Being unable to navigate the sometimes confusing world of technology is frustrating, but to be shut out from fully accessing it is what many in the disabled community face.
Something which may seem like it should be simple, like paying your taxes online, becomes challenging to persons with disabilities, and that’s what Chris Westbrook wanted legislators to know when he testified on Capitol Hill recently.
Westbrook, of Williamsport, was invited by Sen. Bob Casey to testify before the Senate Special Committee on Aging last week.
Westbrook described himself as a “blind Pennsylvanian serving as the secretary for the board of directors of the Roads to Freedom Center for Independent Living of North Central PA.”
He also works in the field of web accessibility as an accessibility engineer for Allyant.
“I deal with accessibility issues on a daily basis, both personally and professionally,” he told the committee.
For Westbrook, it was an honor to appear before the Senate committee in support of the need for full accessibility.
“It was just surreal, to know that I’m testifying in front of the committee. It was something that I never thought I would get to do,” Westbrook said.
In preparing for his speech, Westbrook said that Casey’s staff was very helpful when it came to writing his testimony.
He told the committee about his experience trying to pay his county taxes but not being able to complete the task without the aid of a sighted person.
“Being forced to use sighted assistance means that I have to reveal private and sensitive information to someone else, something a sighted person would never have to do,” he said.
“There are many activities, such as shopping, transportation and tickets purchasing when technology accessibility is important,” he said.
“People with disabilities need to be able to perform the same tasks as our nondisabled peers when it comes to work, recreation and community living,” he said.
The committee, which is chaired by Casey, is focused on ensuring accessible government technology for people with disabilities, older adults and veterans.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed us again the importance of using websites and apps as a way to access government programs, services and information,” Casey said in his opening statement.
Casey was also one of the sponsors of a bill, the Federal Agency Accessibility Compliance Act, which would require agency and department heads to personally certify that their organizations’ technology is accessible and to post plans and timelines it is not.
“These bills are common sense legislation designed to ensure federal government services, programs and communications are accessible to all Americans,” Casey stated.
For this to happen, Westbrook said that he feels that accessibility needs to “become just another part of doing business.”
“Accessibility must be considered from the design phase, all the way through the process of implementing and maintaining a website. This is how we make government technology and all technology accessible,” he said in his testimony.
The bill cosponsored by Casey would provide government oversight of the process, which Westbrook said is important.
“Local, state and federal governments need regulations to ensure accessibility and that keep up with the changing pace of technology,” he said.
“We also need to ensure that disabled people are involved in the development of those regulations, the monitoring and oversight, the purchasing of software and other technology…and we need to make sure those regulations are enforced,” he said.
Speaking after his visit to Capitol Hill, Westbrook said that he wants people to know the frustrations disabled people feel when they can’t access the technology for the services they want and need.
“I just want people to know that we can do the same things that anybody else can do, but when we’re hindered by a lack of accessibility it leads to a lot of frustration because then we can’t do the things we need to do,” Westbrook said.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, asked Westbrook how legislators can “become more empathetic, more responsive and more effective” to people dealing with issues of accessibility.
“I think it just takes political will and the will to become accessible. It takes making it a priority and just deciding it is going to be a priority,” Westbrook replied.
Fetterman had become emotional when relating his own experiences of being ridiculed for the difficulties he’s had since suffering a stroke.
“Because I live in a political environment, I was ridiculed and made fun of because I wasn’t able to process things sometimes or say anything. So I’m so sorry that I’m sure many of you had to go through this kind of thing,” Fetterman said.
