Rockville, Maryland, Sept. 18 – At a campaign event in Maryland, former Vice President Joe Biden was asked to comment on the fact that his website is still not accessible to people who are blind or have low-vision. Biden responded that “it’s important. I thought it had been fixed.” He then gave RespectAbility contact information for his staff and had his staff take information on what steps remain for his website to be fully accessible.
The Miami Lighthouse for the Blind recently published an update to their report on campaign accessibility. Biden’s campaign website was one of four that improved significantly over the past three months, but none of the candidates – Democrat or Republican – have fully accessible websites yet. One step Biden took was adding an accessibility statement to his website.
“In 2019, it is unacceptable for anyone to be shut out of the political process,” said Virginia Jacko, CEO, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. “In a supposed age of inclusion, making websites accessible to the visually impaired must be a priority.”
According to the CDC, more than 12 million Americans 40 years and over have vision loss, including one million who are blind – meaning that ensuring website accessibility should be a priority for all presidential candidates. Read more about The Miami Lighthouse’s findings and where all candidates rank.
“It is vital for the democratic process to be open to all people and all means all – including people with disabilities,” said Lauren Appelbaum, vice president, communications of RespectAbility.
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