Tag: accessibility

Column: Bloomington botches accessibility of document about accessibility

In a news release issued on Monday evening,  the city of Bloomington announced that it is inviting feedback on its ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Transition Plan.

ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR DOCUMENTS ON THE CITY WEBSITE All files uploaded to the City website, or otherwise electronically distributed to the public, need to be fully accessible. Accessible includes, but is not limited to,readable by assistive technology, images have captions and/or alternative text descriptions, and the use of high color contrast when placing text over an image. ACCESSIBILITY CHECKLIST Before uploading your file, or distributing it electronically, complete this checklist to ensure the document is accessible. ADD DESCRIPTIVE CAPTIONS OR ALTERNATIVE TEXT FOR ANY IMAGE(S) IN THE DOCUMENT. In Word 2013: Add alt text Right click on image and select "Format Picture." Select the "Layout & Properties" icon and choose "Alt Text." Enter appropriate alt text only in the Description field (not the Title field). Add caption: Right click on image and select "Insert caption." Enter caption. In Google Docs: » Add alt text: Right click on image and select "Alt Text." Enter a title and description for the image. Click "Ok" USE AN ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER TOOL In Word 2013: Open file Click on "File" in the upper left-hand corner. On the Info page, click on the down arrow next to "Check for Issues" Select "Check Accessibility" Correct any issues found in "Inspection Results" In Adobe Acrobat Pro (paid version): Open file Click on "Tools" On the Tools page, locate and click on the Accessibility tool under"Protect & Standardize" Click on "Accessibility Check" on the right side of the screen. Click "Start Checking" on next screen. Correct any issues listed in the report.
This image, with no digital text included, is part of the city of Bloomington’s draft ADA Transition Plan.

But the city does not seem to be interested in feedback on the document from anyone except those who can see perfectly well.

The ADA is all about making the world accessible to everyone. Many accessibility efforts are familiar, like installation of sidewalk curb ramps at intersections or designation of parking spaces near building entrances.

But making the world accessible is supposed to include making electronic documents readable for those whose vision is not good enough to see the words.

That’s done by ensuring that any of the word images in a document have a digital counterpart that can be read by text-to-voice screen reading software.

One approach to making documents accessible is to use some kind of OCR (optical character recognition) software to add digital text to word images. Continue reading “Column: Bloomington botches accessibility of document about accessibility” →

Column: Blurry images instead of digital text should not be good enough for Bloomington government

Image of contract included in RDC meeting packet.
Result of an OCR attempt of RDC meeting packet scope of work.

The government of every city in America tries to talk a good game about transparency and accessibility.

Bloomington, Indiana is no different.

But Bloomington fails at basic accessibility just as often as many other cities with way fewer resources.

Today’s example comes from the information packet that has been posted to support the Bloomington redevelopment commission’s Monday (March 7, 2022) meeting. Continue reading “Column: Blurry images instead of digital text should not be good enough for Bloomington government” →

2022 election plans: Polling sites OK’d as Monroe County preps 302 S. Walnut building for early voting

Preparations continue for the May 3 primary elections in Monroe County.

Twenty-nine polling sites were approved by Monroe County’s board of commissioners at their regular Wednesday morning meeting.

The approved sites are mostly the same locations that have been used in the past. Among the sites that are not on the list this year is Genesis Church. A new polling site this year is Bloomington High School North.

Information about which precincts vote at which polling sites will be forthcoming, deputy county clerk Tressia Martin told commissioners.

Also approved by commissioners on Wednesday were several items related to the creation of an early in-person voting site in downtown Bloomington.

The currently vacant former NAPA building at the corner of Walnut and 3rd streets (302 S. Walnut) is being converted for use as an early in-person voting location.

The work on 302 S. Walnut  ranges from wiring and alarm systems to reflective film for the windows to eliminate the glare from the sun.

The work needs to be done ahead of the start of early in-person voting, which is April 5. Continue reading “2022 election plans: Polling sites OK’d as Monroe County preps 302 S. Walnut building for early voting” →

Column: “Not enough Randy Pauls on this earth.”

