Elma Gelens (55) works as a software developer in family medicine. She enjoys cycling on her pillion bike, sailing and skiing. She also enjoys going outside with her guide dog. Elma has a hereditary eye disease that caused her vision to deteriorate steadily from a young age. She has been completely blind for 20 years.
Elma says: I was born with an inherited eye condition. At the age of 3 it was discovered that I was nearsighted. Because I could keep up well in school, my low vision didn't come to light until the age of 13. Without problems and aids, I completed secondary and high school education.
When the screen-reading program Jaws came on the market, another whole world opened up for me.
At the age of 23, I was declared 80 to 100 percent disabled for the first time. Because I thought it was a shame to sit at home, I had myself retrained as a programmer. That way I could still use my abilities. In the beginning, I could get by at work with a large monitor and increased contrast. When that became more difficult, the screen-reading program Jaws came on the market. This opened up a whole new world to me. By now I have been completely blind for about 20 years. On a very sunny day I can only perceive a little light.
About 10 years ago, my balance organs failed. Because I cannot see anything, my balance system has become seriously impaired. As a result, my muscles are no longer controlled properly, causing severe balance and gait problems. Therefore, to go outside, I have become dependent on a wheelchair.
Driving a wheelchair when you cannot see anything is not the most obvious solution at first. But in the course of time I discovered that, although with the necessary limitations, it is still possible. It was certainly not an easy journey, but it gives me great satisfaction that I can now drive independently around my home together with my guide dog.
For my graduate studies in business computer science, I studied accessibility guidelines. Since then, digital accessibility has had my special interest. At work, I am indirectly involved in eHealth solutions developed for patients. When I myself, as a patient, encounter accessibility problems, I regularly contact the software builder to draw attention to them.
For work, I use a laptop with Google Chrome and the screen reading program Jaws. I mostly use the speech feature and less of my braille reading line. On my iPhone, I use Safari with VoiceOver. Since I'm already in front of my laptop all day for work, I don't have much need for it in my free time. But when I do spend time on the Internet, I mainly visit supermarket sites. Not because they are so user-friendly and accessible, but because I like to check out the offers.
The bank's website and app change regularly. Usually something goes wrong in terms of accessibility.
I also use internet banking and the SVB's site to manage my personal budget. The bank's website and app change regularly. Usually something goes wrong in terms of accessibility. Since the corona crisis, I work entirely from home. This has made it even more important that applications, sites and apps be accessible. I now no longer have a colleague nearby who can give me a hand.
Because many websites are not easily accessible, I regularly ask my supervisor for help in taking care of personal matters. It then takes me much less effort and time. Even for government websites and apps, it is not yet obvious that they are accessible to everyone. This while there is a legal requirement for this.
When visiting websites and apps, I run into several problems. What I encounter a lot are images without alternative descriptions. But also menus, links and forms that cannot be operated with the keyboard. Check boxes and captchas are also often inaccessible. You then cannot fill these in with the keyboard.
To web builders I would say; make sure you take the WCAG into account from the very beginning. Retrofitting costs a lot more time and money. Realize that a world of information opens up for people with disabilities when you build a website according to the guidelines. And what's more, websites and apps that are accessible for people with disabilities are also more user-friendly for people without disabilities.
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