[nabentre] Fwd: ADV: The Clear View News, November 2013
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Thu Nov 28 01:58:19 UTC 2013
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>My Blind Spot, the clear view to diversity
>
>In This Issue
>JUST HOW WE SEE IT
>We Did It!
>A Letter From John Martyn
>VIEWS GONE WILD
>FOCUSED VIEWS
>Quest for QuickBooks
>SUPPORT OUR VIEW
>Thank You!
>LAST BUT NOT LEAST
>Quick Survey
>About Us
>My Blind Spot is an organization dedicated to
>helping visually impaired individuals.
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>© My Blind Spot, Inc.
>Drop Shadow Accent Image
>
>The Clear View News
>November 2013 Volume 1 Issue 1
>Dear David,
>
> JUST HOW WE SEE IT
>Newsletter - Dance Drop Shadow Image
>
>We Did It!
>
>I don't even know where to begin. For starters,
>this is the first release of our quarterly newsletter, The Clear View News.
>
>We have come a long way since seeing the launch
>of My Blind Spot. We have secured meaningful
>funding to deliver on our mission and vision for
>the community. We have addressed specific
>accessibility issues plaguing the blind and
>print disabled communities in the area of
>financial management. We have grown from what
>was an organization handled by a single set of
>hands, to a group with many hands and many
>shoulders making light work for all we need to do.
>
>This is only the beginning, and I continue to
>invite you, our supporters, to help guide us in
>the direction of addressing the next big thing
>for the community. We have a significant success
>under our belts with the completion of our
>QuickBooks project, with sights set on training,
>outreach and educating people of all abilities
>about our mantra, "Access to the right tools
>creates ability and restores infinite possibilities."
>
>Much thanks and gratitude to Jim and Ted, Tom,
>Brian, Dianna and Bob, Jim, Cathy, Kathleen,
>Lori, John, Steve, Dixie, Daniel, Ted, Cheryl,
>Sujasree, Denise, Jon, David, Lisa, and, last but not least, Mom and Dad.
>
>"The only thing worse than being blind is having
>sight, but no vision." Helen Keller
>
>Appreciatively, Albert J. Rizzi, CEO and Founder
>
>
>A Letter From John Martyn
>
>Hi all,
>
>My name is John Martyn and I have been dreaming
>about QuickBooks accessibility for more than 2
>years. It started off with something I thought
>would grab Intuit's interest: scripts I had
>written for QuickBooks 13. I presented the
>scripts for what I called "QuickBooks Blind" to
>Lori Samuels, Accessibility Program Manager at
>Intuit, when I first met her at the CSUN conference in early 2012.
>
>Just a few months earlier, Lori had been
>speaking with Albert Rizzi of My Blind Spot
>about making an accessible and usable version of
>QuickBooks. Thanks to Lori, Albert and I were
>introduced, and the three of us started
>brainstorming about actually making a usable and
>accessible version of QuickBooks.
>
>As I worked on the scripts, writing and
>rewriting code, it became apparent that we
>needed to attack this from a different angle if
>we were going to be successful. After
>investigating potential partners and speaking
>with experts in the field, of whom some stayed
>and some did not, My Blind Spot decided that in
>order to get the ball rolling on the development
>of a usable version of QB, we needed to expand
>the team. Lori set out to secure support from
>the engineering team at Intuit while Albert set
>his sights on reaching out to the best in the
>field when it came to programming and accessibility.
>
>Soon we were all working with Steve Clark of
>Adaptive Technology Services, and the real fun began.
>
>Steve set his sights on auditing and assessing
>the platform of QuickBooks, and Lori expanded
>the team internally at Intuit to include Cheryl Aranha and Ted Drake.
>
>For many years the blind and print disabled
>community had searched for an accessible version
>of QuickBooks, and it had been said time and
>again that someone was doing QuickBooks
>accessibility, but people kept waiting and hoping. Until now.
>
>The momentum we generated led to executive
>support from Intuit, which was that shot in the
>arm we needed to proceed. With buy-in from the
>executive level and the engineering level, we
>were able to transform an accounting program
>only marginally usable to the blind into a
>program usable and accessible to all.
>
>A short while ago, my dream to make it possible
>for blind business owners, accountants, and
>bookkeepers to manage their own finances became
>a reality. We have been beta testing everything
>the team has done to get QuickBooks working for the community.
>
>I am happy to be working with the team that My
>Blind Spot pulled together on what is to become,
>in my opinion, the largest accessibility project
>for the blind, opening doors of employment and
>creating opportunities for blind small business
>owners to independently manage their own businesses.
>
>This is why this project is so important to me
>personally and professionally. A lot was
>sacrificed to make my dream a reality. I thank
>all who that have been involved in the Quest for
>QuickBooks, for their hard work and their
>dedication to making QuickBooks accessible to people of all abilities.
>
>Thanks to all who volunteered to beta test. We
>are working hard to get it all pieced together,
>andwith your help, we can make it even better.
>
>John Martyn
>
>
> VIEWS GONE WILD
>Contributed by Albert J. Rizzi
>
>Do you know Donna Triply? Have you ever gotten an email from Donna?
