RE: Visual Verification: Petition Asks Yahoo to Tear Down "No Blind People Allowed" Sign

  • From: "Debbie Hazelton" <debbiehazelton@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:21:11 -0400

Hi Darrell,
 
Just to say, I did sign, did write something, and I always trust what you
get behind and seek to improve.  I appreciate your determination!
 
 

All the best!
Debbie Hazelton:
Helping People Feel Better, one person at a time
Check out my podcast and website:
http://www.debbiehazelton.com <http://www.debbiehazelton.com/> 


 

  _____  

From: blindcasting-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindcasting-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Darrell Shandrow
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 3:25 AM
To: blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Visual Verification: Petition Asks Yahoo to Tear Down "No Blind
People Allowed" Sign


Hi Gary and all,
 
Oh, hmm, interesting, still trying to figure out exactly how my friend
Allison's response got onto the lists in the first place, but...
 
After being outright ignored for such a long time, and especially given the
emergence of numerous solutions, I have grown to feel that the continued
lack of an audio CAPTCHA on any web site is just absolutely inexcusable.
The technology is now tried and true on the web sites of billion dollar
companies like AOL and Google.  
 
Visual-only CAPTCHAs, unlike many other accessibility issues, are inherently
designed to be passed only by a sighted person.  If you can't pass the
CAPTCHA, you are automatically denied admission.  Sight is required in order
to be permitted access, and blind people are usually ignored when we ask for
help.  How is this anything other than the same kind of segregation that was
stomped out in the 1960's?
 
Segregation is really the only way I can find to explain the issue in a
non-technical manner to as many people as possible.  One would hope that
people wouldn't want to be classified as segregators, and, thus, the public
relations aspects alone would ultimately cause Yahoo! and others to make
things right by providing an audio CAPTCHA.
 
Anyone can do a Google search for terms like "audio CAPTCHA" to find
numerous free tools, products and services that will provide a verification
scheme that is both audio and visual.
 
 
Darrell Shandrow - Accessibility Evangelist
Information should be accessible to us without need of translation by
another person.
Blind Access Journal blog and podcast: http://www.blindaccessjournal.com
Check out high quality telecommunications services at http://ld.net/?nu7i

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Gary Wood <mailto:k8hlx@xxxxxxxxxxx>  
To: blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 11:23 PM
Subject: Re: Visual Verification: Petition Asks Yahoo to Tear Down "No Blind
People Allowed" Sign

I don't know if that's a good choice of words that he may have used, but if
we can't have an accessible audio method of captia, then it seems like
segregation to me.  Maybe segregation may be a poor choice of words, but it
feels that way to me.  I'm sorry!  

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Allison  <mailto:asheridan@xxxxxxx> Sheridan 
To: Darrell Shandrow <mailto:nu7i@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>  
Cc: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ; jfw-employment@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; BlindNetDaily
owners and  <mailto:owners@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> primary contributors
internal list. ; blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ; friends@xxxxxxxxxxxx ;
blind_geek_zone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:11 AM
Subject: Re: Visual Verification: Petition Asks Yahoo to Tear Down "No Blind
People Allowed" Sign

Darrell -  

I'm extremely offended by your description of Yahoo as being like the people
who denied African Americans access during segregation.  I understand that
you don't feel the telephone callback scheme is sufficient, but to suggest
that because it's more difficult is the same as segregation is offensive,
AND inaccurate.

I won't be signing this one because of the approach you're taking.  working
WITH people works better than insulting them and accusing them of egregious
insults.

Allison

On Jul 15, 2007, at 10:15 PM, Darrell Shandrow wrote:



We ask all of you to review and sign the Yahoo's Accessibility Improvement
Petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/yabvipma/petition.html asking the
company to make an audio alternative to its CAPTCHA available so that the
blind and visually impaired will be permitted timely access to the same
services as those already granted the sighted. The use of a telephone
callback scheme is totally insufficient as it does not grant the same level
of instant access as the sighted and Yahoo personnel 
do not consistently make contact in a timely manner. It is our ongoing
contention that visual only CAPTCHA schemes without at least an accessible
audio
alternative represent "No Blind People Allowed" signs in much the same way
as African-Americans were deliberately denied entry to restaurants and other
similar public accomodations in the era of segregation. We ask Yahoo to
simply fix their grievous error by promptly adding an audio CAPTCHA to all
its
properties as soon as possible as part of the company's ongoing
accessibility initiatives.
 
Darrell Shandrow - Accessibility Evangelist
Information should be accessible to us without need of translation by
another person.
Blind Access Journal blog and podcast: http://www.blindaccessjournal.com
Check out high quality telecommunications services at http://ld.net/?nu7i


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