www.accesspress.org History Note
Inside
“Once you begin looking for disability, it’s everywhere.”
■ Unions for PCAs?—p. 3 ■ Duluth Conference—p. 9 ■ What is IRWE?—p. 12
— Fred Pelka Page 2 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Mpls. MN Permit No. 4766
Volume 18, Number 9
Minnesota’s Disability
Community Newspaper
September 10, 2007
‘Unfair’ News Coverage By MN Daily MN News Council Upholds Two, Denies One Complaint by Sarah Bauer plaint that the review was unfair in how it described the character and activities of Ms. Newman.
in the review, as well as the location of her residence, was unfair. The vote was 10-3, with one abstention.
Newman, known for her colorfully decorated home in South Minneapolis, complained to the News Council after she saw the May theater review that contained what she said were offensive descriptions of her character. Newman complained that her inclusion in the article was “politically incorrect” and “cheap.” Newman also complained that the use of her first and last Artist Mari Newman sitting on the front porch of name in the article, as well as her house in Minneapolis. the location of her residence, Newman to introduce a review was unnecessary. he Minnesota News of the play “The Mad Woman Council last month upheld a complaint of Chaillot.” The vote was 10- The News Council denied a that the Minnesota Daily was 4. The News Council also third complaint that the use of unfair in using local artist Mari voted 11-3 to uphold a com- Newman’s first and last name
The publishers of the Minnesota Daily attended the hearing, and defended the paper’s inclusion of Newman in its review of “The Madwoman of Chaillot.” “The author, Sarah Miller, drew parallels to real life, where readers could relate to the play and its message…Miller used people from the Twin Cities, including Newman, to speak critically about societies that label people ‘crazy,’” said Editorin-Chief Emily Banks. “The words used to describe Newman were subjective and intended to communicate nonconformity, or extreme eccentricity,” noted Banks.
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“There’s an underlying negative tone to this review; it goes beyond colorful creativity,” said media member Kerri Miller. Banks, defending the review, told council members that the review, taken as a whole, is meant to celebrate eccentric, colorful women, like the play’s main character. “The article wasn’t meant to attack Ms. Newman,” said Banks. The Council members agreed that Newman, whose home and art has been featured in past news coverage, is a public figure. “Newman’s history of being in the media spotlight made her a public figure subject to public critique,” commented Banks.
However, most Council members believed that the inclusion of Newman in the theater review was unnecessary. “I always tell my journalism students, ‘Never forget that you’re writing about real people,’” said media member Steve Schild. “I don’t think the Daily did that here.” Al Zdon, a public member who voted to deny all three complaints, did not think the review was unfair. “I don’t see a problem with what the Daily wrote,” said Zdon. “Perhaps it was not well-written, but that’s fairly common in journalism.” However, most Council members believed that the inclusion of Newman in the theater review was unnecessary. Unfair - cont. on p. 14
Leaving A Message With The FCC Blind Customers File Complaints Against Cell Phone Industry, Citing Poor Access by Adrianna Montague-Gray
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. 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. Com-
plaints 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 op-
tions for accessibility, and al- people with vision loss undermost no reliable information stand access requirements, and about accessibility.” if necessary, file complaints. As part of that campaign, AFB There is a growing need for sent letters to leading cell accessible phones given the phone service providers and increasing rates of vision loss. manufacturers asking what Experts predict that by 2030, they are doing to meet the rates of severe vision loss will needs of people with vision double along with the loss. Frequent complaints from blind and visually impaired cell country’s aging population. phone customers include: For people with vision loss, • cell phones do not provide for audio output of informafinding a cell phone with a readable screen or with voice tion displayed on the screen; output of essential features like • the visual displays on most menus or text messages is alphones are hard to read; most impossible. Some com- • numeric and control keys are panies, like AT&T, have taken not easy to distinguish by the lead on providing accestouch; and sible phones. But too often the • product manuals or phone handsets and services are not bills are not available in designed to be user-friendly braille, large print, or other for those who are blind or viformats they can read. sually impaired. Earlier this month, AFB initiated a cam- The complaints filed with the paign called 255 Action to help FCC came from customers in
Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Cali- first appeared on the AFB Web site, and is reprinted with fornia, and West Virginia. ■ AFB’s permission. AFB is a Adrianna Montague-Gray is national nonprofit that exdirector of communication for pands possibilities for people the American Foundation for with vision loss. For more inthe Blind (AFB). The article formation: 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 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 FCC Filing - cont. on p. 14