On Tuesday morning, Randy Paul’s family relayed the news of his passing.

B Square photo of Randy Paul at a late 2019 organizational meeting of the Green Party.

In the last two and a half years, Paul has been covered by The B Square in connection with at least two significant issues. One was his effort to reorganize the local Green Party. The other was his fight to ensure that polling sites for the 2020 elections were accessible.

The start of the Green Party reorganization came during pre-pandemic days. I remember meeting Paul for breakfast at the Village Deli to talk about it.

He managed to pay the check for our table before I noticed it was done. I did not want to be on the wrong side of the ledger with Paul, and he agreed he’d let me pay for breakfast next time. The pandemic prevented any next time.

So now I will have to find another way to make good on that debt—which was a plate of biscuits and gravy.

Of course, our debt as a community to Randy Paul is bigger than a breakfast. Continue reading “Column: “Not enough Randy Pauls on this earth.”” →

Trees, warning surface among final details of Bloomington’s 7-Line bicycle lane

Red oak sapling in the median of the 7-Line near Morton Street.
Detectable warning surface installed at the interface between the B-Line and the 7-Line.

At Tuesday’s meeting of Bloomington’s board of public works, three change orders were approved for the 7-Line project.

The increases in the approved expenditures, which totaled around $30,000, signaled that the final touches are being put on the $2.6 million protected bicycle lane for 7th Street.

The work has included the installation of replacements for two of three accessible on-street parking spaces, which were eliminated due to the construction of the project.

The 7-Line runs about three-quarters of a mile along 7th Street, from the B-Line Trail to the Indiana University campus. An official opening ceremony was held last week.

Continue reading “Trees, warning surface among final details of Bloomington’s 7-Line bicycle lane” →

$1.8 million OK’d for Lower Cascade paths, with road closure decision on horizon

The orange sections pictured are paved multi-use path/sidewalk and/or boardwalk (an accessible boardwalk goes off the top of the image to the waterfall.
The orange sections pictured are paved multi-use path/sidewalk and/or boardwalk (an accessible boardwalk goes off the top of the image to the waterfall.
Locator map for proposed road closure.
Locator map for proposed road closure.
Section of road proposed for closure. It stopped short of the underpass, and did not extend to College Avenue.
Section of road proposed for closure. It stopped short of the underpass, and did not extend to College Avenue.

At its regular Monday meeting, Bloomington’s redevelopment commission approved a $1.8-million contract with Scenic Construction Services, Inc. for work in Lower Cascades Park on the city’s north side.

The project calls for construction of a quarter mile of paved trail from the Sycamore Shelter on the north end of the park to the waterfall parking lot, a new ADA-accessible boardwalk up to the waterfall, and stabilization of 430 feet of streambank.

The work is expected to start in early July, according to Bloomington parks operations director Tim Street. Street filled the position when Dave Williams retired.

Street told The Square Beacon that the hoped-for timing is after the Fourth of July weekend.

The project is being funded from a mix of tax increment finance (TIF) revenue, “bicentennial” bonds,  and 2016 parks general obligation bonds, according to the RDC resolution approved on Monday.

The current pilot closure of the road through Lower Cascades Park is related geographically to the trail construction and streambank stabilization. On June 22, the three-member board of public works is expected to take a vote on a permanent road closure.

According to the city, the conversion of the road to a route just for bicycles and pedestrians is intended to: “expand and integrate with Bloomington’s network of walking and biking trails; provide a safe, accessible destination for recreation and exercise; and to offer bicycle commuters additional options for safer routes.”

Accessibility issues related to the possible road closure also got some discussion from RDC members on Monday.

