Visually Impaired Computer Society
Sub-committee Report
To the Vics Committee
Approved at the Annual General Meeting on 18 May 2002.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The members of the VICS sub-committee: Philip Doyle, Mike Meaney, Paul Traynor, Noreen Meagher, Brian Manning and Sabrina McKiernan would like to thank the members of VICS who responded to the sub-committee's consultation document. Their numerous observations and suggestions helped greatly in the construction of this report.
We used the British Computer Association for the Blind (BCAB) brochure as a guide and reference. With its straightforward layout, it was easy to read and helped us greatly with our deliberations.
INTRODUCTION
As you are aware, A motion was passed at the VICS Annual General Meeting in May last to establish a sub-Committee to examine how VICS functions at present and to draw up a report making recommendations as to what strategies and procedures might be put in place for it's improvement.
The sub-committee''s first step was to circulate a consultation document to all VICS members. It was sent out Via the VICS mailing list and on audiocassette for those who are not on the VICS list. The replys to the consultation document were relatively few in number, but very comprehensive, so we decided to include a summary of their contents in the report.
In the first section of the report, we have used the introductory paragraphs from the consultation document as background to the recommendations by the Sub-committee. This is followed by a summary of what the members think about VICS and their suggestions on how it might be improved. We then conclude with some general statements about VICS.
SUB-COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Aims and objectives:
VICS was established in 1986 by a number of visually impaired Computer
Programmers to promote the following aims and objectives:
- to meet the needs of visually impaired computer users in the area of general computer access;
- to provide support to those who are new to computers;
- to encourage employers to hire visually impaired employees enabled by new technology;
- to pursue developers of new software to ensure that it is accessible;
- to act in an advisory capacity to bodies seeking to provide ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC DATA.
The pursuit of accessible hardware should be included as part of the fourth objective.
2. Constitution and government:
VICS has no written constitution and operates very informally. It is governed by a mostly Dublin-based committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. Committee meetings are held in a quiet part of the foyer of the Royal Dublin Hotel. Minutes are not taken but decisions are noted. VICS is a special interest group of the Irish Computer Society.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
VICS should have a written constitution to help regulate its affairs. This should be easy to understand and should not be too legalistic. A munster branch should be set up as a pilot project for decentralising VICS. This should have the task of organising events such as open days and should be answerable to the main Committee. A Sub-Committee should be put in place to deal specifically with lobbying on accessibility issues. The make-up should be flexible and should allow for the temporary co-option of members who have a specific skill or area of interest. VICS should hold some of its Committee meetings on Saturdays so as to facilitate members from outside Dublin. VICS and the National Council for the Blind should meet on a regular basis to discuss matters of mutual interest.
3. Membership and subscriptions:
At present VICS has around 100 ordinary members and The annual subscription is €7.00.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
A reduced subscription should be available for students, the unemployed and for retired persons. Honorary membership should be introduced for people who have contributed to VICS in some significant way.
4. Training and jobs:
In the past number of years, VICS has run a variety of training courses for its members, in collaboration with the Vocational Education Committee in Colaiste Oide in Finglas, Dublin.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Courses such as those run in Colaiste Oide in Finglas, should be encouraged since they provide training to categories who are sometimes neglected, such as: beginners, older people and those outside the work situation. VICS should continue to pressurise FAS to improve access to its courses For visually impaired students.
5. VICS Open days:
Open days are held on a regular basis and at venues throughout the country. They include demonstrations of specialised equipment and software. In addition to members, open days have been attended by employers, teachers, parents and members of the public, Open days also include "Question & Answer" sessions where attendees can express their views and ideas.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
We recognise the great benefits of holding open days and recommend that VICS expand this practice by having seminars on specific topics such as the internet.
6. VICS mailing list:
The VICS Email group allows members to exchange relevant information with their fellow members using just ONE email address. The list has around 80 subscribers and has been growing rapidly since it was made available to members a year ago. The main complaint about the list is that beginners feel intimidated from asking questions which might be thought too basic by more advanced computer users.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The mailing list should not be divided up as the numbers are too small at present. It should remain limited to VICS members, but this restriction should not be applied to sighted individuals who are working with the visually impaired, or to persons living overseas.
7. Infovics:
This is a more-or-less quarterly tape magazine comprising articles of interest to computer users with a visual disability. In recent times there have been some complaints about the quality of recording on the tape.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Infovics Editor should have a seat on the VICS Committee, so as to allow for better communication between Editor and Committee. The editor could collect valuable notes and present a section on Infovics of what Projects vics are involved in, "who the expert teams" are and what they do.
