[stylist] A copy of my accessibility article

Wed Jan 25 21:00:56 UTC 2012

Hi Friends,

Vejas suggested that I just post this instead of having people go online,
and I think that's the way I'll go with this group for now on. Let me know
your thoughts.

Donna

U.S. Federal Government Already Limits Web Access | Suite101.com

Ad: Is internet access a civil right? Apparently not for all Americans. A
federal worker explains how the U.S. is ensuring a "separate but not equal"
policy. 

Robert Johnston (Stafford, Virginia) has problems accessing the internet.
Drop-down menus open without provocation. When he does want them, they often
disappear just as inexplicably. No, it's not his connection or the
machinations of a temperamental operating system. Robert, a federal
government senior information management specialist, belongs to a growing
group experiencing internet-access restrictions. A new study predicts
further deterioration without changes to the law.

Second-Class Minority

Americans experiencing discrimination on the basis of race, religion,
ethnicity and gender have powerful resources under the law. Robert's group,
however, has little protection. Like 18 percent of the population, Robert
has a disability. Since age 17, he has been legally blind. 

Accessibility for people with disabilities is limited. It often comes when
the product is already obsolete. This profoundly impacts education and
employment. The November, 2011 issue of the First Monday Journal (University
of Illinois, Chicago) features an academic study explaining the issues and
recommending solutions.
http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3666/3077

Retrofitting accessibility: The legal inequality of after-the-fact online
access for persons with disabilities in the United States by Brian Wentz,
Paul T. Jaeger, and Jonathan Lazar warns that disability laws are creating a
"separate but unequal" online environment and a "permanent underclass."

"If current U.S. laws were revised to encourage born-accessible technology
and there was consistent enforcement of such laws," the study abstract
states, "the online experience of millions of individuals with disabilities
could be drastically improved."

Ineffective Laws 

The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act were supposed to equalize the
playing field. Nevertheless, little progress has been made. Over 70% of
qualified, educated Americans with disabilities are unemployed. 

Capability isn't the problem. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7318398/ns/health-health_care/t/blind-medical-st
udent-earns-md/ 

Tim Cordes graduated from medical school in 2010; he wasn't the first blind
man to do so. Other blind people work as NASA engineers, ADAs, mechanics and
in many professions considered impossible without sight.

Why the Dichotomy?

It's largely due to the growing gap in digital accessibility. Once hailed as
the great equalizer for blind people, the digital revolution, despite its
possibilities and the improvement over pre-computer days, is now leaving
people with disabilities behind. 

It affects everything from home and office appliances with digital
interfaces to software. It is especially problematic in the area of internet
access, essential for education, employment, shopping and recreation. This
might be understandable if accessibility was technologically impossible or
expensive, but neither is the case. The problem is that accessibility is not
mandated. 

Robert's story

Johnston, who has Macular Degeneration, has worked since age 14 and has
three children. He can walk around independently but can't read normal
print. His degree is in history and communications from California State
University, (San Bernardino). He appreciates being able to "pass" as
sighted. This ability shields him from the prejudices that accompany
disability, but not from their impacts in the digital world.

There are many accessibility issues. For instance, he can't read prices in
stores. ATM's are not all alike. If he needs to use an unfamiliar ATM, he
may have to ask a stranger.

"So many things require you to swipe a card," Johnston explained, It's a
privacy issue."

People with limited vision routinely deal with compromising and potentially
dangerous invasions of privacy. Not only must they divulge sensitive
information to strangers, but this is often done where others can hear. It's
an embarrassment and exposes them to the criminal element. 

The One-Solution Fallacy

"The authorities see only the extremes," Johnston said, "You're either
totally blind or fully sighted."

One-size-fits-all solutions don't work. Johnston stated that most visually
impaired Americans don't read Braille. Furthermore, audio access doesn't
help people who are deaf and blind. Neither helps those who can't use their
hands.

Computer Access

Software like the screen reader Jaws (which converts text to speech or
Braille), the magnification and screen reader Zoomtext (which Johnston uses)
and the voice-activated Dragon NaturallySpeaking already exist. They only
work, according to the study's lead author Dr. Wentz, when software and
websites include the special combinations of 1s and 0s that provide the
bridge they need to operate.

Accessibility & Work History

Johnston was an owner-operator of businesses in California state office
buildings. He ran snack bars and cafeterias, operating several
simultaneously. He had employees and dealt with all facets of running a
successful business. Then, he applied for a job at olive garden "to try my
corporate hat." 

He mentioned his disability on the application, but when he was hired, his
boss was shocked by his blindness. Johnston managed for two years, until
they got an inaccessible computer system. He left and returned to college.
In his junior year, he landed an internship at the Pentagon. 

"It was an awesome job," he recalled, "and it  set the stage for where I am
today."

He's worked for the federal government ever since, but it took four months
to get an accessible computer. He knew what to do, but they insisted upon
figuring it out themselves.

"I've seen them spend way too much money trying to help," he said, "when all
they  had to do was to ask the person."

Show of Compliance

Johnston stated that President Clinton issued an executive order to hire
100,000 people with disabilities over five years. It didn't happen. Another
Clinton executive order called for the federal government to provide
reasonable accommodation. Obama re-instituted these orders. Agencies were
told to have plans in place by a certain date, but the date has passed
without compliance. 

"When you don't have accountability through enforcement and penalties," he
said, "change doesn't occur." 

The law, according to Johnston, is too vague, and he agrees with Wentz's
study that it is fostering a permanent underclass. The irony is that the
federal government can say they've tried. If anyone says it isn't working,
the government can choose not to respond and there's no recourse.

"Other groups are treated differently, because of the fear of retaliation,"
he said.

To help its employees advance, Johnston's agency created an e-learning
environment. They procured a theoretically accessible conduit.

"But because expedience trumps virtue," he said, "the agency took their word
that it worked." 

The testers weren't users. Sighted testers tried the program with Jaws, not
ZoomText or Dragon Speak. Even for Jaws users, however, the program is
clumsy and difficult to navigate. Furthermore, the conduit must be
downloaded by the user. The first version wasn't available in an executable
file -- the type that automatically stores the files on your computer. The
user must have the savvy to know what to do with them. Even Robert's tech
people at work had problems with it.

"It wouldn't be ok if everyone had to do that."

Uncertain Future

Though the federal government created an accessibility resource center,
Johnston said it is underused. "With no way to enforce compliance, it's not
going to be a quick fix."

Resources

Phone interview with Robert Johnston (November 21, 2011) and subsequent
e-mails.

First Monday Journal, November 2011

E-mail correspondence with Brian Wentz (November, 2011).

Published online at:

<http://donna-w-hill.suite101.com/us-federal-government-already-limits-web-a
ccess-a401448>

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