It took me quite awhile to become an Amazon shopper. It wasn’t because I
\ndidn’t like to save money, or have merchandise delivered to my door, or
\nbecause I felt no desire to join the online shopping revolution. It was
\nthat I was intimidated by the Amazon web site, which for someone who uses a
\nscreen
\nreader, can seem overwhelming. In an effort to sell nearly everything on
\nEarth, Amazon has made for a serious time commitment for those who are
\nunfamiliar with the landscape. I’ve heard even sighted users complain about
\nthe mind-boggling number of choices, and that navigating the Amazon web site
\ncan be as formidable as navigating the actual South American Amazon.<\/p>\n
Amazon is serious about getting your business. I know that because I
\ncomplained to them about a certain inaccessible feature that had prevented
\nme from using their site. I was subsequently contacted by a very
\nsolicitous person from the executive customer relations department, who
\nimmediately set about the task of correcting the problem. Further, he asked
\nme to advise him as to
\nother areas of the site that could use similar improvements. He thanked me
\nfor my
\ncontribution, and left me feeling as though I had made a real difference for
\nthose who would follow in my screen reading footsteps.<\/p>\n
He left me with a few tips, too. One of which has proved to be useful not
\nonly for shopping at Amazon, but other web sites as well. He pointed out
\nthat the mobile version of the Amazon web site was a more accessible version
\nof the main site, and it could be used by both desktop and mobile users. He
\nsaid it lacked the “bells and whistles” of the main site, which I
\ninterpreted to mean the graphics, flash animation and other visual debris
\nthat can interfere with efficiency.<\/p>\n
This was very good news.<\/p>\n
As it turns out, the Amazon mobile site is the most wonderfully accessible,
\neasy to use shopping interface imaginable. I can make a purchase at
\nlightening speed, probably faster than a sighted person could. Fewer
\nscreens, fewer distractions, fewer “rabbit trails” that take you to a screen
\nleading to nowhere.<\/p>\n
To see this accessible alternative, go to; My brother recently pointed out that Facebook also has a mobile version of More sites are now offering mobile versions of their main web properties, Know of others? Send them my way!<\/p>\n LL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It took me quite awhile to become an Amazon shopper. It wasn’t because I didn’t like to save money, or have merchandise delivered to my…<\/p>\n
\nwww.amazon.com\/access<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\ntheir site. Again, it’s all text, no graphics, and lacks the ads and other
\nhappy hoopla that makes the site appealing to the light-dependent crowd.
\nGo to: www.m.facebook.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nmeant specifically for use with mobile phones. However, used with your
\ndesktop, these alternative versions also provide some great accessible
\noptions for anyone who is visually impaired, time-constrained, or who has
\nanger-management issues and who detests the graphic flotsam and jetsam of
\nmost shopping or social media destinations.<\/p>\n