I have problems with amazon. It is more my computer than them. I need to
find a tech to fix it but I don't have any idea as to how to go about
finding one who is familiar with screen reader technology.
-----Original Message-----
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Linda Gehres
Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2017 4:39 AM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: Internet shopping no option for the blind
I, too, have bought from Amazon, but have yet to try Wal-Mart's site.
Certainly I've bought from blindness related stores like Maxi-Aids and LS&S,
and it's certainly tons easier than trying to go to a store and get help
locally, even if said store were to have exactly what you wanted.
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Rosemarie Chavarria
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2017 10:57 PM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: Internet shopping no option for the blind
Hi, Denise,
I'll say one more thing about this subject before I drop it.
Before I got my first computer which was a windows 98 computer with a demo
version of Window-eyes, my mother or someone in the family would take me
grocery shopping. After getting my computer, one of my sisters taught me how
to shop on the Albertons site. When I placed my first grocery order and it
came, I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders because now I didn't
have to depend on anybody to take me grocery shopping. I don't regret
learning to shop online because now I can order books or groceries online.
I've orderded CD's and a DVDE from Amazon and had no problems. Oh--by the
way, everything does get shipped or brought to my apartment.
Well, I guess this does it. I totally agree with everything you've said in
your message.
Rosie
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Denise Thompson
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2017 8:34 AM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: Internet shopping no option for the blind
What in the world are you talking about here. You have painted a picture
from the late 80's perhaps, but not now. Though every website isn't
accessible for sure and I do agree with you they should be, but your piture
isn't fair of the current state of things.
First of all the ADA was created before the internet became as big as it is
now. Yes it existed, but not like is it now where shopping is a big thing.
The internet isn't specifically covered by the ADA so don't slam the ADA as
the biggest problem here.
But in your argument you slam amazon, but in your suggestions at the bottom
of the message you want others to follow their example. So perhaps you may
want to rewrite your above message.
And frankly I don't think this is the place for such a message in the first
place.
Denise
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kenneth Atkins
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2017 11:22 AM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ourplace] Internet shopping no option for the blind
Internet shopping no longer an option for the blind
Theodore Roosevelt once said: "When you give a person a Education Without
giving them moral values, you have created a danger to Society".
A person only has to look around themselves to see the truth of this
statement.
When I was a child we used to live close by a small town that had three
grocery Stores, The store where I used to shop had a Customer Who came to
town with a mule teem and a wagon. Us kids were a little Afraid of him so we
kept our Distance. My point in telling this story is it was remarkable that
the stores didn't lock their doors when he come to town and tell him that he
had to upgrade to a motor Vehicle before he could be permitted to buys
grocerys for his family.
That was in the good old days, remember? Times have changed as today we have
on line shopping. All a person has to do is to get on the Internet and tell
the store where to ship the goodies, right? Wrong! For the blind and
disabled this is not a option. The Americans with disabilities law requires
access to these services and the law is not being enforced onto the internet
website builders. George Wallace once said: "We don't need a bunch of new
laws, we need to enforce the laws we already have". And Wallace was so
right. Does anyone still remember the old black and white televisions and
the Brylcreem Commercials? At the tender age of 14 I seen their ads and
bought me a tube of the stuff, it was at that time I receved my first shock!
The product was worthless. In the nineties I heard Paul Harvey telling us
how great the Internet was going to be America's information superhighway
and how the builders of the Internet was stringing cable through the
mountains with mules so everybody could get in on the act.
My first thoughts were " How wonderful this is going to be for America".
Again how wrong I was! When it comes to the blind people the Internet is
like another Brylcreem product, worthless!.
My first Internet computer was a Gateway with windows 98 and Internet
Explorer 6 when I made my first trys to explore the Internet. I found out
that every on line store or service had a barrier that plainly said if you
do not want to [READ THE LETTERS] and type them in the boxes below than we
don't want your business. That was also made clear by not posting a phone
number or snail-mail address.
