[Cabs-talk] Capcha

Wed Nov 11 22:40:46 UTC 2009

    Hi Justin. I did go check this captcha I like old radio so I found it 
interesting.  I wasn't able to successfully get enough words right using 
three attempts and two different challenges.  I know I got some words right 
and maybe using earphones I could do better.
I might try again later.
But if I were visiting this site if I couldn't get the web owner to change 
it or the
 NFB to challenge it I most likely would just go away.
I think I saw a captcha with a math problem like you describe and I think it 
worked nicely but Most capches don't. I have a program that can read many 
capcha's but not all and I haven't experimented with it here.
I like your idea of setting an example for other web owners like "Swagbucks" 
who require capcha's and impede my ability to use there site especially in 
winning prizes that the normal public can win.
They also do commerce on that site so may be in violation of the California 
Law Target was.

The thing to keep in mind here though,
The  primary reasons for  the contact feature on the CABS site are to assist 
blind students ranging from legally blind to totally blind and o recruit new 
members.
This means we have to meet them where they are not where we want them to be 
or where we think they should be.
The most basic blind computer user needs to be
 able to make contact with the least amount
 of difficulty.
Otherwise it's easier to
 think
 "the NFB has an attitude" and go elsewhere.
And listening to various ACB conventions I have heard such accusations made.
Let me congratulate you on all the improvements you are making to the CABS 
site your doing a great job and making it
 accessible to Low vision folks is marvelous.

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Justin Harford" <jharford at calmail.berkeley.edu>
To: "California Association of Blind Students Mailing List" 
<cabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 1:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Cabs-talk] Capcha

> Good morning CABS
>
> In light of the issues concerns brought up regarding the captcha that  we 
> wanted to post I would like to say a few things with the purpose of 
> explaining myself and walking away with my dignity intact..
>
> First to answer the question of whether captcha is really necessary,  the 
> consensus among web developers is that it is, and not to keep out  blind 
> people or blind/deaf people as is the feeling in some parts, but  to keep 
> out spambots which may easily post messages to a form as well  as any 
> human if no precautions are taken.  It was expressed that  captcha is 
> consisting of visual images that blind people cannot  access, yet this is 
> not the definition of captcha.  A captcha is  merely a challenge that the 
> user is put to in order to send a form.   It is supposed to be a challenge 
> that only a human could complete.  It  could be visual as most are, but it 
> can be other things too.  I did a  captcha on a disability related sight 
> that was a math problem.
>
> I had selected this captcha keeping our blind users in mind.  I myself 
> use a screen reader and could speak of ample experiences in which, if  not 
> for the small bit of vision I possess, I would have been cut out  from a 
> number of things.  And no, the fact that I am a partial does  not minimize 
> the outrage I feel when I see a captcha that is just an  image.
>
> As a result of this awareness, I took pains to make sure that if A 
> captcha were to be implemented that it would be not only accessible to  a 
> blind user, but pleasant and easy to use.  The one I selected gives  you 
> clips from old movies and radio shows and has you copy the words  you hear 
> into a field.  You don't have to get them all right.  It  automatically 
> routs your cursor to the edit field so you don't have to  fumble about 
> trying to find the edit field as the captcha is being  spoken.  In 
> addition, the text that people input with this captcha  goes towards an 
> effort to digitalize old books and audio in a text  format, another 
> positive for the blind.  Thus I hope you would  understand my excitement 
> at finding such an option.
>
> However, while I do think that most of the arguments made against this 
> captcha are unfounded, there is one important point still standing,  the 
> issue for deaf and blind users.  In the sight that hosted this  captcha, 
> they mention this as well, and that alternatives like email 
> authentication should be offered.  .
>
> I still sort of think that we should have an accessible captcha as it 
> sets an example for other developers to follow.  I can promise you  right 
> away that you will not convince many developers to compromise  the 
> security of their websites altogether by simply leaving captcha  out, much 
> better to show them how blind people can manage such  security 
> implementations.  is there no way we could set up an  alternative for deaf 
> blind?  Or even better, set up a captcha that  asks basic math problems 
> like that one I tried a while back?
>
> Meanwhile, I have deleted the link to the form on our contacts page,  thus 
> making it impossible for anyone to access the form from our home  page. 
> If anyone still cares to give input on the matter, the form can  be still 
> found directly at:
>
> http://www.nfbcal.org/cabs/contact/contactform.php
>
> Eventually I will just delete it from the server.
>
> When I found that option, I was just so overly excited at how much  better 
> it was from other accessible captchas I had done, that I just  wanted to 
> show it off to people.  I apologize for whatever  inconveniences it may 
> have caused and hope that at least those who  tried the form might see 
> where I was initially coming from.
>
> Regards
> Justin Harford
> CABS Secretary
> On Nov 11, 2009, at 11:29 AM, Michael Peterson wrote:
>
>> Hi Justin I haven't looked yet and that might answer my question.  But is 
>> capcha absolutely necessary?
>> Generally I don't like it Lots of times the sound capcha's have  really 
>> garbled sound.
>> I'll maybe check and send a test message to see how I like this  capcha.
>> Mike
>>
>>
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