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Log in or sign up in seconds.| * English [ ][] [ ]limit my search to r/Blind use the following search parameters to narrow your results: subreddit:subreddit find submissions in "subreddit" author:username find submissions by "username" site:example.com find submissions from "example.com" url:text search for "text" in url selftext:text search for "text" in self post contents self:yes (or self:no) include (or exclude) self posts nsfw:yes (or nsfw:no) include (or exclude) results marked as NSFW e.g. subreddit:aww site:imgur.com dog see the search faq for details. advanced search: by author, subreddit... this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2023 1,886 points (100% upvoted) shortlink: [https://redd.it/13zr] [ ][ ] [ ]remember mereset password login Submit a new link Submit a new text post Get an ad-free experience with special benefits, and directly support Reddit. get reddit premium Blind joinleave20,223 readers 987 users here now Welcome to the hub for blind and visually impaired redditors. We are a support and discussion community for people who are blind, visually impaired, those who work with the blind, and those who are just curious. Subreddit Guides * Come chat with us on DISCORD! * Accessibility policy * How to use User Flairs * Submit resources & websites * Follow us on Twitter! Other Resources * How Do Blind People Use Reddit? * FAQ for Blind Readers * FAQ for Sighted Readers * Guide Dog Schools Listing * Glossary of Eye Conditions * National & Local Blind Organisations Community Rules Posts and comments must be accessible. It is strongly encouraged that all submitted content be accessible to screen readers or have audio description available. While inaccessible content is not necessarily forbidden, users are encouraged to vote down content that is inaccessible to them. Pictures of text are inaccessible and individuals posting this content should use caution and be mindful of the audience. For more information please read our Accessibility Policy. No out of topic content. No medical advice. No personal advertisements. Posts and comments must be related to vision impairment and blindness. Requesting or providing any medical advice is prohibited. In order to ensure a safe environment for all members of our community, we've chosen to disallow posts of a personal advertisement nature. We are unable to screen posters, and we discourage giving out your personal information over Reddit. If you are not visually impaired or a parent of a VI child, questions and surveys belong on r/BlindSurveys Most of the regulars here come for the company. r/Blind is a place where we feel accepted, a place where we fit in with the only other people who understand what life is like for us. It's our place to rant and to celebrate, to vent and to compare notes. It's where we grieve the loss of our eyesight and encourage each other to do our best. We don't come here to answer questions from people who assume we're the blind version of r/AskReddit. While questions are welcome, anything along the lines of "How do blind people do x" and any surveys should be posted on r/blindsurveys . This does not include posts from visually impaired people or parents of VI children looking for specific help. Respect Reddit rules & redditquette. Please familiarize yourself with the official rules. We will remove any posts violating reddit's official rules. Meet The Mods /u/rumster (Twitter) I am a poker enthusiast and an accessibility specialist. I created this subreddit with two goals in mind: to make sure that the visually impaired community knows that we are here, and to create a sense of community by providing guidance and support to new members. The creation of /r/Blind has been a dream of mine for over a decade, and I am thrilled that we have reached 18k subscribers and over half a million views every few months. /u/fastfinge (Twitter, Facebook): Bitcoin lover, science fiction reader, freelancer, and fanfiction fanatic from the colds of Canada. /u/SophiaDevetzi: KC patient and community manager of Keratoconus Group. Responsible for the CSS design and subreddit's Twitter. /r/Blind/about/moderators Subreddits you may like: * /r/Disability * /r/colorblind * /r/Keratoconus * /r/TranscribersOfReddit/ * /r/Service_Dogs * /r/TheDyslexicNerd * /r/webaccess * /r/BlindPokemon * /r/deafblind * /r/DescriptionPlease * /r/GuideDogs * /r/canadianguidedogs * /r/SticklerSyndrome * /r/AdaptiveSports Join us on DISCORD! a community for 14 years MODERATORS * message the mods discussions in r/Blind <> X 69 * 17 comments Letter template: Reddit API Changes Set to Deplatform Blind Users on July 1 5 * 1 comment Tips for sister to help make more friends/ date 9 * 7 comments SSI * 1 comment Has anybody here. Been to the Outer Banks? 122 * 12 comments A little over 7 hours ago... we did something special... We hit 20,000 members! 2 My Lemmy group for audiogamers: modified, you can join the same instance if you need one. 22 * 4 comments Newly blind person is technologically impaired and struggling to pay bills. How can I help? 10 * 21 comments At what age did you become aware of your visual impairment? 