Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

I am writing today about the experiences my girlfriend and I constantly encounter when trying to receive packages shipped to us through companies such as the Postal Service and UPS. Just as is the case with most of life, there are special obstacles with which we must deal as blind people. I hope the sharing of these experiences and some ideas to solve these package delivery and tracking issues help you in your daily life. I thought this topic would be most appropriate since many of us will be receiving Christmas packages.

I purchased a Christmas gift for my girlfriend online. It was shipped via UPS and I was provided with the tracking number. Each day or two I monitored the package’s status on ups.com. I was happy to find that it would be delivered on Friday, December 17. Sadly, I didn’t receive it yesterday as expected. The UPS web site indicated that it was in “post card” status due to an incorrect street address. Given the lateness of the hour and the fact that I was by myself at work and thus not safely able to call UPS on the telephone, I sent an e-mail through ups.com to insure they had the correct address and ask when the package could be redelivered.

The response from Christine at UPS came this morning. I was invited to pick up the package at the Phoenix delivery center! This is, of course, the typical sighted response, since the world is designed for those who are sighted and thus easily able to drive their automobiles over to that delivery center to pick up the package. Not so easily done for those of us whom happen to be blind and thus unable to transport ourselves. Could I physically pick up the package? Yes. I could ride the bus or take a cab. Here in the Phoenix area, and especially given the location of this particular delivery center, taking the bus would not be practical. Taking a cab would be very expensive. Hey, didn’t I already pay the shipping costs? Yes. I sure did, just like everyone else.

Deciding that the additional expense of a cab ride was inappropriate, I called the UPS call center at 800-PICKUPS. After providing the tracking number, I was again invited to pick up the package. Insisting that this added cost was not acceptable, it was finally agreed that another delivery attempt would be made, using the corrected street address information. Sadly, it can’t be delivered until Tuesday. At least, it will be on time for Christmas. I will, of course, not explicitly trust what UPS agents tell me. I will monitor the ups.com web site periodically throughout the day until the package is in my hot little (not so little) hands… We’ll discuss accountability and trust issues in other posts…

I have devised a partial solution to most package delivery issues (at least with UPS) when receiving packages at home. Due to the nature of this particular package, I had it delivered to my work address. This should have been an advantage, since we’re always staffed and our office manager would have accepted the package on my behalf. Only the incorrect address caused trouble. You’ll see later how I have the telephone number for the local UPS office in the city in which I live and how that usually helps with package delivery.

As I have already stated, we experience package delivery issues on a regular basis. The following are examples of how this process is currently inaccessible to blind people, who are unable to independently read print or transport themselves:

• Printed notices left on the door or in the mailbox.
• Assumptions that the package could be picked up rather than redelivered.
• Failure to accomodate the scheduling needs of working people by delivering packages only during week days with insufficient arrangements to deliver later in the evenings or on weekends.
• Improper handling of our special materials, such as bent or smashed Braille!

Karen and I have come up with a solution to most of these issues that usually works quite well, at least with UPS. UPS cooperates with this solution, while the Postal Service tends to be more difficult. Even with the Postal Service, we ultimately get our packages, but only after lots of telephone calls and absolute insistence that the Postal Service simply follow through and do the right thing!

Several years ago, when we first encountered trouble with UPS, we called their 800 number and insisted on a direct return telephone call from the local office so that we could resolve the issue at hand. When that call came, we used our talking caller ID to obtain the office’s local telephone number. UPS doesn’t like to voluntarily give that information to customers. Here’s how we have solved the package delivery issues with UPS:

1. Obtain the UPS tracking number from the person or company shipping the package.
2. Use the ups.com web site or call 1-800-PICKUPS to track the package on a daily basis.
3. When you see that the package has been scheduled for delivery, call your local UPS office, not the national number if possible.
4. Give the tracking number, tell the representative that you’re blind, and request a reasonable delivery alternative that does not involve your picking up the package. Tell the representative that you do not have reliable transportation, so the stock answers won’t meet your needs. Our request typically involves placing the package on the latest possible delivery route so that we will be home to receive it in the evening. If the first representative you speak with does not seem to care about your situation or otherwise seems not to understand your request, ask to speak with someone in a supervisory role.
5. You will receive your package. Sometimes, it will be one or two days later than it would have been for the sighted customer, but this process will insure that you do receive it in a reasonable manner.