Amazon.com/access has a picture that can't be bypassed, walmart.com cannot
reach the buy button, emusic.com put up pictures of the artests rather than
the useable links, itunes has the picture and the itunes people on the other
end of the phone will not help you get past it, Att.com I don't remember
what the problem was but the At and T company Refused To send a lineman past
my place to set it up for me, get the idea?
I know of only four sites that work: Datehookup.com (Most of the women are
worthless as they won't answer mail), darwinawards.com, and the government
sites. There are some hobby and Private sites where the web masters are
honest enough not to use those dirty little tricks and a lot of them do post
phone numbers and snail-mail addresses. Some new nastiness has rared it's
ugly head in the form of site owners blocking their sites from Internet
Explorer 8, all one gets is "page not found". Another one is to make the
important Links needed to use the site Invisible On the older systems.
If one spends a bunch of money to up grade to a newer system the only
problems that get fixed are the last two, all of the others are still there.
In the days of black and white TV a few companies were working on color
televisions. I remember reading about this in the Howard W Sam's photofact
folders for radio and televisions repairmen. It seems that Sylvania had a
better color system than RCA but the FCC ruled that the RCA system be used
because the Signal Could be Received on black and white Receivers. About
the same time the radio engineer's were working on stereo FM and again the
FCC ruled that the mono receivers had to be able to use the stereo Signal
otherwise the system wasn't Acceptable. When the vinal LP's first came out
in stereo there was a warning not to play the records on mono players but I
played them anyway and I could hear the full Orchestra From the mono
speaker. When the digital HD TV came out a few years ago converter boxes
were available so we wouldn't have to go out and buy a $350 television set,
The converter box let one continue to enjoy the old TV.
Get the idea? The government or someone protected the consumer so the new
Technology Wouldn't trash his investment in the old but still working
Equipment.
This is not happening on the Internet. Like the citizens band radio the
Internet is too filled with garbage, QRM and skip until the biggest part of
it is unusable. Even business owners have Abandoned CB radio as a reliable
means of Communications. The highly Educated people who are writing web
pages for these companies have no sense of Responsibility Toward people less
fortunate than themselves. These are the kind of people we used to call
dumb-smart, They are so smart that they became stupid. The bible puts it
this way, professing themselves to be wise they become fools. And Will
Rogers once said There's nobody as Ignorant As a Educated man, once you get
him away from the subject he was Educated in.
I have seen this many times even in my own family, someone is a Specialist
At work but at home his family has to deal with a idiot.
Just because someone has learned how to do something fancy doesn't mean that
they are Obligated to do it. The freedom to swing your arms ends where my
nose begins, and I'm tired of being clubbed in the face by having my basic
rights violated on the Internet.
This is a wake up call to America, your blind and disabled are being
deprived of their means of Independence By this horrable system. I'm calling
for the American people to have their Representatives introduce Legislation
in Congress to have some real teeth put into the Americans with disabilities
laws in regard to the Internet. My Suggestions are:
1 Any site that is taking money from the public for any reason whatsoever
must put their snail-mail business office address on their home page.
2 All Commercial web masters should be licensed and part of the license
Requirement Is keeping themselves up to date on the needs of the disabled
and the advances of the software needed to fill those needs.
3 All sites that are Necessary for life, utilities, food, clothing
etc.should be required to be accessible.
4 Web sites that do not wish to cater to the blind should say so on their
home page.
5 If they don't want to mess up their pretty pictures, require them to do as
amazon.com/access is doing.
There is something like a half million blind people in America so this is
not a small problem. Before you get all upset remember that what has
happened to others can happen to you also. There's a saying among the blind
people it's called TAB, It stands for temporary abled bodyed. What this
means is that anybody can become disabled in a flash through a Accident or
by a Disease. Many Americans are blinded this way every year. How would you
fair if it happened to you? What would you do, Who would take you to the
stores for food, clothing and other needs. How would you make out checks to
pay your bills if the on line banking was gone to you There's some friends
and family that ain't trustworthy , how would you deal with it. You are
going to get old someday and when your eyesight goes out than what? Think
about this and help us by preparing the Internet that you are going to need
in the future.
(please send this to as many of your friends as possable).
Kenneth Atkins
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