24 * 29 comments My father is slowly going blind due to glaucoma and is having a hard time. Is there anything I can do to air his life easier? Any apps or groups or podcasts that have been instrumental in your overall well-being? 0 Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard Welcome to Reddit, the front page of the internet. Become a Redditor and join one of thousands of communities. x 1885 1886 1887 AnnouncementReddit's Recently Announced API Changes, and the future of the /r/blind subreddit (self.Blind) submitted 4 days ago by AutoModerator[gold_48][Illuminati]2 [TakeMyPowe] - announcement Introduction It's possible that those of you who are active on other subreddits may have read about the changes in pricing that Reddit has recently released for its API - the system apps use to get and send data from and to Reddit. But for those of you who haven't, here's a summary. On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo, to Dystopia, to Reddit for Blind, to Luna for Reddit, to BaconReader,. Even if you don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface. This doesn't only impact your ability to access Reddit in a fluid, customizable, and efficient way; many of us on the mod team are also blind, and we depend on those third party apps to make sure that this community remains a safe, fun, and productive place. Unfortunately, new Reddit, and the official Reddit apps, just don't provide us with the levels of accessibility we need in order to continue effectively running this community. As well, the Transcribers of Reddit, the many dedicated folks who volunteer to transcribe and describe thousands and thousands of images on Reddit, may also be unable to operate. One of our moderators, u/itsthejoker, has had multiple hour-long calls with various Reddit employees. However, as of the current time, our concerns have gone unheard, and Reddit remains firm. That's why the moderation team of r/blind now feels that we have no choice but to take further action. The Subreddit Blackout Those of us who are blind are no strangers to the need for collective action. From the protests that resulted in the ADA passing in the United States, to world-wide protests driving forward accessibility of some of the Internet's largest websites, collective action is a step our community has taken in the past, often with some success. It is with a heavy heart that we come to you now, and say that it's time to bring this tool out of the toolbox once more. In solidarity with thousands of other subreddits who are impacted by this change, we will be shutting down the /r/blind subreddit for 48 hours from June 12th to June 14th. You will not be able to read or make posts during that time. Our Discord server will remain open, and we invite anyone who would like to interact with the /r/blind community to join us there. If you're not part of the /r/blind Discord server yet, you can join via the following link: https:// discord.com/invite/5kMEv7Sq9y How you can help While this issue has a profound impact on those of us who are blind and visually impaired, as with so many issues of accessibility and inclusivity, it impacts far more than just us. If you'd like to get involved, you can find out what you can do to help at r/ Save3rdPartyApps- or, if you moderate a subreddit, its sister sub r/ ModCoord. You can also join the Reddit-Blackout channel in the /r/ blind Discord, where we will have resources you can use to contact media and other organizations, and keep everyone up to date with our on-going efforts in this matter. What comes next? If this change to the Reddit API is not reversed, we are not convinced that we will be able to continue running the r/blind subreddit. However, that doesn't mean the end of this wonderful, passionate, curious, helpful, and amazing community of folks. We are continuing to explore our options, and create back-up plans. We all want to remain on Reddit. Let's do what we can to make that a reality! But if it turns out we can't, we want to reassure you that this isn't the end of our community. So let's focus on doing everything we can to make those possible back-up plans unnecessary. The r/blind mod team * 172 comments * share * save * hide * report all 172 comments sorted by: best topnewcontroversialoldrandomq&alive (beta) [ ] Want to add to the discussion? Post a comment! Create an account [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev[M] [score hidden] 6 minutes ago stickied comment (0 children) Regarding the June 7 article on The Verge, r/blind was not contacted for comment on the new development. We have not had clarification on Reddit's definitions of "accessibility focused apps" or any process to determine apps that qualify. There is no clarification on "non-comercial apps," given the current model of the apps listed by The Verge. We have strong concerns that Reddit lacks expertise to consider the varying access needs of the blind and visually impaired community. We have reached out Reddit for further comment. We would also like to note that r/blind, u/rumster in particular, have continuously contacted Reddit over accessibility concerns, over the past 3 years, having received no substantive response. r/blind * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]BrailleKnights 43 points44 points45 points 4 days ago (1 child) This subreddit is a great resource for the blind community and was the way I gathered my first group of players for Knights of the Braille almost 5 years ago. Thank you for speaking up. Our community will help in any way we can. