Vision Australia applauds Telstra's recently announced plans to remove discriminatory online CAPTCHA tests from its websites. Such tests require web users to fill out a box with squiggly numbers and letters to prove they are human. This prevents people who are blind or have low vision from participating in many online activities, as screen reading software is often unable to read the CAPTCHAs. Audio CAPTCHAs are often provided to increase accessibility, but are often just as inaccessible due to voice distortion and background noise.
This initiative is part of Telstra’s 6th Disability Action Plan, which aims to improve the accessibility and affordability of Telstra’s products and services for customers with disability to limit social exclusion. The action plan also aims to improve recruitment and retention of people with disability and their carers at Telstra and strengthen accountability for delivering accessible services, equipment and employment opportunities for people with a disability.
Furthermore, Telstra has committed to including accessibility as a requirement in their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tenders. This would ensure that accessible technology is used by a wider number of people, increasing employment opportunities for people with disability and resulting in cheaper and more available accessible products and services.
Vision Australia encourages the Australian Government to adopt a similar commitment to the procurement of accessible ICT in order to remove the barriers Australians with disability continue to face in regards to employment, information access and online services, in both the public and private sectors.