It seems Microsoft has rolled out a public beta of its new MSN Shopping web site. A preliminary glance at the site seems to indicate it is accessible but we haven’t yet attempted to make any purchases. If you have used the new site more extensively, please comment on its true accessibility.
We have finally arrived at some closure to Karen’s Dial-A-Ride disaster in which she was made late to work twice in one week by our metro area’s paratransit service. The following actions were taken:
While many might feel that our advocacy approaches are a bit extreme and “go overboard” at times, it has been our experience that, without insistent advocacy, the right things just don’t get done. Most people simply can’t be trusted to take proactive action to right a wrong, even when it is staring them directly in the face. We must strenuously do all we can to minimize the negative consequences piled upon us by the harmful actions or inactions of those who are in positions to care about what happens to us but choose not to take those responsibilities seriously. Karen and I asked that steps be taken to avoid future “late to work” incidents. System wide emphasis on arrival times and adjustment of Karen’s appointment time by ten minutes may represent positive progress. She hasn’t been late to work since the July 7 incident. We hope and expect this positive change to continue well into the future. We shouldn’t be made late to work more often than our sighted peers. The mailing of tickets to Karen should represent a sincere apology for the incidents, a show of accountability, recognition that placing a person with a disability in a harmful situation without taking prompt corrective action is wrong and compensation for the hardships caused by the hit on Karen’s work attendance record and the impression it may leave on her coworkers and management. We are quite confident that none of the positive results would have been achieved had we not taken quick, persistent action to absolutely insist on the right thing being done. Such extreme advocacy can be challenging, stressful and, perhaps, even hazardous to one’s health at times, but, it absolutely must be undertaken if we are to insure our ability to productively participate in society as full human beings and first class citizens. As the late Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, past departed leader of the National Federation of the Blind, has stated many times, “We want no strife or
confrontation, but we will do what we have to do.” We thank you, our families, friends, listeners and readers, for your moral support.
Don’t miss Main Menu on Tuesday, July 19, at 6:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 PM Eastern or 01:00 Universal Time Wednesday on ACB Radio MainStream as I conclude the tutorial on using the PAC Mate with a Nokia Symbian based cell phone to gain wireless connectivity through T-Mobile Internet. There will also be an update from Brian Hartgen on his new JAWS scripts for iTunes 4.9.
I left a bit early for work this morning, but 15 minutes just doesn’t make much of a difference…
Thanks Jake and Paula for your wonderful comments. Please keep them coming.
For older Compact Flash devices such as the Braille Lite, try formatting the cards using the FAT instead of the FAT32 file system. Paula, please let me know how this works for you.
Check out this San Francisco Chronicle article featuring all the wonderful things Bookshare provides to those of us whom happen to be blind. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: If you are blind and use computer technology of any kind, then you’re absolutely crazy if you aren’t a Bookshare subscriber! Run, don’t walk on over to the Bookshare web site and sign up right now to gain access to more than 22,000 books on every imaginable topic! Bookshare also provides electronic access to the entire collection of technical books published by O’Reilly and Associates.
Check out the two wonderful comments I received on the comment line after the airing of my first Main Menu presentation. Want to join the fun? Call 206-350-6925, post a comment to any blog entry or send e-mail to editor@blindaccessjournal.com today!
Over the past year, I have now experienced two serious issues with Compact Flash cards. It seems they are rather vulnerable to data corruption and loss. Any further details or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Be sure you don’t miss ACB Radio’s Main Menu technology program this week! Brian Hartgen will be discussing the scripts he has written to create some accessibility to iTunes 4.9, Anna Dresner will be talking about her new book published by National Braille Press on the iPod Shuffle and I will be presenting the first part of my tutorial covering how to connect to the Internet using the PAC Mate, Nokia cell phone and T-Mobile Internet. The second part of the tutorial will be broadcast on next week’s show. You will also hear a brief update from me concerning Google’s public commitment to resolve their inaccessible visual verification issues within one to two months.
Main Menu can be heard on ACB Radio’s MainStream starting this evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time (01:00 UTC on Wednesday) and replaying every two hours for the rest of the broadcast day. This event represents my very first full solo appearance on Main Menu. Please listen and feel free to provide constructive feedback.
The past weekend was rather busy with accomplishments here at the journal.
In this podcast, I also talk about the recent coverage of the Google visual verification issue and more about my ultimate position on my approach to advocating for accessibility.