October 27, 2007
Handling Inaccessible Blogs in the Workplace
Anna Dresner, telecommuter for National Braille Press, Boston, MA, writes and compiles volumes for blind and visually impaired users of adaptive technology as well as pamphlets of shortcut commands for various computer programs or operating systems. One book I have read and enjoyed is entitled, “Blog On!”
This book can be obtained at http://www.nbp.org
This book defines a blog, saying that, “The word 'blog' is short for 'web log,' meaning an online journal." The author discusses various sites where you can search for blogs and then walks you step-by-step through the process of finding, creating and maintaining your own blog.
Her book gives clear and beneficial keyboard commands for users of JAWS and Window-Eyes and shows you how to search for topics within a blog by tags, lists, links and headings. For example, if you go to a favorite search engine such as Google, you can search for a blog by entering a keyword and putting the word “blog” after it to find a host of information about blogging and blogs you can explore.
Also visit http://www.wordpress.com, a blog-hosting site which Anna uses and discusses at length in this book.
She mentions another site for creating a blog: http://www.blogger.com.
She writes that registration is more complicated on blogger.com and that a blogger must use visual verification (CAPTCHA) in order to create or even post to a blog using that site. Screen readers cannot read these characters so the user needs a workaround to be able to access the site.
Sometimes, there’s a link you can click on to hear letters or numbers which can be placed in the editbox. There may also be a checkbox to check, allowing you to enter your e-mail address so that an e-mail notification can be sent stating that it’s understood that you are a real person and not a spam program. You can’t use the blog site until you receive the e-mail notification, which could take a few days.
As a discussion question for this week, please post your thoughts about this scenario:
You’ve gotten a job, and you’re in the orientation session offered by the company. You’re told that “blogging” is an important part of your position, since it allows you to network with your co-workers and offer suggestions for improvements in the company’s overall growth and efficiency. You find that the blog site is not accessible to you as a user of a screen reader or other adaptive technology device.
How would you, as a newly hired employee who needs to blog, handle this situation?
Posted by Jo Taliaferro at 06:00 PM | Comments (7)