NFB | Accessible Insights Blog

No matter which blindness advocacy organization’s name is printed on your membership card, there’s been a little something for everyone at the summer national conventions. this year, due to the pandemic crisis, our lives seem to have moved online. So has our conference-going. As was the case for many of you, I had planned to attend a number of conferences in person this year, and one by one, they all dropped back and punted to the player on the other team, Zoom.

By this time any other year, I would be exhibiting my Elegant Insights Braille Creations, greeting many of you in person, shaking your hand, introducing you to whomever was working the exhibit hall booth with me, showing you my pretty merchandise, and thanking you for stopping by. Instead, I’m offering my products virtually, via the conference platform chosen by the NFB for their online sessions and hoping you’ll select the link that will deposit you in my Zoom room.

While registered attendees are strongly encouraged to attend the general, educational, and affiliate sessions, the vendors who would typically have exhibit hall hours that did not conflict with the convention agenda would be eagerly awaiting the arrival of the conference attendees, hoping to make some sales. In the case of the convention of the American Council for the Blind, the “exhibit hall” was actually a series of recorded infomercial’s where blind business owners could present everything they possibly could in the span of ten minutes. These recorded presentations were then played on ACB Radio. The NFB invested in an elaborate conference platform, where sessions could be attended virtually, while exhibit hall hours were scheduled throughout the week.

After two days of presenting my products to a mostly empty room, surprising considering the trumpeted number of registered attendees, it has occurred to me that there is no reason to limit my audience to the NFB audience. Anyone can connect to a Zoom room, so I’d like to invite all-comers to a couple of sessions at which I’ll be talking about my products, answering questions, and hopefully, meeting the customers that I’m missing by adhering to the limits of the convention exhibit hall hours.

Copy and paste the link below into your browser to join our virtual booth via Zoom:

us02web.zoom.us/j/81181371379?pwd=ellQUW5vVThRYnpjeDRZSkhzcmlkQT09

Meeting ID: 811 8137 1379
Password: 514106

On Thursday, July 16, Friday, July 17, and Saturday July 18, I will be available during the NFB20 exhibit hall hours as follows:

Thursday
6AM to 8AM Pacific Time, 9AM to 11AM Eastern: I’ve got a couple of announcements I’m excited to share, including some great new products, as well as big news about a new direction for Elegant Insights.

Friday
6AM to 8AM Pacific Time, 9AM to 11AM Eastern: We’ll be talking about gifts, gifts, and more gifts. Hey, it’s never too early to start holiday shopping. Think of it as Christmas in July.

Friday
2PM to 4PM Pacific Time, 5PM to 7PM Eastern: Catch up on everything you’ve missed with Elegant Insights, and get your product questions answered. You may even win a gift of braille jewelry! Did somebody say prize drawing?

Saturday
6AM to 9AM Pacific Time, 9AM to noon Eastern: Am I really hitting the Zoom room at 6AM? Yes I am. On Saturday, I’ll be joined by Brent Harbolt from The Harbolt Company, and we’re just going to chat about the convention, check in with our customers about the best sessions, compare notes on how tired we are, and generally shoot the breeze.

Saturday
3PM to 5PM Pacific Time, 6PM to 8PM Eastern: Busy this Saturday night? After a long week working, social distancing, or conventioneering, zoom in to a session that’s all about fashion, fragrance, and fabulous. Laura and Brent invite you to join our Saturday Night Style event, where we’ll chat about apparel and accessories, fragrance and skin care, trends, and bath and beauty products for both men and women. Brent, Laura, and a mixed panel of fashionistas will answer your burning style questions. Need a heads-up about men’s grooming products? Summer trends? Color cosmetics? Hottest men’s fragrances? Ways to wear jewelry and accessories while wearing a mask? Okay, maybe not that last one, but whatever you want to know, we’re here to rescue you from any style emergency.

