S1E143 - 20231205 - Tuesday Topics - rights and responsibilities.

There are lots of laws that are passed that have created accessible traffic signals, accessible voting machines, the availability of braille materials from counties or the state and announcements on buses. These are just some of the accessibility elements that we have "demanded" or, at the very least, come to expect. More and more municipalities are saying that they don't know why they bother because people who are blind are not making use of the accommodations they make available!

Is this true? What should we do? Do our chapters, state affiliates, special interest affiliates and our national organization have a role to play? Should we continue to ask for more accommodations if we have no intention of making use of them? Clearly there are many more things we could use! County gymnasia could provide accessible machines! Parks and Recreation departments could provide accessible devices such as tandem bikes and special programs for people who are blind or have low vision! They do exercise programs for others! Programs at libraries operated by the county should at least be advertised in ways that people who are blind can easily find out what is happening! County web sites are sometimes very good and sometimes awful. The same applies to state web sites. Should telephone access be allowed to replace web access as it does in at least one state.

Why is it that people who are blind or have low vision seem to shy away from using hard won privileges? Will advanced AI make many of the inaccessible web sites irrelevant? Should we ask states or counties to pay for AIRA or something like it?

Find out more at https://acb-tuesday-topics.pinecast.co