Hi All,

The time to file federal and state income taxes in the U.S. is most
definitely here.  Intuit, one of four companies to promise an accessible
on-line tax preparation web site last year, has their 2000 tax return
program at <http://www.turbotax.com/turbotaxweb/tcomhome_welcome.htm>.

I tried accessing this site with Internet Explorer 5.5 with both JFW 3.7
and Window-Eyes 4.0.  My initial impression is that what was promised
certainly wasn't delivered in terms of an accessible on-line tax filing
system from Intuit.  Below is what I tried and why I make this
statement.  I certainly don't regard this opinion as definitive and would
appreciate hearing the experiences of others to better investigate this issue.

I could access the initial Turbotax pages, choosing the type of tax return
I needed to file and  create a user name and password.  However at that
point I found that while I could typically read all the text, items I
needed to select were not showing up as links or controls to either screen
reading program.  Instead I had to turn off the JFW Virtual PC (VPC) or
Window-Eyes Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) mode and issue a
simulated mouse click on the screen.  While not perfect, this might be
manageable.

The real problem happened when it was time to enter data.  As users of
either JFW or Window-Eyes know, the screen is typically easier to read when
in the VPC or MSAA mode of the program.  When you want to enter data into
an edit box you press Enter, the mode is turned off and you are able to
enter data in the web page.  In both JFW and Window-Eyes cases, pressing
Enter on an edit box for data entry did not turn off the VPC or MSAA
mode.  This made it impossible to enter information.

Being either innately curious or a glutton for frustration, I next tried
entering data by avoiding the VPC or MSAA mode completely.  I configured
JFW and Window-Eyes to never use these features and went back at the
Turbotax web site.  In this case, what I would have expected was to hear
when a press of the tab key landed me in an edit box.  No such luck.  The
tab key did seem to move focus but there was no way to tell when you were
in an edit box unless you did some test typing and then reviewed the
screen.  Even then it was impossible to tell whether items like your birth
date and social security number were supposed to be entered as single
pieces of information or in separate sections.

Next I tried searching for tech support info on accessibility.  On-line
tech support for the web version of Turbotax is at
<http://www.intuit.com/support/turbotaxweb/>.  Searching for the words
accessibility or blind didn't turn up any info.

At that point I gave up trying to use the on-line version of Turbotax.  I'd
be interested in hearing what sorts of results anyone else has with this
web site or the others who promised to be accessible this tax filing season.

It would also be interesting to hear some official communication on the
accessibility status of these tax filing systems from the state of
Connecticut or any of the others mentioned in the below press release.

Thanks,

Kelly

 From the web page:

http://www.cslnet.ctstateu.edu/attygenl/press/2000/health/blind.htm

Connecticut Attorney General's Office
Press Release
Attorney General, National Federation Of Blind Applaud On-Line Tax Filing
Services For Agreeing To Make Sites BLIND-ACCESSIBLE For 2000 Tax Season


Date: April 17, 2000

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today was joined by Dr. Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), in announcing
agreements with four companies -- HDVest, Intuit, H & R Block, and Gilman &
Ciocia - - that provide on-line federal income tax filing services to make
their Internet sites accessible to the blind.

The four companies have agreed to work with the Attorney General and the
NFB to change the coding for each of the five websites in question --
hdvest.com, turbotax.com, e1040.com, hrblock.com, and taxcut.com -- to
enable blind individuals to access the sites. According to the Attorney
General, the changes will greatly improve the ability of blind individuals
to access the sites through the use of standard screen reader programs,
which can translate screen information to Braille or computerized speech
formats.

These code changes will include implementation of recommendations by the
World Wide Web Consortium, an international organization that works to
develop universal standards for HTML coding. HTML is the computer language
used to create and design websites. It allows users to move from page to
page within and between websites.

"The blind should have equal rights and effective access in traveling the
Internet's information highway. Disabled Americans should not have to
reinvent or reassert such basic rights in the new Information Age, just
because the means of access now is a computer rather than stairs or
sidewalks," said Blumenthal. "Filing tax returns electronically is one
example -- but only one -- of essential access that should be guaranteed.
Rights must be protected -- kept real, not virtual -- even in this age of
new technology."

"Blind people can and do make extensive use of computer programs and the
Internet, so naturally we are thrilled these companies have decided to work
with us to ensure that their sites are accessible to the blind," said
National Federation of the Blind President Marc Maurer. "The world of
technology is constantly growing and changing, however, so this is a first
step in a longer journey."

Each company's web site was recently listed on the Internal Revenue
Service's official web site as an on-line partner for the purpose of
electronically filing federal income tax returns. Each site, however,
proved inaccessible to the blind upon testing by the Attorney General and
the National Federation of the Blind. The Attorney General and the NFB
alerted the four companies that their web sites were in violation of Title
III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires public
accommodations to take reasonable steps to ensure accessibility to
individuals with disabilities. The four companies have issued written
assurances that they will work with the Attorney General and the NFB to
make their web sites accessible to the blind in time for the 2000 tax season.


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