[il-talk] Apple's Accessability Emoji

[Dan Tevelde]

Hello All,

This sounds l just another publicity stunt.  I would rather see Apple do something substantive like fix accessibility bugs in their operating system.

,dan   

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 26, 2018, at 2:44 PM, Robert Hansen via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> That sounds like a very disgusting Emoji. I cannot stand those short pains
> like that because they are very dangerous. And I'm very glad that somebody
> is going to get in contact with apple and thank you for doing that Kelly.
> And I don't know why they did not consult the nfb. That always discuss me
> when we're not consulted first because we know the truth and we know what's
> best for blind people. I don't know why the ACB is always contacted because
> we have it all. They don't need to be calling the ACB on anything. The nfb
> as far as I'm concerned is the official blindness organization. And we know
> what's right we know what's best we speak for ourselves. We don't hide
> behind these organizations that don't speak up for us because we speak for
> us not a bunch of institutionalized bureaucrats. But thank you Kelly and I
> hope that they can get rid of that awful emoji and sit down and consult
> with us because we'll tell them the truth. And we'll show them about how
> Independence is and what it stands for and why it is we do what we
> 
> 
> 
> Robert Hansen
> 
> hansen.robert70 at gmail.com
> 
> 
> On Sat, Mar 24, 2018, 9:17 PM Kelly Pierce via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> In the last few days, Apple proposed new emoji to the worldwide
>> standards body of images that reflect accessibility. Two of these
>> images show a male and a female figure with white canes. I became
>> suspicious when I noticed that the only blindness organization
>> consulted by Apple in press reports was the American Council of the
>> Blind. A sighted friend examined the emoji’s and found the canes
>> appear to only extend to the elbows of the blind people, who appear to
>> be age 12. This cane length is below the sternum, which is the minimum
>> cane length advocated by the Association for Education and
>> Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. ACB regularly
>> affiliates with AER.  The National Federation of the Blind recommends
>> that white canes extend past the chin.  It is sad Apple has brazenly
>> picked a political side in the white canes and travel debate rather
>> than develop an image representative of independent blind travel. The
>> blind people in the emoji’s are holding really short white canes with
>> red tips and a black golf grip with the nylon cord around their
>> wrists, which can often be a safety hazard. If blind people have their
>> canes caught in the doors of rapid transit or light rail trains, they
>> could be dragged to their deaths when the train rapidly accelerates
>> rather than having the cane just knocked out of their hand if a strap
>> is not wrapped around their wrist. It sets a poor example of cane use
>> to the public and blind people everywhere. I will ask Apple to
>> withdraw its submission and create new emoji that actually
>> demonstrates safe independent travel.  I hope the national office will
>> examine the emoji and follow up with Apple about this imagery.
>> 
>> Kelly
>> 
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