8. VICS expert group:
This little-known VICS group has the task of reviewing early or "Beta" versions of new software (usually Microsoft) for accessibility by visually impaired users. Although the expert group comprising 10 members was launched a few years ago, its composition has remained unchanged.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
This group should be encouraged to communicate more with each other and with a central co-ordinator who should report to the VICS Committee and membership on a regular basis. Establishing a small mailing list, similar to the VICS list, would assist the group with communication.
9. VICS Web site:
The VICS web site has been revamped of late and members are invited to review it at: http://www.iol.ie/~VICS/
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The VICS web site should be updated regularly and should be maintained by two webmasters. One of these should have a seat on the VICS Committee so as to allow for better communication, as with Infovics. A permanent domain name should be considered sometime in the future.
10. Web site testing:
From time to time VICS receives requests from commercial and other bodies to test web sites for their suitability for visually impaired users.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Recently a company has undertaken to pay members for testing web sites, however, we recommend that members continue to test non-commercial sites without payment.
RESPONSE FROM MEMBERS
1. Aims and objectives:
the aims and objectives of the organisation were felt to be clearly defined. However, it was felt that as well as campaigning for accessible software, we should campaign for accessible hardware. It was also felt that VICS does not campaign vigorously enough on issues such as: mobile phones, bank link machines, electronic voting, ECDL. VICS does not push its objectives and aims hard enough. We should try to raise the profile of this organisation both in the media and with the various industries we are hoping to advise/cajole/bully into providing accessible products for the blind. In terms of the employment of blind and visually impaired people, there was uncertainty expressed around how active VICS is in this area,as it still remains a fundamental issue for blind and visually impaired people, to prove to employers, that they can do the same job as there sighted counterparts, if given the necessary resources. It was felt that the work of VICS is sometimes not given enough credit by our national bodies who are being grant aided by the Government and who are responsible for providing such a service to the Blind and visually impaired community. Not high-profile Enough, so that when decisions are being made on various boards and Committees, many problems are pushed under the carpet, while shortcuts are taken in the service to minimize any extra workload entailed in getting blind people up and running in training centers, Colleges and Universities. VICS should have a say in the shaping of future projects which are being organized throughout the country.
2. Constitution and government:
Regional branches are essential in order to bring about greater awareness of the organisation and its aims. we should have branches in major cities such as Cork, Limerick and Galway. The question was asked How may VICS members benefit from its association with the Irish Computer Society? Does this society have a Web presence? It was mentioned, perhaps VICS could consider the possibility of having a 'party line, whereby one person using a telephone could call up to six people in a "conference call", say, of a Saturday morning and availing of weekend local rates, when people would be at home, not having to travel?
3. membership and subscriptions:
The point was made that greater exposure to VICS in the media generates increased membership. audio scope, outside the box and other programmes could also let people know about VICS. The suggestion was made for the school goers, College students etc, that perhaps leaving VICS tapes in the classrooms or accessibility departments might somehow help advance the promotion of VICS. It was agreed by all participants that there should be a special membership fee organised for students in both second and third level institutions. A suggestion was made that Maybe VICS could work more closely with bodies such as ahead, who promote access to second and third level education. a stand at a schools exhibition, was another idea, if such are held still, for blind and visually impaired school going students, their teachers, educators in general, and parents, could be another way of recruiting younger people.
4. training and jobs:
It was felt that VICS should be more of a pressure group or expert group through which we can lobby and advise industry and government agencies. providing open days where new technology is demonstrated is of course still a good idea. It was said by one person that training is something we should not concentrate on.
5. open days:
The feedback from this was that These are a particularly good idea. They are a social occasion, and a great way to exchange ideas and opinions in an informal and social setting. The point was made that they also give the committee a better feeling as to what the grass roots are concerned about. The idea was raised that maybe it would be a good idea, when holding open days, to invite employers to come along and see what is on offer.
