[nfb-talk] Kindle debate

Amelia Dickerson ameliadickerson at gmail.com
Sat Jan 16 18:44:01 UTC 2010


Sure, I have a very clear example. Blackboard makes software that
universities use to provide an electronic component to their classes.
My university uses the old school version and it is a pain to
navigate, although everything is accessible in the loosest terms if
you know a bunch of tricks and that certain links really don't mean
anything. I know a woman who was on  a coalition that worked to
pressure Blackboard to make their platform more accessible. They got
the head purchasing people at approximately 30 large universities
across the nation to write a letter expressing concerns about the
Blackboard lay out. Blackboard made their latest version more
accessible. It now has just 3 frames versus 9. They've cut out the
duplicate labeling and non-sense links. They could still do better,
but they got pressure to do it and they moved a little bit. Another
piece has to do with accessible ATM's on my university's campus. They
are theoretically accessible, but all but one or two do not have the
necessary software loaded on them to create the audible feedback. Part
of the problem is that every department loves giving an ATM a spot by
their building, because they get revenue from that and what public
university isn't always looking for more revenue? We did a lot of
corresponding with the Credit Union that owns most of the ATM's on
campus, and they have been unwilling to budge on the issue. We got the
student union to change their contracts so that as they renew
contracts for the ATM's, they really do have to be accessible, versus
just theoretically. We are now working to make this true across campus
so that has to be part of all new ATM contracts. So, the company
already made them accessible, but then the individual banks were not
using that accessibility and we are not at all saying people shouldn't
have ATM's and benefit from the convenience and revenue, but we are
just pushing people to use the accessible versions. Credit Union is
still refusing to make changes, so they will start to lose the ability
to sign contracts to renew their ATM's, whereas US Bank has been very
cooperative and made changes as soon as we started communicating about
the problem.
Amelia

-- 
Amelia Dickerson

What counts can't always be counted, and what can be counted doesn't
always count.
Albert Einstein




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