Walk a mile in my shoes

This is usually the tack that I take whenever I feel that someone does not quite understand my world. Whenever someone challenges me to explain why it was necessary for me to have sued the Canadian Government over their inaccessible websites, my response is: Walk a mile in my shoes and see what it is like.

For the mainstream person, it is easy for them to gain access to information on the Internet if they have access to a computer and Internet connections. For us as blind persons, it is not that easy. Several additional components must be in place in order for things to work for us.

First, we need to have access technology installed on our computers. What is access technology? The software that enables us to hear what is on the screen or software that enlarges the text on the screen. Or software that enables us to communicate with our computer via Braille.

Next, we need to be able to communicate with websites through the use of our access technology and if websites are not configured so that this communication can take place, then, in a word, we are sunk. In short, websites need to be designed so that we can all read and communicate with web content, forms, and files.

We are living in a society whereby we depend on information to help us make decisions, keep up to date on the latest happenings, plus much more. So here is the question of the day: How would you feel if you were unable to read information on the Internet? Chances are you would be extremely unhappy and you would eventually do something about it, and this is exactly what I did.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and share my blogs with others. Visit www.bakerlaw.ca to learn more about why I sued the Canadian Government over their inaccessible websites.

The kids get it

A few weeks ago, I was invited by a teacher of a group of grade one students to visit their class. She wanted me to visit them because of my ongoing court case against the Canadian Government where I am suing them over their inaccessible websites. The kids have been following my case in the newspapers and were eager to ask me questions and to tell me about the letter that they had written to our Prime Minister.

Without any hesitation I agreed and on a cool, early November morning I stood beside their teacher in their Welcome Circle and listened with great admiration as they sang “O Canada.”

Their tiny voices were strong and true and their attention to detail extremely fervent.
Shannon Green, their teacher, introduced me and told them that I had come for a visit. We then trooped upstairs to their classroom and for the next half hour I sat among them and fielded their questions, shared a snack with them and felt their artwork.

What a most moving and humbling experience for me! The kids absolutely got it! Their questions were right on and I was amazed at their grasp of the subject matter. They were most concerned that Blind Canadians were not able to access governmental websites and they even asked me about the access technology software that I used. They were concerned about social justice and their little minds understood it all!

Out of the mouths of babes! These kids are our future! Our messengers! Our promises of hope! Our future legislators and politicians and as I continue to say, “We need to protect the future of our kids”!

I will never forget this experience and I thank Shannon and Velvet for having afforded me this experience. I thank the grade one kids of Grove Community School for having stepped up to the plate.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day. To learn more about my court case against the Canadian Government, please visit www.bakerlaw.ca.