I'll be the first to admit that I'm a hack at my job. I maintain a chewing-gum-and-duct-tape mess of Flash Actionscript2 code that amasses somehow into a training application. It's in constant need of tweaks and bug fixes. Every time I get a new feature request I attack with the goal of as little code change as possible out of fear that the whole thing will come crashing down if I add too much to it.
The current tweak is adding screen reader compatibility for the sight-impaired. The request for this feature came from a certain nationwide 3g phone network (you can figure it out of you think of a former ad campaign that has an ironic link to the feature being requested) which likely employs no more than 2 sight-impaired tech support employees. The training also becomes available, in part, to the public after the phone launches.
As I'm struggling through the mountains of code, trying to find the least extensive way to solve my problems I realize 2 things: first, It would probably be cheaper for my company to hire a person to read the screen to the one or two people who need it; and second, this is a touch screen phone which I imagine is virtually impossible for a blind person to use.
Common sense is not so common anymore.
1 comment:
Job security ftw.
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