6. VICS mailing list:
All who answered the consultation document felt that At this point there should not be separate emailing lists. One reason is that you would be fragmenting the quality by having another list. Where questions by beginners could be answered by many of the more advanced users, you would be leaving them on their own and this would not help anyone. Another person said that they had learned a lot of useful tips and tricks from other more experienced users, and it also encourages healthy discussion. Also, it was said that a single mailing list is probably best, given the size of the organisation. We just have to try to make new members feel as welcome as possible. There was a strong wish that non-members should be able to join the VICS mailing list including people from governement departments and industry who might like to join, in order to monitor the concerns of the members. Also, it was felt that this was a way that they could put their own questions to users on accessibility-related issues, so that a mutually beneficial and learning experience could be engendered. External parties would learn more about employment issues and the problems blind and visually impaired people experience in making their cases count. It would also help the novice users to feel less overwhelmed by the nature of the dialogue carried on. Personnel from say, Fas, and NCBI, to mention two examples, could be invited to subscribe/take part in the lists discussions. They could be offered commercial or associate membership status, a sort of sponsorship of VICS. Arising from the entry of other parties, new possibilities of special-interest mailing lists could be opened up.
7. Infovics:
the tape magazine does serve a purpose, since it distributes articles and information that we might not otherwise hear. the improvement in the quality of recording (particularly by correspondence) was mentioned. Other comments were that the Infovics magazine is a medium for equipment reviews. It is a questions and answers forum for those not on email. The work should not be left to a small few people. All members should contribute, as everyone has knowledge in some area.
8. expert group:
Group never heard of. Don't know who's on it. It is felt that it is a serious shortcoming of the organisation.
If the group does carry out work, then it should report to the entire membership via the mailing list and/or Infovics. Its membership should constantly be under review, since new members possessing particular skills could join and enhance the composition of the group.
What follows is an excerpt from one participant: In regards to software testing.
Another area that needs looking at is how effectively we test the software we get from Microsoft and others. Certainly we should continue to test such products otherwise how else will we get change, It is vital! You only have to look at the poor quality of the ecdl or eircom phone directory cd's, it is ridiculous that these products are allowed to be sent out. If we take it a step further, access is only as good as the tools we use to work with the software we are expected to use in the workplace or home environment. VICS have done much I know in this area reviewing and often dissecting the many different operating systems such as windows 9x platforms and now the more current operating systems like windows 2k and hopefully windows xp and office xp. These tests have been invaluable as I know in my own job I found the experience of having worked with them has given me the edge to identify and solve more and more of the problems new and existing blind computer users encounter every day. I think we should continue this work as software is constantly changing. However, more of a problem for us is the software that we have no prior knowledge of such as "in-house" packages. Terminal emulation programs and accounts packages all tend to becoming more and more customized for a particular area or designed to meet the customers needs. Unfortunately, when our screen readers are faced with a lot of this software it leaves us vulnerable to problems of one sort or another. Perhaps it would be a good idea to somehow find out what good software design is and those programmers among us who understand this better than I could advise or promote the need for good software design.
9. VICS web site:
The following comments came back regarding this issue:
The web site is definitely necessary, since if we want to promote the organisation and its goals, we must be accessible to everybody. The best way to do this these days is through the Internet. The website can also be used to gather together links to resources for the blind throughout cyber space. Maybe, a few members of VICS could have the task of up-dating the website on a regular basis.
10. website testing:
One person felt that payment is not desirable, unless a lot of time is required. The opinion was stated that The aim of testing a website is to give an unbiased critical review of the site with regards its accessibility to blind people. This cannot be done if a person is being paid. The rest of the respondants were in favour of paying the web site tester. One said the following: Perhaps, rather than merely 'testing' a commercial organisation's Web site, a VICS member might more usefully be placed on the site design team, and then certainly get paid for the work! If organisations are prepared to pay to have their sites tested, let them pay. The tester will be making a good-faith effort to evaluate the site, or be held responsible if the results of such evaluation are found to be unsatisfactory by either VICS or the payer. Other comments were along the lines of how time consuming testing web sites is, therefore payment is necessary. All participants felt that VICS should continue to test websites.
CONCLUSION
The members of the Sub-Committee feel that VICS is in good shape generally at present. However, the organisation has still to fully come to terms with the large scale spread of technology taking place among the visually impaired and recognise that this trend is going to continue into the future. Already this is bringing an increase in membership and a greater diversity of interests. The days when VICS was dominated by the computer programmer are long gone!
The main problems are that, while the membership has spread throughout the country, the Committee remains largely Dublin based. Also, not nearly enough members are involved at an administrative level, leaving a small group overworked. The sub-Committee's recommendations are mainly intended to address these issues. Our recommendations are very straightforward and if fully and speedily implemented, will make VICS a more modern and inclusive organisation. VICS is hear to listen to what people want from their technology and more importantly to be there to help them to get the best use out of it.