Web-Braille Has Returned to Life!

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I am ecstatic to report that WebBraille has been returned to service! The following information has been provided by Judy Dixon, Consumer Relations Officer at NLS.

The Web-Braille site is now available! Access to Web-Braille was temporarily suspended because NLS became aware of copyright violations. NLS has taken several steps to prevent such problems in the future. Two are noted below.

Users will be required to accept an agreement describing the appropriate use of downloaded material each time a volume of Web-Braille is accessed. In addition, NLS has instituted a monitoring procedure to track all access to the Web-Braille system.

As these enhancements are refined, users may observe some web site behavior that may seem unusual. We very much appreciate your patience while the Web-Braille system is undergoing these necessary modifications.

Legally blind woman battling a nightmare

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Thirty-three-year-old Christine Workman could lose her house. She was simply kicked to the curb (thrown away like yesterday’s newspaper) by her employer due to her visual impairment. This article is just one of many examples that demonstrate all the reasons we must improve social attitudes regarding blindness, insist on the accessibility of critical technology and insure the enhancement and continued availability of the alternative transportation services we must have in order to participate in the world around us.

Article from Edmonton Sun, Canada on 5/18/2006
by KERRY DIOTTE
Submitted by BlindNews Mailing List
[BlindNews: News About Blindness]

Does Karen Have The Infection?

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Shownotes

Oh, wow! Look out! We’re back with another joint podcast! This time Karen and I chat for an hour and a half about an incredibly wide variety of topics. It is T minus 17 days and counting down to our wedding on June 3! Here are some links you definitely ought to think about checking out…

There’s a lot happening in our lives right about now, so it may be awhile before you all can get another fix of Karen and I podcasting together. Hope you enjoyed the show. Please feel free to send along feedback on this blog, by e-mail to editor (at) blindaccessjournal.com or by phone to our comment line at 206-350-6925.

Download and Listen

Visual Verification on Steroids: We the Blind May Soon Lose the Ability to Transact Business!

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We think we’ve got problems with visual verification now? Watch out! In the future, those of us whom happen to be blind and visually impaired may find it virtually impossible to do business online. Credit cards may soon incorporate a visual display. The mineature screen will display a random number which must be entered in order to successfully complete transactions. Absolutely nothing is stated concerning alternatives for blind customers. Read the article entitled One Time Password DisplayCard heightens transaction security – Engadget and let us know your thoughts. This technology, without alternatives, surely represents a clear and present danger. Please provide any available information on what steps may be put in place to enable our continued ability to do business.

The Google Word Verification Accessibility Petition is Now Officially Closed

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In light of Google’s successful implementation of an audio alternative to word verification, the Google Word Verification Accessibility Petition has now been closed. Over 4,700 concerned blind and sighted Internet users signed this petition. We thank everyone for their support on this critical advocacy project. This petition was hosted free of charge by Petition Online. This excellent service deserves our support. Please consider making a donation to support the continued operation of Petition Online.

My Letter to Frank Curt Cylke Asking for the Prompt Restoration of the Web-Braille Service

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We hope all NLS subscribers will write a letter to Frank Curt Cylke asking for the immediate restoration of the Web-Braille service to Blind Americans. There may be a chance of getting this valuable resource back if we deem it important enough to speak out.

May 12, 2006

Dear Mr. Kurt Cylke:

I am a long time NLS patron, Braille reader and computer user. From time to time over the past seven years or so, I have utilized the Web-Braille service to obtain immediate access to Grade 2 Braille copies of books and magazines in electronic format, readable on the BookPort, BrailleNote, PAC Mate and other similar portable devices. It has not been necessary to wait several weeks to obtain this material in hardcopy form. I was thus incredibly dismayed to learn of the sudden removal of Web-Braille without warning. Prompt access to information of all kinds is absolutely critical for blind Americans. Once a resource is made available, the blind community will soon grow to rely on it in their daily lives. It represents a huge loss to have such a vital resource yanked out from under us without warning.

Please restore Web-Braille service to blind Americans immediately, while working to resolve its security and technical issues in a process of continuous improvement. We trust that NLS listens to its patrons. I believe there are hundreds of Web-Braille users. Many of us are speaking out on this issue. We look forward to your prompt, affirmative response on this matter. Thank you for your time and consideration of the needs and wants of your Braille reading subscribers.

Sincerely,

Darrell Shandrow

Visual Verification: E-Bay’s Inappropriate Response to the Concerns of its Blind Customers

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In recent months, E-Bay has been rolling out visual verification without accessible alternatives. Thus far, the scheme is used when communicating among buyers and sellers through the E-Bay web site. We have received reports from two blind E-Bay users stating that the company appears to be unwilling to provide an accessible alternative, instead making the inappropriate suggestion that it is acceptable to require the help of a sighted person (friend or relative) in order to gain access to the affected resources. If it is acceptable to require sighted assistance to work around visual verification schemes, then why not require the same assistance to use the Internet in general? There is no reason to believe this CAPTCHA would not be expanded to other portions of the site in the future, thus increasing the company’s lock out of its blind customers. We must do everything possible to expose this inappropriate response on the part of E-Bay’s employees and to cause the company to tear down its “no blind people allowed” sign by implementing accessible alternatives such as those provided by AOL, Google, Microsoft and others.