FEMA Discrimination

Non compliant, IE only websites piss me off. If you design a website for IE only, you are an idiot, and you apparently do not care for my traffic. If I can't browse your website in my browser of choice, I'm not going to bother with it at all...

Unless of course I'm a hurricane victim and I need to file a claim. FEMA of course does not care about the victims who do not have access to windows. What if the only computer I managed to dig out of the mud is an old Apple? Or a Linux box? Do you really think these people can pick and choose their operating system? Most of these people lost everything! If they can get access to a working computer for few minutes they are lucky!

This is seriously fucked up! But that's not all. To file a claim you also have to pass through CAPTCHA. If you are blind, or if you lost your corrective lenses in the flood you are fucked. Because there is no way in hell you are going to pass that test without adequate vision. Hell, I have 20/20 and I had trouble identifying some of the letters on that thing.

In other words - if you don't use windows, you're not going to file a claim. If you are blind, or have trouble reading distorted letters from the screen and need an assistance of screen reader - you can forget about filing. And if you are camping out in some group shelter in the affected area you can forget about calling their phone number either because apparently you cant file over the phone. They will mail you the form... As we know, mail does not reach all the affected ares yet, so you are royally fucked!

Apparently they do know about Section 508. Someone did put up that disclaimer there. But apparently the webmaster did not get that memo or something. He should be fired, then re-hired, and then fired again for such a blatant disregard to freaken governmental usability standards!

If this pisses you off, please feel free to write them an angry email FEMAOPA@dhs.gov

Tags: fema, fema 508, fema 508 non compliance, fema non compliance, fema web standards, fema discrimination, discrimination, fema ignorant, ignorance, usability, stupidity, fema ignorance, fema stupidity