Seeking an accessibility contact on the Family Search development team.

[Frank Welte]

I’ve been trying to use the familysearch.org website. I’m encountering numerous accessibility problems. Even the feedback form has these problems to such an extent that I can’t even submit a complaint through this form.

Do any of you have contact information for someone to whom I can address these problems?

Thanks
Frank Welte

[Greg Kearney]

Ha! Good luck with that!

Sent from my iPhone

Greg Kearney

Commonwealth Braille and Talking Book Cooperative

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-- Visit the LDS.org Disability website at http://www.lds.org/disability

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[Rachel Grider]

Hi, Frank:

I have encountered similar problems with that sight. Have you tried using the Family Search app on your phone? It also has accessibilityissues but is easier for me to use in some ways.

I have submitted a couple forms about some of the accessibilityissues on lds.org to no avail.

I recently brought up some of the overall and accessibility issues and some other things to a friwend and mentor of mine who happens to be an area 70. He told me that I need to talk with my bishop and have him write to Salt Lake. I am going to do this hopefully on Sunday. It may be a good idea for you to bring this up to your bishop as well.

Pleaee let me know what you find out.

Rachel

http//www.rachelgrider.com

[Frank Welte]

Hi Rachel:

Thank you for your suggestions. I will try the family search app, and I’lll also bring this matter up with my bishop.

Best wishes,
Frank Welte

[manwari...@gmail.com]

>
> Honestly, and this is coming from somebody who worked for a few months with the software developers trying to improve accessibility… The people behind the product don't care. It's not the developers, they want to help, but they're basically constrained not by their higher ups… Blame The middle level bureaucracy Who have actively and systematically decided accessibility is not important, and keep any mention of it from getting higher up to a level where it might really be able to change something. I hate to be pessimistic but based on my experience, this is the clear reality.,

[Greg Kearney]

This is my experience as well. Unless we can somehow get the ear of a member of the 12 all the letters from bishops will not amount to anything. I long ago gave up trying to do family history work as the whole department was not only indifferent to the blind and print disabled but were outright hostile to us. 

Sent from my iPhone

Greg Kearney

Commonwealth Braille and Talking Book Cooperative

On Dec 6, 2016, at 7:19 AM, manwari...@gmail.com wrote:

Honestly, and this is coming from somebody who worked for a few months with the software developers trying to improve accessibility… The people behind the product don't care. It's not the developers, they want to help, but they're basically constrained not by their higher ups… Blame The middle level bureaucracy Who have actively and systematically decided accessibility is not important, and keep any mention of it from getting higher up to a level where it might really be able to change something. I hate to be pessimistic but based on my experience, this is the clear reality.,

[manwari...@gmail.com]

I wouldn't say the entire team… Like I said, the actual software engineers, programmers etc. really wanted to help… They just couldn't, because they were micromanaged so much.

Sent from my iPhone

[Rachel Grider]

How would you guys suggest going about this then? This has been an issue for me for a very long time, and I think it is time to do something about it. I do not believe that they don't care but that they just don't understand. We need to educate them in a way which does not conflict with the teachings of Christ.

Do you guys mind if I bring this conversation to the attention of my general authority friend and possibly to my bishop?

http//www.rachelgrider.com

[Karl Smith]

Your bishop is the place to start and if you have a general authority friend go right ahead. I should warn you, however, that years ago on another matter dealing with Braille I approached my friend who happened to be the blind sister of Elder Maxwell to see if she could enlist her brother to escalate the issue up the ladder and his only response was that this wasn’t his area of responsibility and that he would pass it on to whomever was supposed to deal with it. The issue never was resolved. The church organization is very highly segmented and compartmentalized. This is not meant to discourage you as things for sure won’t improve unless we keep at it as best we can.

 

Karl

[Rachel Grider]

I will hopefully talk with my bishop this Sunday. I am also going to text the wife of my general authority friend right now and see if she wants to meet for lunch and discuss it with her there. She can tell me if she thinks it is something I should bring up to her husband.

I have prayed about this a lot lately, and I have spoken with a few blind people over the last year who have either gone in active because of what they thought was the Church's lack of understanding about blindness. I almost went in active myself when I was a much newer member, but my testimony is strong, though it has been difficult sometimes. I want to be able to serve like everyone else.  I am hoping that if enough of us bring up our issues, maybe they will get resolved. We need to do it through the proper channels, though.

http//www.rachelgrider.com

[manwari...@gmail.com]

You're just reinventing the futility wheel,  I'm afraid… But good luck. I'd love to be wrong.

