[NFBCS] Legal Action for the Accessibility of AWS Web Console

Tue Feb 11 03:09:41 UTC 2020

Chime is a pretty bad app I will agree on that; if you've ever used Blue Jeans for teleconferencing I think Chime is only marginally better.  Zoom is fantastic and I got them a while back to fix the fact that blind individuals were unable to know if a recording started or stopped.

As for AWS.  I've tapped a few LinkedIn connections at Amazon in Seattle to see if they know who in AWS is in charge of Accessibility proposing some coordination.  I've had some luck with Slack and Microsoft this way in the past having a fairly decent network to rely upon.

-----Original Message-----
From: Timothy Breitenfeldt <timothyjb310 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2020 10:50 AM
To: charles.vanek at gmail.com
Cc: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Legal Action for the Accessibility of AWS Web Console

Yes, I agree, it may not even be necessary to take legal action against AWS, but it would not be the first time that my complaints of inaccessible software has fallen on deaf ears. Amazon is one of those companies. I had a horible interview experience with Amazon Chime a while back for an Amazon interview, and I found Amazon Chime to be an awfle peace of software, and it was enaccessible as well.

I would love to tell AWS nicely to fix their web console, and walk away with a solved problem, I am just worried that they won't listen.
I think it depends on who we talk to.

Timothy Breitenfeldt

On 2/9/20, charles.vanek at gmail.com <charles.vanek at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'd be happy to join in a coordinated request to AWS.  My team has a 
> reasonably large set of infrastructure in AWS and I find there are 
> numerous WCAG 2.0 AA shortcomings.  Obviously AWS is used by US & 
> Canadian government entities which mean they should need to be 
> reasonably conforming to that standard
>
> As for legal action, it seems first that the problem needs to be 
> quantified.
> There's definitely a problem there, but does it rise to the level of 
> needing legal action and if there were coordination amongst those 
> having issues AWS may see the light and start fixing issues.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Timothy 
> Breitenfeldt via NFBCS
> Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2020 6:08 PM
> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Timothy Breitenfeldt <timothyjb310 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Legal Action for the Accessibility of AWS Web 
> Console
>
> Thanks Tom for your experience, I would be interested if anyone else 
> has used AWS Console with a screenreader and what they think about 
> pushing AWS to fix their UI. I am concerned that AWS could wiggle out 
> of any legal claims against them by saying that the web console is 
> accessible enough, although has tarible usability. In adition, there 
> is a commandline tool, which is an alternative solution that is 
> completely accessible, it is just by no means the most convenient at times.
>
> I don't know anything about what it would take to file legal 
> complaints, I do not know anything about these things, but AWS is a 
> very important part of many people's jobs right now, and the situation 
> could definitely be improved for screenreader users.
>
> Please, if anyone has any experience with this type of thing or has 
> anything to add I would love to hear your thoughts.
>
> Timothy Breitenfeldt
>
> On 2/5/20, Tom Moore <tommym2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I use Aws on a daily basis with the Awscli and web console.
>> Some functions work easier with the Awscli than the web console and 
>> others are easier in the console.
>> There are some functions that are not easy for me to use specifically 
>> creating record sets in Route53 or working with different aspects of 
>> Vpcs.
>> As far as taking legal action I am not really in a position to give 
>> you any advice on this area and I only approach things from a 
>> technical prospective.
>> The tasks I can not do myself I ask for help with other people in the 
>> company and they help with the few things I do need and then I go on 
>> my way.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Timothy 
>> Breitenfeldt via NFBCS
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2020 11:14 AM
>> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Timothy Breitenfeldt <timothyjb310 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: [NFBCS] Accessibility of AWS Web Console
>>
>> Hi, I am currently going through training as a full stack web 
>> developer, and we started working with AWS recently. I am a 
>> screenreader user, and use NVDA and JAWS. I have found AWS to be 
>> frustratingly accessible. In otherwords, accessible enough I think to 
>> avoid a lawsuit. Has anyone approached AWS about the state of the 
>> usability of AWS with screenreaders? Honestly, accessibility aside, 
>> as a web developer, I can point out over a dozen problems with just 
>> the HTML design, such as putting column headers in a separate table 
>> from the body of the table.
>>
>> I do know about the AWS CLI, and I have been using it, but it just is 
>> sometimes easier to use the web console. I am getting the hang of the 
>> user interface, but it is slow and frustrating that every time I 
>> perform an action I get 0 feedback to weather anything happened, and 
>> if anything did, where on the screen that new information is 
>> presented. All of that aside, the AWS web console is inconsistent web 
>> design, where some AWS services are easier to use than others because 
>> the wizards have actual buttons rather than clickable text, or the 
>> table column headers are apart of the same table as the body, etc...
>>
>> Does anyone know if this problem has been brought to the attention of 
>> AWS, what their response was, and if not, if there is enough 
>> justification to take legal action to force Amazon's hand to fix the 
>> problems?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Timothy Breitenfeldt
>>
>> --
>>
>> Timothy Breitenfeldt
>>
>> Phone: 509-388-7262
>>
>> Skype: timothyjb310 at outlook.com
>>
>> https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothybreitenfeldt/
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
>
> Timothy Breitenfeldt
>
> Phone: 509-388-7262
>
> Skype: timothyjb310 at outlook.com
>
> https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothybreitenfeldt/
>
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-- 

Timothy Breitenfeldt

Phone: 509-388-7262

Skype: timothyjb310 at outlook.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothybreitenfeldt/