Wolk <laura.wolk at gmail.com>
>> > Subject: [blindLaw] accessibility of DC's mandatory ethics course
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > All,
>> >
>> > I just registered for DC's mandatory ethics course for new admittees.
>> > I would love to speak with someone with no usable vision who has taken
>> > the course recently and can speak to its accessibility. I learned,
>> > only after registering, that I am to write down five random codes that
>> > display on the screen during the course. How have people handled
>> > this? And is hte ocurse itself accessible? I plan to reach out to
>> > the DC bar, but my experience has been that people are slow to respond
>> > given the pandemic, and I only have 14 days to complete the course
>> > before incurring outrageous additional boondoggle fees. any
>> > assistance is gratefully appreciatted.
>> >
>> > Best,
>> > Laura
>> >
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>>
>