Hi Chris, I'm contacting you because I've read that you are the IT contact for the Medium site. If you are not the right person I should be emailing, let me know who the correct person is.

I'm a totally blind user who is also making some money through the Medium partner program. As it stands, there are a lot of easily fixable accessibility issues that are preventing me from publishing on the site fully. I've been consistently bringing desktop accessibility issues to your attention but have heard no progress or updates about it after one accessibility improvement made to the IOS application some months ago. I’d like to point out the various issues I have on the desktop. If you fix these, your site will be far more accessible for everyone.

1. Forms are not labeled. This happens all across the site. Edit fields are not labeled and don't have their title attribute associated with the field name. This is a consistent problem, especially when trying to create a publication. Because of this, your electronic W9 form is completely inaccessible. I had to get sighted assistance to fill it out, per your requirements to keep earning money through the program.
2. Keyboard focus isn't consistent. For a screen reader user, editing and writing stories is extremely challenging because keyboard focus and keyboard controls aren't always persistent. Many controls on your site can't be accessed via the keyboard, such as the genre selection when creating a publication. There's too many to list, but very few buttons and controls can be accessed via the keyboard.
3. Dialog boxes are not accessible to screen readers. Focus isn't drawn to the dialog boxes and leaves screen readers stuck, unable to even opt into the medium partner program when editing a story. This happens all across the site.
4. The main editor isn't keyboard accessible. To a screen reader user, the compose a story window has two multiline edit fields that are not labeled. The second edit field, however, is a dud, and does not even show up visually on the site, so a screen reader user could be typing in a phantom edit field and publish a blank story.
5. No alt text option. Give writers the option to add alt text to their images. At the moment, this function doesn't exist on your site.

I look forward to hearing how and when you will address these accessibility issues that have been persistent for more than a year. I’d be more than happy to do a zoom session with you so we can talk about these in more depth and give you a live demonstration.

Yes, I just wanted the NVDA community to see what I've been up to. :) And, I'm still working on Patreon's accessibility too. I should have told TB to send a read receipt when sending these out, but this was my second time writing this because gmail, or TB, gave a, server busy! Error so had to do this all over again. If they don't reply within a week, I'll start making phone calls.

Hi

Was just reading what you wrote to the guys and the response they gave. I find what works well for me when i contact different places I say i am blind and use a screen reader. I then point them towards the nvda screen reader website or in some cases they can see a demo of nvda on you tube.

So at least it gives them idea I better not forget i say it is a adaptive technology for the blind.

The way you have to look at it at times is that it might be there very first time they have come across a screen reader or or even herd of one and what it does.

I then go through the website or software and point out what needs to be done.

In a lot of cases it is mostly labeling..

Say in the case of a website i use for banking for they went graphical did not put in the alt/tag so the screen reader could read what it was. took out the headings etc.

So I pointed out now to navigate the website i had to use the letter G for graphics to navigate the site but because there was no alt/tab it did not know what it was etc.

Pointed out what had to be done and they fixed it. I am still there customer but have done this for other websites and software etc.

Pretty much if they know what the problem is most will fix.

Another example this one still a website in the account sections they had 16 unlabled buttons but when i let them know they said they were labled visually. So then i done a recording of me navigating the account section with nvda so they could hear what i heard then pasted it on there face book page. Then emailed them back on the same email thread. Again in the email re enforced what i had pasted to there face book page and the sections that were not right.

again it got all fixed in the account section but for another company.

I guess it is better than what we see here on the list now and again people saying it does not work. What does not Is it a website/ software you know what i mean.

any how good luck with them.

But i have noticed this in some emails sent to the list. I am just wondering if the approach is the same I would have to go back and see what you said in the first emails to them.

Good luck

Gene nz

Yes, I just wanted the NVDA community to see what I've been up to. :) And, I'm still working on Patreon's accessibility too. I should have told TB to send a read receipt when sending these out, but this was my second time writing this because gmail, or TB, gave a, server busy! Error so had to do this all over again. If they don't reply within a week, I'll start making phone calls.