Why I Prefer Mailing Lists

As social networking websites continue to grow, it continues to be a challenge for persons without sufficient sight to find ways to socialize on the Internet. I for one find it a frustration to do so, and I use a fairly easy way of doing it. I use mailing lists to communicate with others. Why? Because it is simpler, less frustrating, and I do not have to put up with having to deal with CAPTCHA security which, for the most part, does not allow a blind person the ability to enter the required codes.

(It is an acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.")

You see, more and more websites are using the CAPTCHA technology in order to prevent spammers from cluttering their in boxes and from sending spam emails but, in doing this, they are shutting out those who are unable to use their CAPTCHA process.

You go to a particular website and you are asked to go through a security process. You are given a code to enter but you need to retrieve the code as presented to you by CAPTCHA on the website. When you are presented with the code visually, you then need to re-enter the code as you see it and only then are you given the necessary username and password in order to continue on. For a blind person, this is impossible because of two things:

First, the blind person is unable to see the code. Second, access technology -- what a blind person uses in order to communicate with the Internet -- is unable to read the code. Blind persons use screen readers and self-voicing browsers to communicate with the Internet and these are unable to read graphics and images.

So, where does this leave blind persons? In a great big hole! What we need is for developers to find ways to make CAPTCHA technology more accessible to blind persons. The following link is to a blog where the writer talks about social networks, CAPTCHA technology, and how blind persons view it all.

Visit http://www.marcozehe.de/2009/04/07/why-are-web-forums-so-unpopular-with-the-blindness-community/

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and make developers more aware of the problem that CAPTCHA technology is presently causing for those with vision problems.