We've done our part; I just sent the following:
-----
Attention Mark/Office of the President
Greetings!
My name is Aaron Smith, and I work for GW Micro, Inc (www.gwmicro.com),
makers of Window-Eyes: a screen reading application for the blind and
visually impaired. We would like to volunteer our resources to assist
you in making your applications (Quicken, QuickBooks, TurboTax) more
accessible for people with vision impairments. Currently, blind
individuals have little access to financial software due to
accessibility issues. We would like to see that change for our potential
mutual customers.
I look forward to hearing from you.
-----
I would encourage all of you to do the same. They won't do anything if
10 people write them. They will if 100 do.
Aaron
On 7/30/2010 11:05 AM, Solomon Mekonnen wrote:
Attention all,
Several weeks ago I posted a message on this listserv regarding
TurboTax's inaccessibility for blind and visually impaired users who
wish to do their own taxes independently. I received only one
response from Bernie Perella who shared a valuable information on his
own experience with the continued inaccessibility of the TurboTax
software. According to his e-mail TurboTax became progressively
inaccessible starting with the 1997 version. The 1996 version of the
TurboTax software was the most accessible to date. He also indicated
that some users feel that the online version is somewhat more
accessible than the version produced on disc but not practical enough.
I shared Bernie's information with Intuit and requested that the
office of the president of Intuit invest a serious and meaningful
effort to make TurboTax accessible as early as next year. They
informed me that they would like to see the level of interest or the
size of the service target to warrant a focused effort. Ergo, the
reason for this e-mail.
I am asking each and every blind or visually impaired person who would
like to do his or her own taxes for the cost of the software to send
feedback to Intuit at the following e-mail: "[email protected]"
attention Mark or the Office of the president. Or, you may also
access the feedback link on the intuit website, "www.intuit.com.
Please make your e-mail informative and friendly. The purpose is to
make Intuit see the legitimacy of our request. There is much greater
strength and persuasive power in amiable communication than an
emotionally charged outburst of potent expression.
I would also like to solicit the help of GWMicro's Executive Office to
communicate with Intuit on a corporate level regarding the same
issue. You may also communicate with other blind and visually
impaired individuals who do not receive messages from this listserv.
I think it might be helpful to contact advocacy agencies or such
organizations as NCB or NFB to influence Intuit's efforts on the same
issue.
I am just trying to involve every one interested to show Intuit that
the request is worthwhile. Please join me if you feel Paying H&R
Block exhorbitant fees should not be the only option we have
especially at the time when technology has made incredible advances in
software accessibility facilities. Last year I had to pay H&R Bloc
$175.00 besides the check I wrote to Uncle Sam. I could have put
those same funds to some other use if I had the ability to do my own
taxes.
I thoroughly understand that there are free services available for
filing taxes. I also realize that some of us have spouses, children,
or friends who might lend us a hand in filing our taxes. But won't
you be interested in engaging your good offices in the effort to
convince industry to take our needs seriously? If Intuit responds to
our request in one area, it should not be difficult to see what it
might be able to do for us in the remaining software packages such as
QuickBooks and webstore merchendising services. The idea is, let us
come together and form a critical mass that cannot be ignored.
Best regards
Solomon.
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--
Aaron Smith
Product Support Specialist * Web Development
GW Micro, Inc. * 725 Airport North Office Park, Fort Wayne, IN 46825
260-489-3671 * gwmicro.com
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