[NFBMO] A personal dilemma

[Fred Olver]

Yesterday I had reason to be in touch with the company which supplies me electricity and as well the company which supplies me with gas for my home. The reason I felt I needed to be in touch with Ameren Electric and spire energy was that I have found in trying to navigate their websites that it is somewhat difficult if not completely impossible to pay my bills on either of their websites. This has been true of Laclede Gas now spire energy and for me amren electric now for as long as I have been attempting to pay my bills online using their websites. Because of this I have two choices I can have someone else write a check for me or I can choose to allow them to remove money from my account on a day which they prescribe to do so. The removal of money from my checking account not on the same day every month is not something that I look forward to, and the fact is that there’s not always someone around to assist me in paying my bills. I feel I should tell you that I have cajoled and even begged both of these utilities to make their websites more accessible to those of us who are blind. I have done this over a period of years to no avail. So I ask you, those of you who are blind, how do you pay your electric bill? Do you allow the utilities to remove money from your checking account or do you rely on a person who can see in order to facilitate your bill being paid? On the other hand, do you just except the fact that the websites for some of the places you have bills to pay are not accessible and find another way to get it done? It seems to me that if I do the second of those choices that I am in a sense giving up when I should be doing everything that I can do cause them to make their websites accessible. On several OK Asians I have referred organizations to the NFB‘s technology center so that their websites might become more accessible. It seems like such a small thing. Making websites accessible to be a thing of the past it should have already been done what would you suggest Fred Olver

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