Yeah, it's what I hate about some websites the most, where to find someone
to help when you get those graphic word verification things, and there's no
alternative. I would think finding readers is difficult, and the hipaa thing
doesn't apply, so they can blab my health info to their friends and the
like.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Darrell Shandrow" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 10:48 PM
Subject: Re: New Handi-Ham Paperwork


> Hi Tom,
>
> Just one important point.  The sighted don't need any special treatment.
> They're sighted.  They don't need reasonable accomodations because they're
> the norm and everything is already accessible to them.  They don't need
> accessibility because, again, it is already inaccessible for them.  I'm
> blind; not sighted.  In order to be certainly able to participate, I need
> the same material in an accessible format.  Period.  Readers are fine, but
I
> think we're in a different age than in the not-too-distant past.  It is
> harder to find readers now.  It is hard enough to find people who are
really
> sufficiently educated to read, let alone find people who really want to do
> it even for a reasonable amount of money.
>
> I'm definitely going to be contraversial when I say this, but, you know
> what?  I'm blind.  I'm not, in fact, equal to my sighted peers in all
> respects.  I'm somewhat equal, but not completely so.  In the areas where
> the inequalities are due to lack of accessibility or to some other
> artificially imposed barrier to our participation, then it isn't too much
to
> ask for enough reasonable special treatment to get around the barrier.
> Times are changing; I think we need to insist on our accessibility now
> before it becomes too late.  More and more sighted people are writing us
off
> every single day, this stuff could ultimately come down to our very
> survival!
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 7:53 PM
> Subject: Re: New Handi-Ham Paperwork
>
>
> > I agree that we should be able to access the same materials as sighted
> folks but
> > that is a completely different kettle of fish from the Handi-Ham
> paperwork.  Our
> > state libraries require documentation to become users and I don't see
> people
> > crying about that.  The issues we're dealing with in getting access to
> materials
> > have to do with copyright laws and as they are now the only ones who can
> legally
> > get around copyright restrictions are those organizations producing them
> in
> > special formats.  The state library system does have a few very outdated
> books
> > and I believe that RFB has a few but then again you have to provide
> information
> > to them.  The same is true of Vacaville or any of the other special
groups
> out
> > there.  Since you can now get online and get the questions and a great
> deal of
> > study material I don't really understand what the problem is especially
> since,
> > as has been incorrectly claimed, Handi-Hams is not "the only game in
town"
> and
> > there is accessible material out there.  If nothing else, get a friend
to
> read
> > it.  Some of us actually did undergraduate and graduate degrees with no
> > computers or access other than readers.  As to the federal government
> providing
> > the blind with access because the test is federally controlled or
> whatever, they
> > don't provide it to sighted folks so why should we get special
treatment?
> > Question pools are available out there an that's what are provided to
> sighted
> > folks.  The rest is icing on the cake.  The Extra is more difficult than
> the
> > other exams but as tests go its not bad.  I've had far more difficult in
> college
> > freshman level math courses.
> >
> > Tom
> >
> >
> > Tom Brennan  KD5VIJ, CCC-A/SLP
> > web page http://titan.sfasu.edu/~g_brennantg/sonicpage.html
>