Sent from my iPhone

[Rachel Grider]

You may be right, but let's pray that A difference will be made. It isn't just about the web accessibility; it is the mentality which seems to prevail in the church overall that blind people are not capable of fully serving but are meant to be served. Unfortunately, we are still not seen as a minority group, but maybe now that blind people are becoming more active members of society, we Will begin to see some changes in Church policies and overall excess ability--at least that is what I am telling myself to stay optimistic.

It is important for us to remember that this church is run by imperfect people. I don't believe that they don't care but that they are just not aware of us. I know, however, that Heavenly Father has truly called our Prophet and his Apostles and that everything they do is from love and based on the knowledge that they have about us.

http//www.rachelgrider.com

[Greg Kearney]

The problem doesn't lie with the Prophet and the Apostles the problem lies with the fact that there is no means to effectively communicate with them. Consider the suggestion to have your Bishop write a letter. Just who is he supposed to write to? If he write to the Prophet and the Apostles it going to get sent back to your stake president before the Prophet and the Apostles ever get to see it.

In effect you would have to campaign for your cause all the way up the various levels of leadership anyone of which can kill your request and you are unlikely ever to know about it.

Recently I have done some alternative media production work for the Community of Christ/RLDS. The difference is striking. Now I will admit that they are a much, much smaller and therefor perhaps more reachable organization. However it is also true that they do not have the resources that we do either. For example if I need access to a resource to do my work I have been able to call Independence, ask the operator for the President of the Quorum of the Twelve and be put through, and I'm not even a member of their church. Such a think is unthinkable in our faith which in a way is sort of too bad.

[Rachel Grider]

Who would the bishop right to, then? Do you have any other suggestions which may help? Basically, I was told to start with my bishop, then if nothing got done to go to my stake president and continue up the ladder myself. Do you think this is something that could work? Is there anyone on this list who has been successful in bringing a matter up to church headquarters and seeing results? If so, it would be great to hear your story.
I actually did write a letter to President Monson once. It was just a letter of appreciation which I felt prompted to write. I don't letter back from his secretary which was disappointing because it did not seem very personal, and I wondered whether or not President Monson had actually seen my letter. I thought about doing the same type of thing for this cause, but I know it would not be appropriate and would definitely not get any results. I wish there were a way in which we could make ourselves noticed without being antagonistic.


http//www.rachelgrider.com

[Tyson Stokes]

Hi Frank--

My name is Tyson Stokes and I work with the design and development teams at FamilySearch and can most likely help you to escalate your accessibility problems. Please send me the issues you're finding to evalu...@familysearch.org and I will make sure they are passed on to those that can make those changes. With that said, it may take us some time to get to those changes. 

We most definitely want you, and all the others on this thread, to feel like you are being heard. I'm so sorry to hear that you feel so frustrated and left behind. We are doing our best to provide services to many individuals around the world and that can often result in large lag times to complete the changes. 

Please share my email address with any others you know who would like to report accessibility problems. In fact we are often looking for individuals who are willing to help us test out changes we've made to make sure we haven't broken something else in the process.

Thanks!

Tyson Stokes

Design Research at FamilySearch

[Greg Kearney]

Tyson;

You would do well to understand so of the history here. The Family History Department has long been one of the least cooperative departments in the church when it comes to the disabled of any kind and in particular the blind.

I remember very well the day I took my wife into the library in Salt Lake many years ago. The librarian we encountered was at best rude. Told my wife she would never be able to do any family history work and that she should be satisfied with taking the charity of other to do it for her.

Needless to say she left the library and has never returned to the task.

After one begs and pleads to have thing accessible for years on end and nothing is ever done and indeed the improvements only make matter worse there comes a point where one give up exhausted and moves on to helping the scouts or something.

Greg

[Tyson Stokes]

Hi Greg--

That indeed sounds very frustrating and I'm very sorry you and your wife had such a terrible experience all those years ago. I will pass on your feedback to the director of the Family History Library. Would you be willing to talk more about your experiences so that we, as a department, can work to make improvements? If so, please send me your contact information to evalu...@familysearch.org.

Thank you!

Tyson

[Rachel Grider]

Guys, this is an excellent opportunity for all of us to get our voices heard and to be able to share more fully in the blessings of family history. I hope that many of you will take it vantage of this contact. Personally, I am very excited!

http//www.rachelgrider.com