Everyday, more and more businesses are selling their products and services on cyberspace. Some don't even have store fronts,
as they wish to reach a vast pool of clientele. So, what happens when a website is not accessible? The answer is simple. We,
as blind people, are left out. We don't have the luxury of sitting in front of our computers to take advantage of all of the
conveniences that the rest of the world does. We don't have the advantages of sitting in our PJ's and shopping and saving
on the next best thing. We are forced to take the old fashioned route, which is not entirely convenient since we don't drive.
Not to mention, we have to pay retail prices in our local shops, and they are ever increasing since gas is on the rise.
Then, what happens to the blind person who wishes to run their own business online and take advantage of the awesome E-Commerce
solutions but cannot as they find them to be unaccessible or almost impossible to use? They are once again inconvenienced,
as they are left at the mercy of depending on someone else, which, like in my case, could drastically contribute to the significant
loss of profits due to the stalling of production. This is a fast paced world we live in, people, and we do not have time
to wait on others to take care of us and our businesses. We have the right to be independent business owners just as those
who can see.
What about those who wish to use social networking sites to promote themselves, such as My Space but cannot because features
are nonaccessible? We can't until something is done or unless we find someone who feels sorry for us and will help us out
of sympathy. We don't want that. We want to do things on our own time, whether we have a sudden idea at three in the morning
and want to act on it, or want to do it in the middle of the day when we have a few free moments.
Whatever the reason for signing our petitions today, just know that every signature counts and every signature matters.
Without everyone's participation, this would not be possible.
The links to all of our petitions are below. More and more are always being added, so stay tuned and check back often.
