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Listen as I discuss StreetTalk, the U.S. space program, this morning’s role up of some of the London terrorists and more.

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Rose and Denise,

Karen called yesterday asking if she could change her pick up and return trips for Friday to an earlier time. She wanted a 5:45 AM pick up and a 5:30 or so return. Karen spoke with Marcus at around 11:00. He said that he would check with Terri later in the afternoon and someone would call back later. After no follow up call by 4:30, Karen called back. Alecia told her there was no 5:45 AM pick up available so they agreed to leave things alone. What happened? A driver showed up this morning at 5:45! Karen wasn’t ready to leave at 5:45; she needed to have gotten up about half an hour earlier! If reservations are being changed for any reason, there absolutely must be communication with the customer. No changes should be made without confirmation that the loop has really been closed. Common sense! Nobody bothered to call Karen back to tell her the changes would be made after all! Worse, the driver went back to the van, talked with Rocky on the radio, then just simply left, without walking back to the house to properly explain the situation to Karen. This action makes the matter worse and is highly disrespectful and unprofessional. As is almost always the case, it was up to Karen to call, speak with Rocky and straighten things out! Gary is supposedly coming back at around 6:15; Karen had better not be late to work this morning!!!

This problem was caused by a breakdown in communication and a lack of follow through on the part of your reservationists. It is just that clear and simple. You guys wonder why we’re always so stressed out and hard on you. Reasons like this clearly illustrate the problems; your staff continuously shows they are not to be trusted. Please, show some character, conscience and personal fortitude by taking this situation seriously and actually addressing it promptly! Call Karen this morning. Oh, man! I still just can’t believe you guys did this. Now that this pick up has been rerouted, I hope it does not result in a second incident this morning where you make her late to work, too! Do not, for a second, think we’re just going to allow this issue to be swept under the rug without action; we expect that phone call!

Thank you,

Darrell Shandrow

Fortunately, Karen was not late to work. She got the “express ride”, arriving at around 7:00 AM. Nevertheless, the communication breakdown, inattention to detail and lack of follow up are unprofessional and represent signs of disrespect for people with disabilities and the elderly by an organization whose mission is specifically to provide service to these populations in our community! This behavior is harmful, stressful and completely unacceptable.

As I was reading today’s Mountain Wings daily inspirational e-mail, I noticed a link next to an explanation for their not being any printable text sermons available. The link pointed to a frequently asked questions document containing the following language:

Q: Is a printed version available?

A: We thoroughly understand that many have hearing problems or don’t have computers with sound or environments conducive to listening. The problem is simply resources. We don’t have the available time (or energy) to transcribe each sermon, format it properly, link it and upload it. It’s all that we can do to get the spoken versions edited and uploaded for TheOnLineWord and the many parts of VirtualChurch.com. Although thousands listen regularly, very very few donate to help and it takes resources (money) to do things and transcribing sermons and the many associated tasks with putting written sermons on the web are some of those things. Once we begin “Closed Captioning” on our television broadcasts, and we won’t do that until the FCC requires it for our broadcasts, then we may have printed versions available.

The very last sentence struck me immediately! Closed captioning won’t be provided until it is required by the FCC. Sadly, this sort of thinking is all too common when it comes to accessibility. Companies don’t want new laws requiring that they spend additional resources to become accessible. Industry groups tell us that they understand accessibility is the right thing to do, and promise that, over time, they will become more and more accessible. At the same time, most people simply don’t seem to feel obligated to do something or, for that matter, to stop doing something, unless they are compeled by one or more laws. Only if there are going to be serious negative consequences will they make the choice to tow the line, comply and simply do whatever the law requires. Most people falling into this category are similar to the “not my jobbers” I wrote about yesterday. While most of the world around us is largely inaccessible, there are small exceptions. Is the reason for this state of affairs related to the differences between the plain Jane average person and those who decide to excel, going way above average? Are the above average people in this world more likely to design their products and services so that they are accessible? Is the ultimate answer to accessibility advocacy simply the passage of more and more laws to which we can simply force the average people to comply so they will avoid facing the punishment for not doing so? This is just more food for thought for a quiet Thursday evening. Anyone have any ideas?

