More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible

Posted by Carl Augusto on 7/19/2007 4:52:16 PM

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

Earlier this week, I wrote about AFB's 255 Action campaign designed to improve the accessibility of cell phones. Section 255 (a law that is part of the Communications Act) requires all phones to be made usable for people with disabilities. For example, we would expect that phones would now have keys that can be identified by touch, displays that can be read by people with limited vision, and with speech output for people who cannot read the phone's display at all. Yet, this is just not happening.

I am pleased to see that AT&T is showing real leadership on the accessibility front. This week, AT&T announced plans to add screen reader and magnification software to several cell phones to increase usability for customers who are blind or visually impaired. We are thrilled to see a company taking meaningful steps to address the needs of individuals with vision loss, and are excited to test the new products. (And, yes, we were disappointed that AT&T also introduced the iPhone, which appears to be such an accessibility nightmare.)

Now, more companies need to take initiative. We just sent a letter to leading cell phone carriers and manufacturers to ask how they plan to address the needs of people with vision loss. We told these industry leaders about people's major frustrations with current cell phones, including:

• cell phones do not provide for audio output of information displayed on the screen;
• the visual displays on most phones are hard to read;
• numeric and control keys are not easy to distinguish by touch; and
• product manuals or phone bills are not available in braille, large print, or other formats they can read.

Given today's technological advancements—advertised constantly by cell phone carriers—it is particularly shameful that access features are not being made available. If AT&T can harness new technology to add features for people with vision loss, then all cell phone carriers and manufacturers can. We are going to continue an aggressive campaign over the next few weeks, so stay posted. In the meantime, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this important issue.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
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Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Leondrae Rice on 4/6/2009 2:53:41 AM

I am a blinded veteran, and I have the Pantech Duo and the Motorola Q global from AT andT with mobile speaks from code factory. I am very pleased with the accessibility of the menus and I can go on the internet and send text messages.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Devon Selvie on 1/3/2009 2:07:24 AM

I have had very very very fustratiing experiences with cell phones and companies. We spend billions of dollars on a war each month, but there a people like myself who can't enjoy a simple, in my opinion, convience of life. I've asked about accessibility for me through Sprint, Cellular South, and Alltel. Each time I get this crazy look.The customer service representives nor the salesman in the store have no clue whatsoever as to what a visually impaired individual needs. The first thing they offer you is a phone that reads menus. VISUALLY IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS WOULD LIKE TO USE THEIR PHONE LIKE A SIGHTED PERSON WOULD. SUCH AS BEING ABLE TO TEXT OR USE THE INTERNET. This is so very fustrating. In a sense theere is no use. Paying much more for a phone that we can't even use half of the features. I personally think the compaies and manufactures should be SUED.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Matt [http://httpp://www.technology-from-blind-perspective.com] on 8/23/2007 7:50:10 AM

I think with the technology as it is today there is no reason why cell phones and all electronics devices shouldn’t be completely accessible to the blind or visual inpaired. The cost of the manufacture to do this is not that expensive today. You should easily be able to integrate speech of some kind into all electronic devices today. This should cover cell phones, microwaves, stoves, washing machines, dryers, cable boxes, DVD players / recorders, CD players/recorders, menus on TV and the list goes on and on. All electronics should be accessible to the blind and visual impaired. Just one man thoughts.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Chris on 8/17/2007 9:17:03 AM

Yes, I too, am a Verizon subscriber and the LG phones, which has already been stated are very limited in their accessibility. Yes, you can download the manual in text format, but that in itself is not very helpful, for it is written for a sighted person. Even their most expensive LG phone with the qwerty keyboard is not completely accessible. I love Verizon, and why should I be forced to switch to another carrier or to spend $300.00 for an add-on speech program. Things like text messenging and GPS nagivation would be very useful.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Maria on 8/11/2007 9:03:41 PM

I too am very agrevated with my phone. This phone is now five years old and is showing the age that it is. But because I can not find a phone which is affordable that talks and has bottons that can be felt by touch I must keep the phone I have in very poor working condition. With no talks, no razed buttons makes me just in no hurry to buy any kind of phhone. This to me is very important because I travel alone the majoraty of times. If in trouble I am unable to use the phone. I too, would like to have the confort to be abel to reach someone for assistance if nessassery. In Canada the adaptive phones are unheard of. To me cost is also something very important since all of my equipment is always very costly.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Larry [http://larrbear77@yahoo.com] on 8/8/2007 10:45:09 PM

Hi I have a LG phone and when I got it I asked for the manual in alturitive formate. They said that they did not have anything for me. Yes I know that we have to fight for our rights but we all have to get together and fight as one.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Mary Ellen on 8/4/2007 12:40:33 PM

What about operator assisted calls. A cell phone that you can reach an operator to place calls for you would be an answer to a lot of citizens with various disabilities. Sure the fact that phone companies would have to employ actual employees and not added technologies may in the long run cost them money..them being phone companies.. I am sure they could write this service up as charitable and deduct it. It is an old practice that could be a new solution to an old problem..