The road closure affects the distance someone would have to cover without a motor vehicle to reach the Waterfall Shelter from the nearest parking spot. Continue reading “$1.8 million OK’d for Lower Cascade paths, with road closure decision on horizon” →

Opinion: Preserving live closed captions for post-pandemic times should get focus now

Screenshot of Dec. 30, 2020 video conferenced press event on COVID-19 response.
Screenshot of Dec. 30, 2020 video conferenced press event on COVID-19 response.
Screen shot of Dec. 21, 2020 Bloomington redevelopment commission Zoom video conference meeting.
Screen shot of Dec. 21, 2020 Bloomington redevelopment commission Zoom video conference meeting.

Monday of Christmas week was the last meeting of 2020 for Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC).

It was a landmark event for a city of Bloomington government meeting.

It was not special because the meeting was held using Zoom’s video-conferencing platform. Video-conferenced public meetings have been standard since the spring. That’s when Indiana governor Eric Holcomb’s emergency health order made remote participation legal for government officials.

What made the RDC meeting special was the automatic closed captioning and live transcription function for the Zoom video-conferencing software, which had been activated for the first time.

The following week, the regular press conference of local leaders about COVID-19 pandemic response also featured Zoom’s automatic closed captioning and transcription.

The improved accessibility of meetings to the Deaf, or people who are hearing impaired, is an obvious benefit.

It’s a benefit for everyone. Continue reading “Opinion: Preserving live closed captions for post-pandemic times should get focus now” →

Monroe County election board settles on 28 polling sites for Nov. 3 election

At its meeting last Tuesday, Monroe County’s election board settled on polling sites for the Nov. 3 general election. The county’s 82 precincts will be assigned to 28 different locations.

Purple dots denote polling locations in Monroe County for the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. Image links to a less arty, more practical dynamic map. For official information about where you are supposed to vote, consult IndianaVoters.com or Monroe County’s Election Central website.

Several of the locations combine precincts. Voters can find their voting location using online tools at IndianaVoters.com or by checking Monroe County’s Election Central website list.

Those tools require knowing your precinct. One way to match your address to the correct precinct is to use Monroe County’s interactive precinct map.

By last Tuesday’s board meeting, just one polling site had been hanging in the balance from a few previous meetings, as the board worked through the selection process. That was Genesis Church on the SR 45/46 bypass on the north side of Bloomington.

Genesis won’t be used for this fall’s election. Precincts that have been assigned to Genesis Church in the past will instead vote at Unitarian Universalist Church on Fee Lane.

On Tuesday, the board heard about another, unexpected change from the tentative list that the board had settled on at previous meetings. Emmanuel Baptist on That Road had dropped out of the mix. Replacing Emmanuel Baptist will be Southside Christian Church, which was used for the June 2 primary.

Southside Christian is on the east side of I-69, the same side as Emmanuel Baptist. That helped persuade board members that there are no extra psychological barriers associated with Southside Christian. Continue reading “Monroe County election board settles on 28 polling sites for Nov. 3 election” →

Accessible polling sites in a pandemic: Monroe County election board grapples with decisions

Monroe County election board chair Hal Turner holds a knob turner that he 3D-printed in connection with the election board’s effort to improve accessibility of polling sites.
Genesis Church concrete apron. Where the concrete apron meets the wall in the left of the frame gives a good idea of the steepness of the slope that has the Monroe County election board concerned about accessibility of the site as a polling location.

By next Tuesday, Monroe County’s three-member election board needs to decide the final locations of polling sites for the Nov. 3 general election.

One of the sites has a steep concrete slope leading to an entrance.  Board members are trying to figure out how to make it accessible for people who use wheelchairs to get around.

Another key consideration for poll site selection is the amount of space available for creating adequate distance between voters, to reduce chances of spreading the COVID-19 virus.

At the last couple Tuesday afternoon election board meetings, which are planned weekly until further notice, board members have discussed site selection issues.

They also reviewed the precautions that being taken to protect voters and poll workers from spread of COVID-19 at the polls. That’s a consideration for some people who might be considering taking a turn as a poll worker this year. Continue reading “Accessible polling sites in a pandemic: Monroe County election board grapples with decisions” →