Karen and I hope these suggestions help you to insure your receipt of your packages. Whenever possible, we recommend using UPS as the carrier, since they seem to put forth the best effort in dealing with blind customers.

We do have one question. How can we prevent the Postal Service from mangling our Braille materials? As always, all comments are appreciated.

Wireless network technology is revolutionary! Connect a wireless (Wi-Fi) router or access point to your local area network, set up one or more laptop computers with built-in or externally connected wireless network adapters, and you’re free to use the Internet or access resources such as files and printers connected to other computers on your network. You’re no longer tied to a single chair in your home or office.

As with all things, there is a catch, and it can turn out to be a real gotcha if you’re not careful. This caveat is typically almost nonexistent security. The radio signals involved in a wireless computer network can broadcast hundreds of feet outside your home or office. In addition, the default, out of the box, configurations of most access points or routers are wide-open with absolutely no security measures enabled. Most new users of wireless networking technology don’t understand the need for security or they don’t know the procedures to follow in order to make the data on their wireless networks secure. This lack of security brings serious potential consequences to the Wi-Fi user including but certainly not limited to slow Internet connectivity, data loss, financial disaster and identity theft.

The practice of “war driving” involves driving around a particular area seeking out available wireless networks. Once an available network is discovered, various software tools can be used to discover its vulnerabilities, read the data traveling across the network or even gain complete access! Once access to your wireless network has been achieved, an unscrupulous road warrior could do the following:

• Use your wireless network to obtain access to the Internet.
• Steal usernames and passwords for items such as your bank account, instant messaging software or e-mail account.
• Steal valuable personal information such as your credit card numbers and even your Social Security Number!
• Steal your identity!

It is thus absolutely necessary that you apply due diligence to insure the security of your wireless network. Today’s wireless routers and access points provide two security solutions: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wireless Protected Access). Due to a number of widely known and exploited vulnerabilities, WEP has become essentially useless. A colleague likes to compare WEP to a screen door on a submarine. WPA is much better. The protocol’s encryption is much stronger than WEP and the preshared key is not sent in the clear. This just means that both the data itself and the information used to establish your identity and encrypt your connection is secured and is unavailable to anyone with common hacking software. This version of WPA is known as WPA-PSK (Wireless Protected Access with Pre-Shared Key).

Even WPA is imperfect. The preshared key does not change automatically. It remains static unless you, the user, explicitly change it in both the router / access point and the computers connecting to the network. Though not excessively difficult, this reconfiguration process is not likely to be carried out on a daily basis let alone once every four or six hours as would be recommended for the best possible security. Though WPA is definitely the foundation for a properly secured wireless network, it needs just a bit more assistance. That help is provided by WPA-RADIUS, which adds authentication to your wireless network. Unfortunately, by itself, WPA-RADIUS is not practical for most home and small to medium business users as its implementation and maintenance requires the expertise of a technology professional who can set up and manage an authentication server. Fortunately, one solution completes the wireless security puzzle without the need of an IT staff: WSC Guard from Wireless Security Corporation!

WSC Guard provides the best of all worlds in wireless network security by incorporating the WPA-RADIUS authentication and security protocols in to a single, easy to configure package that requires no ongoing maintenance other than to add or remove those who are allowed to access your network via a simple, accessible web site. WSC provides the following benefits:

• Up and running in 15 minutes or less.
• Professional, highly responsive customer service and technical support.
• Entire solution is accessible to blind users who rely on screen reading or screen magnification technology.
• Quick, one-time configuration of your access point or router for optimal security.
• Quick software installation and username/password login to the network for computers running Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
• Easy to understand reporting of all intrusion attempts.

As many of you already know, I rely on the JAWS screen reader to access my computers. I am virtually totally blind and do not live with a sighted person who can get me out of any jams that might be caused by buggy, inaccessible software. WSC Guard is a solid, totally accessible solution that provides the highest possible level of wireless network security at the lowest possible cost.

WSC Guard is available as a 30 day free trial. After that, it costs only $4.95 per month or $49.95 per year for each user of the wireless network. Please feel free to visit the Wireless Security Corporation web site to learn more about WSC Guard, sign up for the free trial, download and install the software. You may also e-mail me directly with any questions and I’ll certainly do my best to answer them for you.