September 2009 – Blind Access Journal

Download Instructions for Microsoft Security Essentials

September 30, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Microsoft released its new free anti-malware Security Essentials product to Genuine Windows users Tuesday. The company’s Web developers forgot to make sure that the download process was intuitive for its blind customers. While browsing the Security Essentials Web site, people who rely on screen readers feel or hear a link containing the following text: “A38FFBF2-1122-48B4-AF60-E44F6DC28BD8/mssefullinstall-x86fre-en-us-vista-win7.”… Finish Reading Download Instructions for Microsoft Security Essentials

Categories: accessibility, tips

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Job Opportunity: Lighthouse Seeks Blind Executive Director

September 28, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Kirk Adams, President, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc has asked us to carry the following job announcement to fill an executive director position. “I am committed to having a blind person in the top leadership position at our Inland Northwest Lighthouse facility,” said Adams. “This is an exceptional opportunity for the right person, and… Finish Reading Job Opportunity: Lighthouse Seeks Blind Executive Director

Categories: Uncategorized

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Fridayâ€™s State-wide Cox Outage Inconveniences Customers

September 27, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Some Cox Communications customers throughout Arizona woke up Friday morning to find themselves disconnected from their digital lives. Technical support calls were greeted by a recorded message that stated: â€œWe are currently experiencing outages affecting high speed Internet and digital telephone state-wide. Our engineers are working to resolve this issue. There is no estimated time… Finish Reading Fridayâ€™s State-wide Cox Outage Inconveniences Customers

Categories: Uncategorized

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Let’s Ask Twitter to Enable Us to Moderate Follow Requests

September 27, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Hard-working, honest Twitter users are getting sick and tired of all the bogus follow requests they receive on a daily basis as they post updates to Twitter. It seems there are automated computer programs, AKA bots, that search for interesting topics and try to follow everyone who tweets about them in hopes the favor will… Finish Reading Let’s Ask Twitter to Enable Us to Moderate Follow Requests

Categories: feedback, opinion, Twitter

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FeedBlitz Adds Audio CAPTCHA, Tears Down "No Blind People Allowed" Sign

September 25, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In a Sept. 24 post on the company’s news blog, the self-proclaimed “Email Marketing Service for Blogs, Social Media and RSS” announced it has added an audio CAPTCHA. This facility delivers an audio alternative to the distorted text sighted users are asked to enter during registration or subscription, permitting access for blind and visually impaired… Finish Reading FeedBlitz Adds Audio CAPTCHA, Tears Down "No Blind People Allowed" Sign

Categories: accessibility, CAPTCHA, Visual Verification

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Opportunity to Ask Google for More Blogger Accessibility

September 18, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Though Blogger already has a lot to offer blind and visually impaired audiences and content creators, there continue to be some nagging unresolved accessibility issues, including missing alt tags and unlabeled Flash controls. All blind and visually impaired readers, and those who care about us, are asked to take the Blogger user feedback survey and… Finish Reading Opportunity to Ask Google for More Blogger Accessibility

Categories: web accessibility

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Should Focus be Placed on Concrete Accessibility Issues or on an Abstract Fight Against Blindness Stereotypes?

September 18, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Many in the blind community are enraged after discovering an article entitled How to Care for a Blind Person on a popular how-to Web site, but are the misconceptions and stereotypes found in such content the most important issues we should be addressing? Several blind people have spoken out on Twitter. “We all have to… Finish Reading Should Focus be Placed on Concrete Accessibility Issues or on an Abstract Fight Against Blindness Stereotypes?

Categories: accessibility, opinion, stereotypes

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Tempe City Council Keeps Manager, Improves Disabled Parking Access

September 11, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

The Tempe City Council voted in its Tuesday evening meeting to improve the accessibility of parking for people with disabilities and keep City Manager Charlie Meyer on the job. Rosa Inchausti, Diversity Manager with the city of Tempe’s Diversity Department, said before the meeting that the city recognizes people with disabilities need access to the… Finish Reading Tempe City Council Keeps Manager, Improves Disabled Parking Access

Categories: Tempe

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WordPress Asked to Make Adding and Moving Widgets Accessible to the Blind Once Again

September 1, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

An accessibility advocate has asked WordPress to restore the ability for blind users to add and move widgets. Fellow blind and sighted WordPress users are urged to add their support to this effort. Once upon a time, blind WordPress users enjoyed the ability to add and move widgets at will using the keyboard, but this… Finish Reading WordPress Asked to Make Adding and Moving Widgets Accessible to the Blind Once Again

Categories: web accessibility, WordPress

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