Hi Scott,

I don't know what their real position is, or if you caught Mark (whichever Mark it was) on a bad day, or if in fact they really are just going to blow us off. I decided to write to Katie Glass anyway as you see, giving them the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time letting them know that there is a perception that our memberships don't matter. I would have subscribed to CQ, as well, but Zineo is inaccessible, and Zineo doesn't seem very concerned. That's out of CQ's hands, unless they change digital publication platforms. I don't know how amenable they would be to this, but I'd sure like to get some other ham mags. I should really join QRPARCI for this very reason, come to think of it.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Mar 20, 2012, at 5:56 PM, Scott Howell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Buddy,
> 
> I hope you are correct and I would at least like to have a discussion =
> with someone at the ARRL, but I have this unfortunate, but yet nagging =
> feeling that no one at the ARRL has any plans to contact me. I agree =
> that I would gladly pay the same cost as our sighted counterparts for =
> equal access. Well the ARRL has some time before my membership renews =
> and should that time come without any change I would have no problem =
> letting them know how I feel.
> I am very open to having an honest and productive discussion with the =
> ARRL anytime they like.
> 
> 73
> 
> On Mar 20, 2012, at 1:33 PM, Buddy Brannan wrote:
> 
>> Hi,
>> =20
>> A fellow blind ham apparently spoke to someone at HQ recently to ask =3D=
> 
>> about the upcoming digital edition of QST. The person he spoke to =
> seemed =3D
>> to indicate, according to Scott, that not only was the digital edition =
> =3D
>> of QST not going to be accessible, but there were no plans to make it =
> =3D
>> accessible.=3D20
>> =20
>> Needless to say, this is disappointing, if true.=3D20
>> =20
>> However, it's possible that there is a misunderstanding of the issues =
> =3D
>> involved here. We of course don't want a special edition, or something =
> =3D
>> like that. However, it seems to me that an online edition of QST could =
> =3D
>> be inherently usable by blind members. There are, of course, formats =3D=
> 
>> that just don't work well (or at all) with screen access technology. =
> The =3D
>> system that CQ Communications has chosen to implement, for instance, =3D=
> 
>> can't be used by screen readers. Your standard garden variety PDF, =3D
>> however, will read with most screen readers, assuming that the PDF =
> isn't =3D
>> solely an image scan of a paper document.=3D20
>> =20
>> I would be interested to know what digital format the ARRL will be =
> using =3D
>> for its electronic distribution. Knowing this will help determine =3D
>> whether or not I will be able to read it when it becomes available.=3D20=
> 
>> =20
>> While I wasn't on the call that I mentioned, I can tell you that my =3D
>> friend felt as though he was not valued as a member in good standing, =
> =3D
>> that his membership was somehow less important because of his =3D
>> disability, perhaps that he was asking for something unreasonable. =
> Bear =3D
>> in mind that, while we do get QST on tape from the Library of =
> Congress, =3D
>> the issue comes about two months after the general public gets it. I, =
> =3D
>> for one, would be willing to pay full freight for a membership that =3D
>> included a timely and accessible version of QST. However, if my =3D
>> membership as a blind ham is of no value to the League, perhaps i =
> should =3D
>> rethink that. Note that I have no reason yet to believe that this is =
> the =3D
>> case, but one of the staff's members has certainly left at least one =3D=
> 
>> member with this impression, not by the possible inaccessibility of =
> the =3D
>> digital edition, but rather by the way the issue was handled. Or, =3D
>> rather, blown off.=3D20
>> =20
>> I would love to discuss this further. We can start with what format =
> the =3D
>> digital edition will take and go from there.=3D20
>> =20
>> While I must admit to some disappointment that accessibility wasn't =
> even =3D
>> considered when the decision was made to go digital, and, to my =3D
>> knowledge, no blind members were contacted to get any input on the =3D
>> issue, I would like to believe that this is something that can be =3D
>> considered now. Better late than never.
>> =20
>> Vy 73,
>> --
>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY