By Mary Willows
In the past and even today in the digital era blind and visually impaired people are in the minority within the disabled community. I felt that it was important to participate in the “Digital Inclusion” zoom forum because our voices all need to be heard. We agree that technology has opened up opportunities for people with disabilities but our needs are different when it comes to accessibilities.
A disability is a condition which significantly affects daily functioning to the point where an adaptation must be made so the person can perform activities of daily living. For example, in employment, someone in a wheelchair may be able to perform job tasks if they can just get into a building. A person with impaired vision may be capable of performing job tasks if materials are in large print, braille or available via speech software. The challenge is finding the right software and a knowledgeable instructor who can teach an employee how to access information to accomplish a job task. As a trained professional, I know how to teach multiple subjects but without being able to access materials, record keeping and communication with colleagues I would not be successful at my job. Although we have come very far in making print materials accessible we still have work to do. There are laws that say people with disabilities have the right to live and work in the world independently, we still don’t have guidelines and standards to implement the laws. The biggest hurdle for blind people is who should pay for the accessibility. When we are talking about computers it is necessary to point out that simply talking a screen shot or image of text does not make it accessible. It must be readable text so that the computer can translate the print and speak it or transcribe it into braille so it can be read by a blind person.
The consequences of ignoring accessibility is that society will end up paying in the long term by subsidizing living expenses for those who could otherwise be employed. To learn more about how to code or make a website accessible go to Webaim.org. It is a part of the University of Utah.
#DisabilityPrideMonth | July 2023
In the past and even today in the digital era blind and visually impaired people are in the minority within the disabled community. I felt that it was important to participate in the “Digital Inclusion” zoom forum because our voices all need to be heard. We agree that technology has opened up opportunities for people with disabilities but our needs are different when it comes to accessibilities.
A disability is a condition which significantly affects daily functioning to the point where an adaptation must be made so the person can perform activities of daily living. For example, in employment, someone in a wheelchair may be able to perform job tasks if they can just get into a building. A person with impaired vision may be capable of performing job tasks if materials are in large print, braille or available via speech software. The challenge is finding the right software and a knowledgeable instructor who can teach an employee how to access information to accomplish a job task. As a trained professional, I know how to teach multiple subjects but without being able to access materials, record keeping and communication with colleagues I would not be successful at my job. Although we have come very far in making print materials accessible we still have work to do. There are laws that say people with disabilities have the right to live and work in the world independently, we still don’t have guidelines and standards to implement the laws. The biggest hurdle for blind people is who should pay for the accessibility. When we are talking about computers it is necessary to point out that simply talking a screen shot or image of text does not make it accessible. It must be readable text so that the computer can translate the print and speak it or transcribe it into braille so it can be read by a blind person.
The consequences of ignoring accessibility is that society will end up paying in the long term by subsidizing living expenses for those who could otherwise be employed. To learn more about how to code or make a website accessible go to Webaim.org. It is a part of the University of Utah.
#DisabilityPrideMonth | July 2023
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