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]mackiea 4 points5 points6 points 1 day ago (0 children) I'm not VI, but I was made aware after Louis Rossman gave you a signal boost. Thank you indeed for making a stand. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]KathyGameDesigner 24 points25 points26 points 3 days ago (0 children) Please continue to allow people who are blind to use Reddit. This is such an important communication channel. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]moonpegasus19born totally blind 14 points15 points16 points 3 days ago (9 children) I'm just so tired! That is all! I'm so tired of feeling left behind by people who aren't aware, and who don't care. The choices we have for social media really aren't much, and if they don't care about third party apps, what else are they going to throw away? Will we lose this place too? * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 11 points12 points13 points 3 days ago (7 children) I'm shocked to see moderators who have taken what was posted here originally on their own subs and then say that they don't think they'll participate in the blackout because it'll just make their jobs harder. Those who are doing the cutting pace don't seem to have any idea of what the impact actually is going to be on people like us and how this is going to close out people from being able to participate. I frankly don't care if a moderator's job is going to be made more difficult for a few days during a blackout and that shows how their personality really is if they don't care enough about others. Then again the places where I have read that are generally some subs that encourage poor behaviour and the moderator is part of that behaviour. I don't feel the need to be part of those groups. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Minute-Phrase3043 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (1 child) I'm shocked to see moderators who have taken what was posted here originally on their own subs and then say that they don't think they'll participate in the blackout because it'll just make their jobs harder. Make their job harder? From what I know, a lot of moderators are protesting because the loss of third party apps makes their jobs harder. The mods you are talking about either are exceptionally great at moderating, and hence need no extra tools, or the can't care less about being a good mod. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 0 points1 point2 points 1 day ago (0 children) From what I've experienced in past, it's the latter. There are subs where the attitude seems to be to remove any thread or block any poster rather than actually moderate. I've also rarely seen transparency threads, like they do over on /r/ Equestrian which includes the number of muted and blocked posters. Like everything, there are excellent, and poor, moderators. But I think that highlights even more the value of the good ones, like we have here, and what we ALL risk losing. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Kakss_ 0 points1 point2 points 11 hours ago (3 children) To be fair, that third paragraph sort of loops on itself if you think about it. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 1 point2 points3 points 9 hours ago (2 children) If their justification is that for a few days their job will be made harder, in order to prevent others having a more difficult job be more difficult permanently, then I do think it's valid. I'm not sure how their job will be made harder if there is a black out for two days, vs all the ways a moderators job will be made harder in future. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Kakss_ 0 points1 point2 points 7 hours ago (1 child) I'm not talking about their point which I agree, it's stupid and possibly caused by being uninformed or simply not caring. I'm arguing that this very argument sounds very much like theirs. "I don't care about their issues, I only care about my issues." Ultimately I wouldn't hold a grudge on someone simply for not wanting to go out of their way to help me. Their argument is stupud and it may be worth it to talk things through how they are shooting themselves in a foot as well, but nonetheless, they don't owe anyone anything. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]robertmeta 0 points1 point2 points 4 hours ago (0 children) they don't owe anyone anything Thank you for stating the obvious. Honestly, a lot of the mods who are dubious to participate run low moderation and generally nice communities, and they don't do much moderation at all. A sudden spike in moderation load might be enough for them to just give up, I happen to be a mod in a community that is that way -- an absentee moderate at that. That said, since it is a top 1% community, I think I will try to make this happen there and just suffer a few days of suck. