The Insider Scoop

Guest Blogger, Lee Huffman, AFB TECH

Just last month, I attended my first AFB National Conference (JLTLI) and all I can say is, "Wow!" As a member of the AFB TECH team, this year's focus on technology was especially interesting for me. It was great to see new and emerging leaders interact with veterans of the blindness field, such as Jim Fruchterman, Mike May, Anita Aaron, Dr. David Klonoff, and Mike Calvo (to name a few!). I think the session topics sparked some interesting conversations and ideas.

One of my favorite sessions was the Managing Financial Transactions Online session, led by Crista Earl and Vita Zavoli, both AFB staff members. In it, they discussed the benefits and frequent challenges of performing financial transactions on the Internet. They gave actual examples of ways to shop online at Amazon.com, buy groceries at Safeway.com, pay your bills or manage bank statements at Bank of America.com, and indicated how many other such sites could be accessed. They also talked about specific techniques AT users can implement to better cope with less accessible sites, including screen reader features to be aware of which can improve your ability to use a site.

I also really enjoyed the technology exhibits, where conference attendees were given the opportunity to speak with technology leaders and learn about new products and services. The lineup of exhibitors was outstanding: Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, IBM, Flying Blind LLC—Empowerment through Technology, ICRC/Adaptive Technology Services, En-Vision America, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, and yours truly at the AFB TECH table.

For anyone that attended AFB's 2008 National Conference (JLTLI), what was your favorite part of the weekend? Let me know in the comments section below.

Also, if anyone is interested, a few blogs covered various parts of the conference. Visit Seo, Inc.'s blog, Mike Calvo's blog for Serotek, and the Carroll Center for the Blind's blog to read more.

I am looking forward to another fantastic conference next year in Washington, DC!

Action on Technology Access

As a person with vision loss do you ever get frustrated with your new fancy cable TV because you can't see the on-screen menus to select programs and functions? Do you feel like you're falling further and further behind your sighted coworkers who are using new technologies like the Blackberry and iPhone to read e-mail, browse the Web, and stay connected? Wouldn't it be good if we could watch any TV program we wanted, and actually know what's happening without having to convince a sighted friend to watch and explain action to you? And, my goodness, if you're deaf-blind, the simple act of making a phone call independently can cost thousands of dollars just to have the necessary technology. At a May 1 hearing on accessible communications technology, we heard compelling testimony from people with disabilities and advocates about the need for a law to ensure that communications technologies—such as iPhones, Blackberries, TV programming, and more—are made accessible to people with disabilities.

The hearing focused on draft legislation known as the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act," and was an exciting first step in what will be a long journey to bring about improved access to Internet-based communications devices and services and television programs and receivers.

One of the highlights of the May 1 hearing was the testimony of Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, one of our nation's military heroes who lost his sight just two and a half years ago in combat in Iraq. Sergeant Major Acosta was honest in describing the frustration we all experience trying to buy and use new technologies from cell phones to personal digital assistants to televisions. He even had a little fun challenging a Congressman to try using his Blackberry with his eyes closed.

But there is a long way to go before we see this legislation pass or the results of this work become real. A representative of the cell phone industry said that many of the requirements in the proposed legislation were not needed because the information technology industry is addressing the needs of people with disabilities. While we agree that important progress has been made in some areas, notably where legal requirements like Section 255 are now in place, much work still needs to be done. In an ironic twist, on the same day that an attorney was telling this Congressional hearing that stronger enforcement such as a right to bring a case to court might actually hurt people with disabilities, yet another agreement was signed with the retail industry to make point-of-sale machines and a web site accessible to people with disabilities. This agreement, with RiteAid, came about through negotiations that did not require action in the courts, but it likely wouldn't have happened without the incentive provided by the strong enforcement language included in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Without a doubt, it is all too clear that for people with vision loss there are no TVs with accessible controls and menus, there is minimal video description available of TV programs, PDAs and other new communications devices are not designed to be accessible, and there is little help for deaf-blind individuals to purchase expensive communications devices.

