Not a moan, but a plea!
This isn’t a moan but rather a plea for whomever is responsible to make their websites accessible to screen readers so blind and partially sighted people can access them and where applicable, write to the appropriate people. Let me elaborate:
I have read several books via the RNIB reading service or at least those available through it and among the excellent content are books by Cathy Glass who has spent years fostering abused and damaged children. These books are moving, interesting and really informative and a must for anyone who wants to read hopeful books about the triumph of the human spirit.
How I would love to write to Cathy but I can’t although I can read the comments of other people and probably find out how the children have progressed through their adult lives and get updates because I often wonder how Danny, Joss and many others are doing now and I also wonder how her children, Adrian, Lucy (her adopted daughter) and Paula are.
Blind people are abused, too and so are those with autism. Two years ago I was diagnosed with Asperger’s and suffered at the hands of my father who was undoubtedly a paedophile and fought my way through that experience as an adult so it’d be nice to tell Cathy just how much her books mean to me and how inspirational are all her stories but as I say, I can’t do so because the screen reader won’t read what I need to do. It mentioned going to an app but that’s about all I can manage to find out.
Drives me round the twist!
This happens so often that it drives me round the twist. Apparently it isn’t difficult to make a website accessible though I don’t have the foggiest how to do that but my support worker has managed to do so with mine because she is very knowledgeable.
I just want people to know that we suffer, too, would like to show our appreciation to those whose books we find inspiring and tell a little of our story especially the relevant bits.
I was once so thrilled to tell the psychologist, Dorothy Rowe, how much I appreciated her books which I described as gold nuggets. They helped me deal with mental health issues such as depression and how to understand myself better though this was long before I knew I had Asperger’s. She was kind enough to write back and it was so good of her to do that and so good for me to realise she knew how much her books were appreciated so please, come on authors, make your websites accessible so that screen readers will read the content and so that a silent group of people who have also in some cases suffered and in others, would just like to write to those whose books have made a difference in their lives and perhaps in some cases do so without enlisting help, thereby maintaining privacy.
I know how long it takes to write a story let alone a book so I am sure that, although authors are, and certainly Cathy is a busy lady and it takes ages to write a book all the more reason for their work to be recognised and appreciated by the maximum number of people so that the authors know how appreciated and valued their work is because anyone who seriously loves writing wants to make a difference and to know they have.