Whether you have an upcoming job interview, special event, or just want to look your best in all those Zoom meetings, join us from 6 PM to 8 PM Eastern Time, 3PM to 5 PM Pacific for Saturday Night Style. Here is your Zoom invitation:

Join our zoom group with your computer or zoom app on your device by clicking the link below:
us02web.zoom.us/j/81181371379?pwd=ellQUW5vVThRYnpjeDRZSkhzcmlkQT09

Meeting ID: 811 8137 1379
Password: 514106

Join our zoom group by doing a single tap on your mobile device on one of the numbers below:
+16699006833,,81181371379#,,,,0#,,514106# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,81181371379#,,,,0#,,514106# US (Tacoma)

Join our zoom group from your landline telephone by calling one of the numbers below. (You will need to enter the meeting ID and password with this option)
Meeting ID: 811 8137 1379
Password: 514106

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Find your local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/kddCvKUbKa
See you there!

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While most travelers with disabilities surely appreciate any effort made to accommodate their needs, the proposals mentioned in the article below seem to have been far too long in coming. Some airlines are certainly better at helping passengers who have disabilities to overcome the barriers imposed by inaccessible web sites and kiosks, some do so only grudgingly, in my experience. Still, the article left me with a question, which I pose at the end.

This article was sent to me via email, so I left the attribution as I found it.

New proposal seeks improved access for disabled fliers
9/20/2011
News Outlet: USA TODAY

The Transportation Department wants to require airlines to make their websites and airport kiosks more accessible to the disabled.

The proposed regulation — made Monday following years of complaints by travelers with disabilities about getting tickets on flights — is similar to a proposal made in 2004 that airlines and travel agents resisted because of the cost and complexity of the changes.

The new proposal calls for the airlines to make their websites accessible to blind people for reservations and check-ins within a year. The airlines would have two years to make the rest of their websites more accessible.

Websites that market U.S. flights also would have to upgrade, although small travel agencies would be exempt.

Under the proposed rule, airlines would also have to upgrade airport kiosks that print boarding passes or baggage tags with braille, audio messages and screens visible 40 inches off the floor. The upgrades to kiosks would apply as airlines replace machines during the next decade.

"I strongly believe that airline passengers with disabilities should have equal access to the same services as all other travelers," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in announcing the proposed regulation.

More than 15 million adults have disabilities with vision, hearing or mobility, according to the Census Bureau, and nearly one-third travel by air.

The advocacy group Paralyzed Veterans of America welcomed the kiosk proposal, saying people with vision and physical impairments have been unable to read screens too high off the ground or use touch-screen functions.

Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, argued that airlines are "openly discriminating" when not using the most accessible technology.

"It is critical for blind people to be able to buy tickets, check in, print boarding passes and select seats independently," Maurer said.

A rule that took effect in May 2008 required airlines to discount tickets for disabled passengers who had to make reservations by phone or in person. Airlines had to provide assistance to disabled passengers who couldn’t use their kiosks.

Parts of that rulemaking were hotly debated for years, with 1,300 comments. The Air Transport Association, an airline industry group, argued at the time it would cost each airline at least $200,000 to upgrade their website, plus tens of thousands more each year in maintenance.

Steve Lott, an association spokesman, said the group is still reviewing the newest proposal.

The administration estimates that tens of millions of dollars spent upgrading websites and kiosks would be offset by having more disabled customers buy tickets and saving the time of airline employees.

The proposed rule will be published this week in the Federal Register, with 60 days for public comment at www.regulations.gov.

*End of article.

So, I guess my question is this: While I’m pleased that the transportation secretary "strongly believes" that travelers with disabilities should have equal access, isn’t it the law? Why have airlines been exempt from the ADA requirements? Are they private property, public transportation, or a governmental agency? All of the above? If any of my readers can answer the question as to why, over twenty years after passage of the ADA, the airlines are just now getting around to making travel more accessible, I’d love to know.

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Tag: NFB

No org affiliation? No problem! An invitation to a stylish virtual boutique.

New proposal seeks improved access for disabled fliers