And, there is no doubt that this legislation is needed. We'll soon be asking you to contact your member of Congress to ask him or her to support the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act."

Celebrity Witnesses Support Equal Access to Communications Technologies

From Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

Though we live in a world where we rely on technology to succeed at our jobs, keep in touch with friends and family, and stay on top of current events and pop culture, communications technology isn't accessible to everyone. Tomorrow celebrity witnesses and disabilities rights groups are gathering before the US Congress to testify on the need for a comprehensive piece of legislation known as the "21st-Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act." This bill aims to expand access to communications technology including text messaging, smart phones, the menus on DVDs, TV programming and more.

The celebrity line up supporting this legislation includes Jamal Anderson, a pro football player for the Atlanta Falcons, Russell Harvard, a Hollywood actor who is deaf, Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, who has vision disabilities as a result of action in Iraq, and Larry Goldberg with WGBH in Boston, a leading provider of video programming accessibility. You can watch the May 1 hearing via the Internet at http://energycommerce.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/energycommerce/
11990/100_energycommerce-2123_060901.asx.

AFB is really excited to be part of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) that has been working hard to ensure people have access to modern-day, mainstream communications technology. To read more about AFB's work on the cell phone front, visit www.afb.org/cellphones, and to check out some examples of good video description, take a look at our new video gallery on FamilyConnect. With the population aging and the vision loss numbers expected to multiply in the next couple of decades, it is really important that we make sure technology can be used by everyone.

FamilyConnect™ Launches Today!

Today is a big day at AFB! Through a joint venture with the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI), our newest online community launches today—FamilyConnect™. FamilyConnect is geared toward the parents, grandparents, and other caretakers of children with visual impairments, giving them a place to connect with other families and find the support, information, and comprehensive resources they need, 24 hours a day.

AFB and NAPVI partnered with leading national organizations and hundreds of local agencies that serve children who are visually impaired—because of this, FamilyConnect content is complete and constantly updated. Visitors to the site are able to create a personal profile and receive information on news and events geared toward their child's age, eye condition, and location. Parents have access to message boards where they can talk to other parents, videos of real-life families, parenting articles, a glossary of eye conditions, and links to local resources. They can also find featured sections dedicated to multiple disabilities, technology, education, and every age group from infants to teens.

When you visit FamilyConnect, be sure to check out A Parent's Voice, a blog from Susan LaVenture, Executive Director of NAPVI, a parent of a child with a visual impairment, and a great friend to AFB. You can also add a FamilyConnect icon (like the one above) to your site—find out more information about linking to FamilyConnect™ here.

I hope you visit FamilyConnect and enjoy it as much as I do. Here at AFB, we're all excited about today's launch and looking forward to what's to come!

Top Credit Agencies to Make Accessible Credit Reports

Earlier this week, through the result of an agreement signed by the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and other organizations, the top three major U.S. credit reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—said the free online credit reports they offer through www.annualcreditreport.com will now comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by October 31, 2008; braille, large print, and audio CD reports will be available by the end of the year. These guidelines ensure web sites are accessible for people with vision loss, especially when using screen reading software or screen magnifiers. Our friends, Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian, who were recently awarded an Access Award at AFB's 2008 National Conference (JLTLI), used their Structured Negotiations process to work with the ACB and the credit agencies.

This is a huge advancement in accessibility because up until now, those of us with vision loss have not been able to independently access and read our credit reports, something all of us should be doing periodically. By addressing barriers to web accessibility and by providing reports in alternate formats such as braille and large print, people with vision loss can now independently monitor our credit and financial data and keep the information private.

Kudos to Linda Dardarian and Lainey Feingold for their continued use of Structured Negotiations, and to ACB, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for their initiative in making accessibility a top priority.

For more information or to view the full agreement, visit www.lflegal.com/2008/04/credit-report-agreement. You can also view the press release online at www.lflegal.com/2008/04/credit-report-press-release.