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by VIRGINIA on 8/2/2007 11:19:49 AM

I HAVE A RARE DISEASE CALLED DYSTONIA MY PHONE FROM CINGULAR HAS NEVER WORKED I GET A RUN AROUND I NEED A WORKING PHONE BECAUSE I FALL ALOT AND IN BED ALOT THIS IS MY LIFE LINE A NO ONE IS HELPING ME. WHO IN THE WORLD CAN ANYONE TALK TO FOR HELP

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Lynn on 7/27/2007 6:14:15 PM

When I purchased a new cell phone, recently, I discovered that my options were very limited. Many providers offer flat screen key pads.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Paul on 7/27/2007 2:01:52 PM

Nancy and Fred make important points. Nancy and others who want greater accessibility and ask the service provider and phone manufacturer to provide it should have no fear of retribution. I've never heard of that happening, which isn't to say it couldn't. If it did, however, you would have a much more serious complaint to make and I expect that the FCC would take this very seriously, The FCC may not be great in enforcing accessibility under Sec. 255, but they are pretty tough with companies that mistreat their customers in other ways, like slamming. And, I hope that Fred, and others, will read my post on the ADA anniversary. If we've learned anything over the past seventeen years, it is to relearn the old axiom, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." It is up to all of us to make our voice heard. ADA and Sec. 255 are based on individuals taking action, not on large entities doing it for us.
That having been said, we are going to add information to our Web site under the technology/cell phone area to provide guidance on submitting a complaint using the FCC form 475. Of course, people with good confidence in their Web skills could go to www.fcc.gov and fill out this form themselves, to make a complaint.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Nancy on 7/27/2007 3:41:28 AM

I am a college student who is also a Sprint subscriber. They are attempting to do some things, like sending a large print copy of my statement, but the issue there is that 1. I am losing what vision I have left, so the large print doesn't work for me anymore. 2. The phone I have will say the talk, back, and number buttons but if I even wanted to know who's calling I would have to manually program their spoken name into my phone.
Some of the LG phones like my sister has, do have limited accessibility but I can't do more then make calls, navigate the basic menu, and check my missed calls.

I'd like to be able to read an occasional text message, because I get them sometimes and hav no idea what they are.

I must admit, I am a little nervous about calling Sprint up and saying "I want more accessibility." I am fearful of any retribution, even if it is not said, it still may happen.

Just some thoughts

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Fred [http://www.dealingwithvisionloss.com] on 7/26/2007 9:21:02 AM

I am a Verizon customer and am very anxious to have more accessability in my phones as well. To that end, I'm wondering why AFB or other consumer organizations are unwilling to sue these companies which in reality are breaking the law in not providing accessability features for their phones.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Paul on 7/26/2007 8:30:26 AM

Kelly raises good points here. The AT&T announcement didn't address pricing and I hope they will soon. I do note that Cingular (now AT&T) provides Talks software with a couple of Nokia phones and rebates the software cost (I think for a two year contract). So, while this was not a perfect solution, especially because consumers needed to pruchase a high-end phone, whether that's what they wanted/needed or not, AFB did commend Cingular for providing the screen reader software at no cost to the consumer. I hope AT&T will do something similar here, and I hope that consumers with vision loss will make clear to cell phone companies that we should not be paying more to have accessibility. Cell phones are required to be accessible, if readily achievable, that's the law.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Kelly [http://blog.kellyford.org] on 7/24/2007 9:03:20 AM

Unless I'm missing something, what's so great about AT&T making the products from Code Factory available? The press releases I've read didn't say anything about pricing but I'd guess that the consumer is still going to have to purchase these products. As cool as Mobile Speaks is on my Smart Phone for example, it still cost me $299 to make the phone into something I could use. Great that AT&T will distribute the software but it isn't as though the Code Factory software won't run on the phones distributed from other wireless providers. I don't see this as anything new as much as broadening awareness/availability of what's already out there.

I'm by no means an expert here and if AT&T's plans are different I'd love to be corrected.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Paul on 7/20/2007 4:22:46 PM

Sarah makes a great point here. I encourage Sarah, and anyone else, to do two things immediately, First, contact your cell phone company and make it clear that you expect full accessibility. Second, if they can't or won't provide accessibility, file a complaint with the FCC. Of course, we must remember that companies must provide access that is "readily achievable." But even with that limitation, we blieve companies can do more than they have.

Re: More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible
Posted by Sarah [http://3kitties.livejournal.com] on 7/20/2007 12:52:36 PM

In your communications with these companies, please stress the importance of accessibility of non-calling features such as ability to access the set-up screens and other menus using text-to-speech software. In my dealings with Verizon, they seem to believe that the LG line of phones iw usable. It is usable for some basic functions, and a sighted person can make it read text messages aloud; but it seems that it is only usable for a person who wants to set it up for hands-free interaction and not for a person who depends on speech output for all functions. i had to spend $500 to get that kind of accessibility in order to use all of the features; and if I'm going to pay $200 for a phone, I expect to be able to use all of the features.

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