This article represents my own editorializing. Though it does cover serious issues, please, take it as it is intended: my commentary on the way in which the average person chooses to conduct, or fail to conduct, themselves on the job, how it may negatively impact those of us with disabilities and how we must make sure we rise above average. All constructive comments, positive or negative, are always welcome to any blog post, as an e-mail to editor@blindaccessjournal.com, or as an audio message left on the comment line at 206-350-6925.

Due to staffing needs, Karen’s employer has asked her to begin her shift 30 minutes earlier, at 7:30 AM. After experiencing a number of recent errors in data entry on the part of several Dial-A-Ride reservationists and, owing to the critical need for accuracy in the adjustment of this important appointment time, she wrote a quick note to the customer advocate asking that the necessary changes be made so that she could arrive at work on time to start the 7:30 shift beginning next Monday. She received the following answer.

Karen—

I am in receipt of your email below. I cannot make changes in customer ride times. Please call the reservation department to request any changes you are in need of. The reservationists will be glad to assist you with your request.

Thank You Rose

Karen wrote the following in response to this unhelpful answer.

Hi Rose,

I will be more then happy to speak to the Reservationists to make the changes. However, I wanted you & Denise to be aware of the shift change since, as we all know, there have been issues of me arriving on time or, somehow, the pick up time or appointment times have been incorrect in your system. So, if management knows, there should be no excuses for me being late if all the data is entered in the computer correctly. After I call & make the changes, can you look to see if it is correct? Why can you not do this request? Thank you for replying to this message. If you think I should speak to Andrew , what is his extention / E-mail?

Thank you!

Karen

After learning of Rose’s unwillingness to simply step up to the plate and help Karen, I wrote the following in response.

Hi Rose,

In the past couple of weeks, we have spoken with reservationists about scheduling specific appointment times and canceling trips in advance. In a number of such cases now, appointment times and other data were incorrectly entered into your systems and your drivers have shown up to pick up Karen on days when we have canceled. It is becoming apparent that, especially in critical situations such as this, the reservationists are not to be trusted. Obviously, this shift change request involves an adjustment to Karen’s standing reservations. It is critical this get completed correctly. There are negative consequences only for Karen if this is done improperly, as your office rarely takes ownership responsibility for any errors made. We need these changes made correctly and promptly. Karen could be made late to work again. Do we need to go through another incident like the ones that took place at the beginning of this month? Karen wrote this message several hours ago. We don’t believe that, as customer advocate, you are not allowed to make these adjustments. In the past, under the old Atlantic Paratrans, it has been necessary and preferred to make critical changes like this with the customer advocate’s help. Yes. We do typically book trips with the reservationists. But, sometimes, when a serious issue like possibly being late to work is at stake, it would seem it is the responsibility of the customer advocate to help the customer, take ownership of the request for assistance, make sure it is completed and initiate additional communications as necessary to close the matter, rather than just stall and force it onto someone else’s plate. There’s a reason Karen wrote you and Denise, rather than going through the reservationists. Please, be proactive; give Karen a call this afternoon and step up to the plate to facilitate getting these changes made properly!

Thanks.

This situation is just one example of a very disconcerting, increasing trend I call the “not my job” mentality. Rose is saying that booking trips is not her job. Technically, she is correct. As customer advocate, however, she is responsible for taking complaints, resolving issues and accomplishing related tasks to insure the delivery of a quality service to the customer. Rose didn’t book the trip. She didn’t even hand off the information to a reservationist and insure its correct entry. She simply decided she didn’t want to help at all. It is always easier to avoid taking responsibility for anything that isn’t exactly part of one’s job description, to pass the buck on to someone else without even giving the matter a second thought. Sadly, this is exactly the mentality of the average, plain Jane person. Overall laziness and the “not my job” mentality are all over the place; we see it all around us. We thought that Rose was a decent customer advocate, that she just didn’t have enough power to make some of the positive changes we seek to insure the operation of Dial-A-Ride in a manner that avoids negative consequences to those of us with disabilities. Sadly, it seems we have been proven wrong yet again. She’s just average.

