CAPTCHAs on Social Networking Sites Shut Out Blind Users
YouTube - CAPTCHA
The American Federation of the Blind is urging MySpace, Friendster and Facebook to offer an audio alternative to their CAPTCHAs.
CAPTCHAS -- text alternative
You are listening to what it sounds like for a blind person to register for MySpace.
January, February, March, February, January, Month, Forms Mode Off
That was the voice of a screen reader. Screen reading software gives people with vision loss access to the text and images on a computer screen.
This is a CAPTCHA. 'q5c?f'
CAPTCHAs keep spam programs out of systems.
But they also keep out people with vision loss because screen readers can't read them.
Right now, the social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster use CAPTCHAs in their registration.
This is what it sounds like when a screen reader comes across a CAPTCHA on MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster.
Myspace - Please enter the text from the image above; colon, edit.
Facebook - Security checked textbox colon, edit.
Friendster - Edit after the characters from above.
What image? What characters? What text? Screen readers can't read the text in CAPTCHAs.
But there are alternatives. You can offer audio that sounds like this. (Example from http://www.blogger.com/)
Come on Tom, Mark, and Jonathan. Offer an audio alternative to the CAPTCHA.
After all, you're supposed to be our friends.
For more information on how to make your web site accessible to people with vision loss, visit http://www.afb.org/
| Comments |
|