>
>This week a funny thing happened. I had been
>sending out updates and announcements through My
>Blind Spot to keep our followers and supporters
>advised of the latest and greatest accomplishments and strides made at MBS.
>
>A colleague and new friend, Ann, forwarded me an
>email that was sent to her by Donna. She asked
>why Donna had forwarded the email to her and why
>I had not sent it to her directly.
>
>Admittedly, I was confused. I did not send an
>email to Donna nor did I ask her to forward
>anything to anyone on my behalf. Who was Donna,
>and why was she forwarding our press release
>about our project to make QuickBooks accessible
>and usable to the blind and the print disabled?
>
>Putting on my best Sherlock Holmes outfit, I
>took to investigating the matter. Turned out,
>after a little sleuthing, that I did know Donna,
>or at least who sent the email that seemed to
>come from Donna Triply. It was our webmaster, David Annett.
>
>When David set up our announce list to keep
>people informed on current events, he
>established a one-way list that does not allow
>people to reply to us. The "from" address field reads as follows:
>
><mailto:donotreply at myblindspot.org>donotreply at myblindspot.org
>
>Now, for those of you who do not use a screen
>reader or adaptive tools that the blind and the
>print disabled use to translate text into audio
>output, I suspect that you are scratching your
>heads. But when that address is translated into
>audio output for screen reader users, what it
>sounds like is Donna Triply. I just about fell
>off my chair laughing once I figured out what was wrong.
>
>I immediately wrote to my friend, Ann, and told
>her what I had deduced. She suggested that to
>avoid that problem, I needed to use caps at the
>start of each new word-for example,
><mailto:donotreply at myblindspot.org>DoNotReply at MyBlindSpot.org.
>Then, what you all see as non-screen-reader
>users will exactly match what we hear as blind
>and print disabled users of adaptive technologies.
>
>If we all make that simple adjustment or ask our
>webmasters to address this consideration, no one
>will ever wonder who Donna Triply is and why she is writing to us.
>
>
>
>
> FOCUSED VIEWS
>Newsletter - Dance Drop Shadow Image
>
>
>The Quest for QuickBooks
>
>
>
>There's an old saying when it comes to knowing
>what will happen in the end: "It's not over till the fat lady sings."
>
>
>
>For more than twenty years, the blind and
>visually impaired have been waiting for that
>climactic aria in the opera that might be titled
>"The Quest for QuickBooks;" that is, for an
>ADA-compliant, usable QuickBooks that will give
>them access to the preeminent accounting software on par with sighted users.
>
>
>
>Some in the audience had no choice but to give up on their quest.
>
>
>
>"I've only attempted to access QuickBooks a
>dozen or so times, as there's really nothing I
>can do with it and it gets me more frustrated
>every time I make an attempt. I really need
>access to QuickBooks to enhance my day to day
>guiding of the company, as finances and accurate
>bookkeeping are the foundation to any successful
>business," said John Wellslager.
>
>
>
>In spite of the myriad challenges posed over the
>years, others, out of necessity, and with varied
>degrees of success, struggled to use the
>available accounting programs by using any
>number of props and accessories to bridge issues
>that remain present even today. In the world of
>financial software, this is nothing new.
>Consider the experience of Richard Kelly:
>
>
>
>"I've been legally blind most of my life. In
>1988 I began using computers, then screen
>readers in 1990, and by 1992, my being able to
>use a screen or a monitor ended. As my usable
>vision was failing, I knew I had to find an
>accessible accounting computer program if I had
>any hopes of maintaining my financial
>independence. Over the years I've heard, and
>continue to hear, you cannot use QuickBooks with
>a screen reader. It's not accessible.
>Nonetheless, I found it usable until the 2013
>release, which I found to be neither accessible
>nor usable. In my opinion, it had become utterly worthless."
>
>
>
>Sadly, there are always false finales. When we
>do find a program that works, with no tweaking
>or scripting solution required to bridge the
>digital divide, we hold our breath and pray that
>it stays usable and accessible as new releases
>and upgrades are made to the core product. All
>too often, however, what starts out well
>screeches to an abrupt halt when a program is
>rendered inaccessible due to an operating system
>update. Even worse is when the core product is
>rendered useless with an update by an engineer
>or web designer with little understanding of accessibility issues.
>
>
>
>For example, Julie Warrington had deep concerns
>when she first learned about the initiative to
>make an accessible and usable version of QuickBooks.
>
>
>
>"The QB software is a major part of my
>employment, and I am very concerned that if they
>break the accessibility work-arounds I have developed, I will be out of a job."
>
>
>
>As a result, many of us have contacted software
>companies over the years to encourage them to
>design accessibility into, or return lost
>accessibility to, their product. Occasionally,
>we receive an empathetic response but more often
>it is a dismissive comment. Joleen Ferguson got
>the runaround from various customer service reps
>who offered little or no appreciation for accessibility.
>
>
>
>"I don't have the confidence to believe that
>things will not quickly become outdated again
>with next year's product update, but I strongly
>agree that we need choices. My choice is to
>support the company that supports me and my needs."