Despite the stereotypes and perceived limitations of blind people that are still largely believed by the majority of the average, general public, the “not my jobbers”, blind people like Karen, myself and many others excel! Karen is a member of her employer’s Distinguished Service Team and I was recognized as Employee of the Month for June. Why? The reasons are clear. We are most certainly not a member of the “not my jobbers” club. We operate with precision, pay attention to details and go above and beyond all calls of duty to do the absolute best possible job! We always strive to perform well above average, comparing our accomplishments only to those we have made in the past rather than to those of others around us. We compete with ourselves first, before competing with anyone else. We are thus extremely angered and frustrated when we must suffer the artificially imposed limitations and negative consequences caused by problems that could have been avoided had someone just decided to spend the time to listen to us completely, take us seriously and simply do the right things! I thus issue the following challenge: always be your best, go above and beyond the call of duty, take ownership of issues and take responsibility for your actions rather than simply passing the buck. Comments welcome as always.

At approximately 5:00 in the evening on July 6, I wrote the following message to info@podcastalley.com requesting assistance with registration as prompted next to the visual verification on their web site.

Hi,

Please tell me how I can complete the registration process when I am unable to see the visual verification code? The link to e-mail you is appreciated,
but what happens now? Please advise.

Thanks,

It is now three weeks later on July 27, and I have yet to receive any assistance with the registration process! While a sighted person is permitted to register in five minutes or less, I am still waiting after three weeks. I’m just not sure how better to clearly illustrate the problems inherent in this type of accessibility solution. The “customer service” approach to the accessibility of visual verification represents the replacement of an automated process with a manual one requiring human intervention. It is clear that, in the vast majority of cases, this approach to the issue is little better than simply providing no accessibility at all. Service by a 24×7 customer support center is the only way this approach could ultimately be considered an acceptable solution.

Check out this replay of this morning’s successful launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery as the United States of America returns to manned space flight. Its about time! Read more about NASA’s Return to Flight mission, then feel free to download and listen to a recording of preflight activities and the actual launch.

Listen as I commute to work while chatting about the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery and continue experimenting with Destinator and StreetTalk.

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Learn exactly how to completely install the Destinator and StreetTalk combination on your Freedom Scientific PAC Mate BX or QX accessible PDA. In this live audio tutorial, I follow Freedom Scientific’s instructions, improvising as needed along the way. You’ll hear the installation process as it happened. Please feel free to provide feedback on this tutorial. I hope it helps someone successfully complete this relatively complex installation process.

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On episode 212 of the Daily Source Code for Friday, July 22, Adam Curry indirectly made reference to my note of disappointment at the choice to implement inaccessible visual verification for the Podsafe Music Network. He inaccurately characterized the note as being “impolite”. Others seemed to agree with his stance. While I do admit there is a slight problem with my initial note to Adam, it is not one of politeness. I should have started the note on a more positive footing and included information on exactly how to provide accessibility to visual verification tests. Please feel free to review a copy of a letter of apology and clarification I have just sent to Adam. Your constructive feedback is always welcome.

Hi Adam,

Though I feel your characterization of my note of disappointment concerning the inaccessible visual verification on the Podsafe Music Network as being “impolite”, is inaccurate, I do apologize nonetheless for the way it may have come across to you. It would have been far better had I started the note on a positive footing and included more details on exactly how visual verification can be made accessible.

