[Colorado-talk] Internet access

[annajee82 at gmail.com]

Friends,
There's only a very few days left to impact this extremely important issue:

You may or may not know that the internet is often not fully accessible with technology that many blind people use.  This can easily be changed, and I, along with thousands of other Americans really need your help to change that.
You also may or may not know that the White House has a program called "We The People" that demands a response to the voice of Americans.
Below is a link to a petition that the White House must respond to.  But we have to have 100,000 signatures by Feb 6 in order for that to happen.
So, please take a few seconds and click the link.
Below the link is a detailed explanation on the matter.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/direct-us-department-justice-promptly-release-ada-internet-regulations

The American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) went a long way toward ensuring that individuals who are blind, deaf, use a wheelchair, or have any number of different disabilities enjoy independent access to numerous aspects and benefits of our society. 25 years ago, the ADA produced regulations that ensure the accessibility of physical spaces (think of curb cuts for wheelchairs and Braille labels on doors). But, today, the internet has become an absolutely essential part of the daily life of virtually all Americans, and the ADA has nothing to say about the internet. That is why, in 2010, President Obama directed the Department of Justice to make rules defining accessibility of websites under the ADA. This would ensure that the internet is fully accessible to every person, regardless of disability.  Regrettably, no such rules have materialized, and now they say it will be 2018 before they come out. Of course, in 2018, we may well have a Justice Department with different priorities than we do today, and the rules may be made much weaker, or scrapped altogether. This is why I need your help. The Obama administration, through it’s “We the People” initiative, promises to provide a formal response to any petition that garners 100,000 signatures. We are pushing a petition that would force the administration to either push the Department of Justice to release the regulations, or to explain to blind Americans like me why this is no longer a priority.  The Obama administration and Justice Department must act. Please add your name to this petition. It only takes a couple minutes to do this and then, President Obama will have to explain to blind Americans why our access to the internet is no longer a priority. Please sign here:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/direct-us-department-justice-promptly-release-ada-internet-regulations
 
It is easy as 1, 2, 3. Click the link above; provide your name, email address and zip code; and click the confirmation link in the autogenerated email that the White House sends you. That’s all! And it will have a real impact!
 
Please forward this far and wide, share on social media, and tell your friends to take 60 seconds to ensure that the internet is open to all Americans, including the blind.

With gratitude,

Anna E Givens