How An Irritating Email From American Express Got Me Thinking
I got an email from American Express with offers that I couldn’t read. The offers were images. Since the text of the offer was also part of the image, my screen reader couldn’t even read it. I was pretty frustrated by it and I’m not sure why. I get email every day from Costco, BJ’s, Micro Center, Bath and Body Works, and countless others. Some of the emails are just images with photos and text in one image file, so, just like the Amex email, my computer can’t read. For some reason, this one really bothered me.
After I tweeted about it and got no response from them, I started thinking that maybe they don’t know how to deal with blind people. What could they say? The only real solution is for them to make it accessible. How much would that cost? I’m sure it’d be cheaper than making all those curb cuts for people in wheelchairs, but it would be an expense. That made me think about other situations I’ve been in. Then I thought it might be a good podcast episode. You can see part of the email from American Express here.
I mentioned a couple of products in this episode. Like I said, most links to products on my site are affiliate links. That means if you click on it and make a purchase, I get a small commission. The first item I spoke of was the book Thriving Blind by Kristin Smedley. In the book, Kristin tells the story of a dozen or so people who are blind and their great accomplishments. I’m really looking foward to listening to this book once it is available on audio. The other product I mentioned is White Cane Coffee Company. It is a business founded on providing work to blind and other people with disabilities who have difficulty finding a job. I’ll have more on that company once my new website launches. I plan on doing a few videos with the coffees that they offer.
