The way I heard it, they are suingg Texas which would be proper in
the event there is a legitimate reason to sue and if the equal access
law is actually a proper law. Without going into that, Suing oracle
if this is what is happening is not appropriate. It would be like
suing Microsoft because the state gave you a computer with windows on
it and you wanted linux. So, are their two suits?
On Feb 9, 2007, at 11:41 AM, Peter Altschul wrote:
> Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 19:07:08 -0500
> From: Justice For All Moderator <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Oracle Sued for Failing Blind Users
> Organization: Justice For All E-Mail Network
>
>
> Oracle Sued for Failing Blind Users
> US National Federation of the Blind takes up fight against
> database giant
>
> Robert Jaques
> vnunet.com
> February 5, 2007
>
> Oracle was today accused of failing to produce software that is
> accessible to blind users.
>
> The US National Federation of the Blind and three blind State of
> Texas employees filed a lawsuit against the database giant in a
> bid to enforce the provision of Texas law requiring all IT
> purchased by the state to be accessible to blind employees.
>
> The legal attack came after the State authorities bought Oracle to
> replace another software package that had, in large part, been
> accessible to blind users.
>
> Dr Marc Maurer, president of the US National Federation of the
> Blind, said: "Access to IT is critical to success on the job for
> everyone in the 21st century, and this is no less true for the
> blind than it is for the sighted.
>
> "The National Federation of the Blind is committed to improving
> access to all IT, and we will take all steps necessary to do so,
> including litigation."
>
> Tommy Craig, president of the National Federation of the Blind of
> Texas, added: "The state legislature of Texas recognised the need
> for equal access for the blind by passing a law requiring it, and
> it is unconscionable that a state agency is violating that law.
>
> "The National Federation of the Blind of Texas will not rest until
> all of the employees of the state of Texas have equal access to
> all the information they need to function effectively."
>
> The suit names as defendants the directors of the Health and Human
> Services Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission (the
> agencies for which the blind employees work) and the state's
> acting chief technology officer.
>
> The action arises from the state's continuing renewal of contracts
> to purchase Oracle's human resources software and other products
> "despite the fact that the software cannot be used by blind Texas
> employees".
>
> The plaintiffs have asked a Texas court to require the software to
> be made accessible to the blind and to require that the state
> discontinue its purchases of inaccessible software.
>
> Blind people access computer software by means of screen access
> programs, which convert what is on the screen into synthesised
> speech or allow it to be displayed in Braille.
>
> The Oracle software, which is used by state employees for various
> human resources tasks, does not provide equal access to blind
> persons using screen access technology, according to the suit.
>
> Edwin Kunz, one of the blind plaintiffs who directs a
> rehabilitation centre for the blind within the Health and Human
> Services Commission's Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative
> Services, said: "I am unable to review and enter information such
> as my hours worked and leave taken unless a sighted person helps
> me to do so.
>
> "Even worse, I cannot access critical information about the
> employees that I supervise without the assistance of a sighted
> person.
>
> "Because I must have sighted assistance for all of these personnel
> functions, both my privacy and the privacy of my employees are
> routinely violated. I have complained about the problems with the
> software, but nothing has been done to fix them.
>
> "I hope this lawsuit will spur Oracle to move quickly to correct
> this problem, otherwise the state will have to purchase human
> resources software from someone else."
>
> Source: VNU Business Publications Ltd.
> ________________________________________________________________
>
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