>
>
>
>Yes, there is something operatic about
>this-mistaken identities, misdirected magic,
>broken hearts. Until recently, blind users had
>the satisfaction of keeping track of their
>finances with an earlier scripted version of
>Quicken only to lose accessibility when a new
>and improved version of the accounting program came out.
>
>
>
>The accessibility opera plays on. Off stage, the
>critics scoff. With years of soaring promises
>followed by dashed hopes, the community has
>grown justifiably skeptical as to whether or not
>the Diva will ever take center stage and belt out that high note.
>
>
>
>Yet, for those who are desperate for access to
>QuickBooks, there is reason to remain hopeful.
>My Blind Spot, a nonprofit organization founded
>by Albert J. Rizzi, is championing accessibility
>for the blind and visually impaired by
>collaborating with Intuit, Inc. to make their
>preeminent small business financial software
>truly accessible, usable, and ADA compliant. My
>Blind Spot has successfully reached out to
>Intuit, at many levels, in order to convey to
>them the urgency of improving accessibility to their financial products.
>
>
>
>Kim Thurman is one of those hopeful individuals
>placing her trust in My Blind Spot and Intuit to
>bring an accessible option for financial management to the community.
>
>
>
>"I am very intrigued with your efforts to
>finally make QuickBooks accessible with screen
>readers. I have attempted to use the software
>several times over the years to no avail."
>
>
>
>Perhaps the most compelling story is the one
>highlighted in a video produced by My Blind Spot
>and posted on YouTube. Dixie Sanderson and her
>circumstances are representative of the truths
>the blind community has lived with, and continue
>to live with, for far too long.
>
>
>
><http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QtPnOptN7-z2alzW8m3v1jeafoAipiO81DaNkX8zaqbPE_FFC2VQ-k_jcjhrgSwXau8R43bjwdUcv3381lr9kUwajh6lbV-oV5cRNfJOzf5HBZdIWfXiSPbtJv0rJDOYigELA42tJJBwK26lKPAxKMYwCXkVp-FWZLcxi4TLHcTKnWYNkk_gHelFxICM7npJEyyyoIzZQuk=&c=yWi52Cv6eZ5roUut4Jd41xVFQKtgYk9XGKUWC21Xh9bitskTDspGnA==&ch=xZCWCSM5yRYU97V_jGYkozKUZxJ3IcZxsgWWybYx1XiXdMLS6pTo3A==>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZklXouXyORk
>
>
>
>Through the combined efforts of the engineering
>teams at My Blind Spot and Intuit, the
>20-year-long, seemingly Wagnerian quest for
>accessible QuickBooks appears to be coming to an
>end. If you listen carefully, you might hear the
>conductor tuning up the orchestra from the pit
>in preparation for the final act. The soprano,
>waiting in the wings, is practicing her new lyrics.
>
>
>
>For Dixie, the song used to be, "I had to
>dissolve my business and turn to disability
>income." It has been replaced with, "My
>contractors say that when I can use QuickBooks,
>I will be their bookkeeper once again."
>
>
>
>To that end, and opening to a wide audience and
>rave reviews, My Blind Spot, in concert with
>Intuit, will be raising the curtain on a usable
>and accessible version of QuickBooks for Windows
>appearing live on a desktop near you.
>
>
>
>The community is approaching a crescendo, sung
>loud and strong, promising hope and opportunity for people of all abilities.
>
>
>
>Finally!
>
>
>SUPPORT OUR VIEW
>
>Thanks to all who contributed to our recent
>fundraiser held in conjunction with Macy's
>Annual Shop for a Cause Event. We are constantly
>looking for additional support and resources to
>continue our work for people of all abilities.
>We are open to suggestions of ways we can secure
>the precious resources needed to do what we do best-opening doors for others.
>
>
>
>In the coming months, we plan to launch a
>fundraising effort through an online platform. Stay tuned!
>
>
>
>Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>
>access equals ability, infinite possibilities
>
>
>
>LAST BUT NOT LEAST
>
>Take our super-quick survey!
>
>
>
>Our web professionals have put together an
>Accessibility Awareness Survey consisting of 6
>true or false questions on Survey Monkey. The
>survey is for developers and novices alike.
>Please take a moment to fill it out. You can find it at:
>
>
>
>
><http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QtPnOptN7-z2alzW8m3v1jeafoAipiO81DaNkX8zaqbPE_FFC2VQ-m49NGB7jorgsOEVwLh_3PUZqgL8POWT8RRBa4J-j_2AOTgmjV0HLwemuKFMgDv3Vvo_SXYnBmaeRT3Dk14UMZlT7iq6kgrsJaLhK7WDuIRe3REj9hGrVVrCYt6Hs_AjklVAL5Hm1H8h&c=yWi52Cv6eZ5roUut4Jd41xVFQKtgYk9XGKUWC21Xh9bitskTDspGnA==&ch=xZCWCSM5yRYU97V_jGYkozKUZxJ3IcZxsgWWybYx1XiXdMLS6pTo3A==>http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RZGZ2J8
>
>
>
>
>We will share the results as soon as we have
>more than 100 participants. Please share the
>link with all the developers you know!
>
>
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