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

[Becca Weber]

Hello,
Great article and great job!
Thanks,
Becca

Becca Webernull


On Wed, Sep 27, 2023 at 6:02 PM Kat Bottner via NFBP-Talk <
nfbp-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Fantastic article, thanks for advocating for all of us. All  points are
> 100% factual/valid.
>
> On Sep 27, 2023, at 12:39 PM, Chris Westbrook via NFBP-Talk <
> nfbp-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> 
>
> 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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