Leaving a Message with the FCC
Blind customers file complaints against cell phone
industry, citing poor access

by Adrianna Montague-Gray

Washington, DC- Blind and visually impaired customers are taking legal action against the cell phone industry in an effort to improve cell phone accessibility. Last month, 11 customers from across the country filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which enforces Section 255, the law that requires phones to be designed to be accessible for people with disabilities. Complaints were filed against both the cell phone carriers and manufacturers.

“These complaints illustrate a market failure on the part of the cell phone industry to address accessibility,” said Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group at the American Foundation for the Blind. “While some companies have taken steps, consumers with vision loss have few good options for accessibility, and almost no reliable information about accessibility.”

There is a growing need for accessible phones given the increasing rates of vision loss. Experts predict that by 2030, rates of severe vision loss will double along with the country’s aging population.

For people with vision loss, finding a cell phone with a readable screen or with voice output of essential features like menus or text messages is almost impossible. Some companies, like AT&T, have taken the lead on providing accessible phones. But too often the handsets and services are not designed to be user-friendly for those who are blind or visually impaired. Earlier this month, AFB initiated a campaign called 255 Action to help people with vision loss understand access requirements, and if necessary, file complaints. As part of that campaign, AFB sent letters to leading cell phone service providers and manufacturers asking what they are doing to meet the needs of people with vision loss. Frequent complaints from blind and visually impaired cell phone customers include:

• cell phones do not provide for audio output of information displayed on the screen;

• the visual displays on most phones are hard to read;

• numeric and control keys are not easy to distinguish by touch; and

• product manuals or phone bills are not available in braille, large print, or other formats they can read.

The complaints filed with the FCC came from customers in Florida, Georgia, Colorado, California, and West Virginia.

Adrianna Montague-Gray is director of communication for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). The article first appeared on the AFB Web site, and is reprinted with AFB’s permission. AFB is a national nonprofit that expands possibilities for people with vision loss. For more information: www.afb.org

Quotes from FCC Filings   Problems Purchasing Equipment “In November 2006, I asked for assistance in identifying and purchasing a new telephone. The agent was completely uninformed regarding available phones with built-in accessibility features for a Blind user. Indeed, the representative did not even understand what features a Blind user would need in purchasing a phone.”—Melissa Green, Greeley, CO   “Even after setting my phone’s level of brightness to the highest level, I still have to use a closed circuit television to read the text displayed. This magnification device is quite large, encompassing a television set with a similar sized stand. This defeats the “mobile” aspect of my phone, since I have to wait until I am at home to enter contacts in the phonebook, change settings, etc.”—Richard Rueda, Union City, CA.   Documentation is Inaccessible “Upon receiving my phone, I was given an inaccessible print manual explaining how to use the phone. However, because I am totally Blind, I cannot read the text on the instruction manual. My phone’s instruction manual is in a pdf file, which I have difficulty accessing with my computer’s screen reading software because graphical representations are used to instruct a person on how to use the phone.”—George Roberts, Orlando, FL   Phones with Access Software Cost More “In order to access the features of the MotorolaQ, I had to make an additional out-of-pocket purchase of Mobile Speaks (a screen reader) to access the cell phone features. While this phone is more accessible than the Katana with my add-on software, it was quite expensive, and I would not have purchased it if my previous phone was accessible. Being Blind forced me to stretch my budget to the limits in order to have access to my cell phone’s features.”—Tony Claive, Winter Park, FL   Customer Service is Inadequate and Accessibility Features/ Information are Unavailable “I went to my local Sprint store, and explained that I was legally blind and looking for an accessible cell phone. The salesperson did let me know about getting my bill in large print format. Sprint’s representatives were unable to provide me with a description of the accessibility and compatibility features of their phones.”—Dennis Wyant, Melbourne, FL.   Phones Features are Inaccessible “I cannot text message, surf the Internet, or use the phonebook. Additionally, the numbers displayed on the keypad are too small for me to read, thus I have to use the voice recognition feature to call contacts in my phonebook. This poses some limitations, because I can only program in ten names, yet I have many more contacts than this amount.”—Douglas Brooks, Winston, GA

 

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Crista Earl, American Foundation for the Blind’s
Director of Web Operations, using a cell phone in
front of the group’s New York City office. 

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Last updated on September 12, 2007

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