[NFBP-Talk] Here is a newspaper article about my recent testimony

[Chris Westbrook]

Here is an article htat appeared in hte local newspaper about my recent
testimony. Because I think the article may be behind a paywall, I'll paste
the text below.
https://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2023/09/it-takes-political-will-local-man-testifies-before-senate-committee-on-accessibility/
‘It takes political will’: Williamsport man testifies before Senate
committee on accessibility
TOP NEWS
SEP 27, 2023
PAT CROSSLEY
pcrossley at sungazette.com

Being unable to navigate the sometimes confusing world of technology is
frustrating, but to be shut out from fully accessing it is what many in the
disabled community face.

Something which may seem like it should be simple, like paying your taxes
online, becomes challenging to persons with disabilities, and that’s what
Chris Westbrook wanted legislators to know when he testified on Capitol
Hill recently.
Westbrook, of Williamsport, was invited by Sen. Bob Casey to testify before
the Senate Special Committee on Aging last week.
Westbrook described himself as a “blind Pennsylvanian serving as the
secretary for the board of directors of the Roads to Freedom Center for
Independent Living of North Central PA.”
He also works in the field of web accessibility as an accessibility
engineer for Allyant.


“I deal with accessibility issues on a daily basis, both personally and
professionally,” he told the committee.
For Westbrook, it was an honor to appear before the Senate committee in
support of the need for full accessibility.
“It was just surreal, to know that I’m testifying in front of the
committee. It was something that I never thought I would get to do,”
Westbrook said.
In preparing for his speech, Westbrook said that Casey’s staff was very
helpful when it came to writing his testimony.
He told the committee about his experience trying to pay his county taxes
but not being able to complete the task without the aid of a sighted person.
“Being forced to use sighted assistance means that I have to reveal private
and sensitive information to someone else, something a sighted person would
never have to do,” he said.
“There are many activities, such as shopping, transportation and tickets
purchasing when technology accessibility is important,” he said.
“People with disabilities need to be able to perform the same tasks as our
nondisabled peers when it comes to work, recreation and community living,”
he said.
The committee, which is chaired by Casey, is focused on ensuring accessible
government technology for people with disabilities, older adults and
veterans.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed us again the importance of using websites and
apps as a way to access government programs, services and information,”
Casey said in his opening statement.
Casey was also one of the sponsors of a bill, the Federal Agency
Accessibility Compliance Act, which would require agency and department
heads to personally certify that their organizations’ technology is
accessible and to post plans and timelines it is not.
“These bills are common sense legislation designed to ensure federal
government services, programs and communications are accessible to all
Americans,” Casey stated.
For this to happen, Westbrook said that he feels that accessibility needs
to “become just another part of doing business.”
“Accessibility must be considered from the design phase, all the way
through the process of implementing and maintaining a website. This is how
we make government technology and all technology accessible,” he said in
his testimony.
The bill cosponsored by Casey would provide government oversight of the
process, which Westbrook said is important.
“Local, state and federal governments need regulations to ensure
accessibility and that keep up with the changing pace of technology,” he
said.
“We also need to ensure that disabled people are involved in the
development of those regulations, the monitoring and oversight, the
purchasing of software and other technology…and we need to make sure those
regulations are enforced,” he said.
Speaking after his visit to Capitol Hill, Westbrook said that he wants
people to know the frustrations disabled people feel when they can’t access
the technology for the services they want and need.
“I just want people to know that we can do the same things that anybody
else can do, but when we’re hindered by a lack of accessibility it leads to
a lot of frustration because then we can’t do the things we need to do,”
Westbrook said.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, asked Westbrook how legislators can
“become more empathetic, more responsive and more effective” to people
dealing with issues of accessibility.
“I think it just takes political will and the will to become accessible. It
takes making it a priority and just deciding it is going to be a priority,”
Westbrook replied.
Fetterman had become emotional when relating his own experiences of being
ridiculed for the difficulties he’s had since suffering a stroke.
“Because I live in a political environment, I was ridiculed and made fun of
because I wasn’t able to process things sometimes or say anything. So I’m
so sorry that I’m sure many of you had to go through this kind of thing,”
Fetterman said.
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