In my accessibility advocacy efforts, I have recently given special focus to inaccessible visual verification tests. The purpose of these tests is to prevent the use of automated computer programs for sending spam and otherwise abusing limited Internet resources. The tests verify that a real live human being, rather than a computer, is requesting access to a protected resource. When the implementation of these tests is done without regard to the need for nonvisual access, they represent an immediate and obvious barrier locking the blind out of participation. Since we are, in fact, fully living and breathing human beings and first class citizens possessing the same rights and responsibilities as those whom happen to enjoy the benefit of eye sight, many of us feel insulted when we come across such complete, insurmountable demands that we must do something that is physically impossible for us, see, in order to be granted acceptance. People such as myself and some others in the blind community are not passive. We just can not stand by and accept the obvious harm done to us when we are not, for any reason, granted equal access to the same resources enjoyed by everyone else.

There have been a number of approaches taken toward the blind with respect to the accessibility of visual verification. First, companies like Google have thus far chosen to provide absolutely no accessible alternative to their visual verification tests. Second, companies like America Online, Yahoo and even Podcast Alley have chosen to provide an option to get in contact with a live human being who may, eventually, get around to assisting the blind user with the registration process. Unfortunately, these alternatives do not tend to work, forcing the blind person to wait days or even weeks to complete a task a sighted person is allowed to accomplish instantaneously. Of course, that assumes the e-mails or telephone calls are ever returned, which is certainly not always the case. In essence, this approach is often really no better than simply providing no accessibility option at all. In my experience, GoDaddy is the only company that has implemented a “customer service” option to visual verification accessibility that actually works. The phone is always answered at GoDaddy. The calls are taken by the company’s 24×7 technical support call center. Third, some companies, such as Microsoft, PayPal and SpamArrest, really do their best to provide truely independent, instantaneously accessible verification tests that play the characters to be entered as an audio file rather than only displaying the information as a picture. Of course, a multiple choice is usually best: provide the visual verification test that meets the needs of most users, allow the blind to listen to an audio version and provide a way for those unable to do either to contact a live human being to receive prompt service.

You have already done quite a great deal for the blind in the podcasting arena by mentioning us on your Daily Source Code and putting us in touch with the iPod Lemon project, which has resulted in a wonderfully accessible podcatching client. Despite the perception of my previous note of disappointment, I am very appreciative for all you have done and, hopefully, all that you will continue to do to assure that we are able to participate equally in a technology field (digital audio production, podcasting and podcast listening) that should be especially well suited for the blind. I have been registered as a producer on the Podsafe Music Network approximately three and a half days after my completion of the online sign up process. The assistance is appreciated. I understand that improvements to the accessibility of the registration process are now underway. Thanks for helping to facilitate the accessibility of the Podsafe Music Network. I never miss an episode of your show. Keep up the excellent work; podcasting is great!

Best regards,

Darrell

After using the Destinator / StreetTalk system on my PAC Mate QX420 for less than a day, I make the following observations and provide the following tips to new users:

• Follow all directions for installation and use as provided in the StreetTalk Owner’s Manual.
• Close StreetTalk with control+q as soon as you are done using it. Leaving it active can cause erroneous results the next time you turn on your PAC Mate and switch to the program. Specifically, your GPS information will be outdated and Destinator will indicate that the GPS signal is too low. Closing and restarting StreetTalk corrected these issues.
• Information such as the speed and direction of motion aren’t always accurate. While sitting still on a bench outside the office facing almost due North, I was told that I was facing Northwest, South and Southeast and moving at a speed of 0.3 miles per hour! Actual motion seemed to improve accuracy.
• Functions such as the direction of motion data obtained by pressing alt+d and the “where am I” details provided by pressing alt+w seem to require three or four cycles in order to be considered accurate. This information is refreshed approximately every 10 seconds. Each time, it is reverbalized and shown on the Braille display. In other words, it seems to take 30 to 40 seconds for this information to become reasonably correct. Be careful.

The new Destinator + StreetTalk GPS solution is an extremely exciting and useful addition to the PAC Mate. It does not, under any circumstances, take the place of any currently taught and utilized orientation and mobility techniques. Use it wisely and enjoy the location information, routing and planning capabilities it can add to your travel life.