At 03:10 PM 6/5/99 -0400, Dan Flasar wrote:
>>
>>     Let's expand this.  What about the tiny print used in credit card
>offers and terms.  There is NO WAY we can read those things unless they are
>provided as an electronic document that is screenreadable.  Even if you have
>a screen magnifier, it would take a long time to read those things.
>   wouldn't this sort of thing be covered by the ADA?  I'm willing to take
>this on as a project, but who can help me get a handle on the process of how
>to get started with this?   From my own case, I get no help at all in getting
>documents such as this available via email.  And I think it's a major assle
>to have to scan these things in.
>   Of course, we all know why these documents are presented this way - it is
>to discourage consumers from reading the true terms of their financial
>instruments.
>  The visually impaired are not, in this case, being singled out - they don't
>want ANYBODY to read their fine print.  so I guess we are not being
>discriminated against in the sense that they are screwing everybody.   But it
>is true that we simply can't read those documents whereas some oe with normal
>eyesight can.
>     Anybody have any ideas on how to start the all rolling on making terms
>of contracts in any font smaller than 10 point illegal or perhaps require all
>such documents to be available as a protected document (so that it oud not be
>modified).
>

Dan, I think you are onto something here.

There is hope in the improvements that are coming in book-reading
technology.  But this doesn't mean we should't be working on how to build a
data connection between the merchant's information technology and the
consumer's.

My flagship scenario for this is what I call the electronic register tape.
If a cash register is capable of removing cash equivalents from a smart
card, it should be equally capable of giving a machine-readable accounting
of the transaction.  This is readily attainable.  The case has to be made
that it is a necessary accomodation, or convince the profit motivated that
consumers will demand this anyway.

I think one can do a workflow analysis that shows how this capability would
move consumers through the checkout lanes faster at mass merchants.  They
can tell you that is money in their pocket.  The recurring cost of having
the smarter protocol at the cash register to cash card interface is
miniscule, but it takes a difficult consciousness raising and visioning
process to get the right stakeholders to see the opportunity up front.

If you think of a way to build a project that will move this agenda ahead,
please let me know.  It is high on my hit list.

Al