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]RedThruxton 0 points1 point2 points 20 minutes ago (0 children) Those who are doing the cutting pace don't seem to have any idea of what the impact actually is going to be on people like us and how this is going to close out people from being able to participate. This is what I'm trying to understand. The solidarity statement across the subs announcing the two day blackout implies that Reddit will become unusable for the visually impaired... Many visually impaired individuals rely on third-party apps to access Reddit, as these apps often offer enhanced accessibility features and compatibility with screen readers. By increasing the pricing for API calls, Reddit is effectively cutting off an essential lifeline for these communities, limiting their ability to engage, contribute, and participate in discussions. Is that accurate? Or is it that Reddit will remain functional for this community but just not in the way they had become accustomed to? Will Reddit truly be inaccessible or is it just that vision challenged individuals will need to adapt? I do understand that consistency of spacial location is exceptionally important for vision challenged individuals and that change would require relearning. I'm trying to understand because I'm concerned that invoking the blind community was a straw man argument intended to garner unwarranted empathy. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MustacheEmperor 0 points1 point2 points 1 hour ago (0 children) who aren't aware, and who don't care Well and in this case, are aware, and don't care. multiple hour-long calls with various Reddit employees. However, as of the current time, our concerns have gone unheard, and Reddit remains firm Reddit today exists to try and justify a case for an IPO where the same charlatans who have mistreated us all for years can become rich. They're making it clear any community's concerns only matter to them as much as they can be a lever to that goal. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 26 points27 points28 points 4 days ago (3 children) Thank you for posting this and for taking the lead. It is indeed distressing that we have one more Avenue closing to us and people don't seem to understand why we are concerned. Even before I lost most of my vision I was using the old reddit version because I was unable to see much on other new versions. I've talked before about my struggles on an ipad to use rabbit and people here were very helpful to make suggestions for how I could still be an act of participant in a place that was very helpful as I went through all of these challenges. It's really sad and distressing that our voices are not heard or understood because this is something that should be made available to us and closes off one more Avenue of access to the world. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]Littlebiggran 6 points7 points8 points 3 days ago (1 child) We need to protest. We need action. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]astanix 1 point2 points3 points 2 hours ago (0 children) That's what all the subs blacking out is. Protest and action. Will it work? * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]GGtesla 2 points3 points4 points 16 hours ago (0 children) reddit stands with you * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]witcwhit 17 points18 points19 points 3 days ago[platinum_4] [Illuminati] (17 children) Is anyone looking into tackling this issue via an ADA lawsuit? There have been some small successes recently with lawsuits classifying the internet as a public space that accessibility laws apply to and if we could put together a class-action on this basis, it could go a long way in helping not just the blind community of Reddit, but accessibility on the internet in general. I'm not sure if the ACLU would take this on, but if they don't, maybe we could fundraise to pay a legal group to get it going? I'll definitely donate if that's something the mods want to do. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]mosm 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (5 children) Not a lawyer, but I do deal with website accessibility as part of my day-to-day at work. This would be a hard lawsuit to pass through. Any obligations Reddit has (US 508 Compliance, WCAG, etc) would be directed towards their website and app. As long as those provide functionality equivalent to an able user they're pretty much in the clear. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]witcwhit 3 points4 points5 points 2 days ago (4 children) Thank you for this clarification. My understanding was that the app and website don't provide equivalent accessibility for screen reader users, but maybe someone who uses screen readers in that group could clarify my understanding on this? * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 1 point2 points3 points 11 hours ago (3 children) The website and apps are not standards-compliant (WCAG). Even an automated testing tool will show as much. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]robertmeta 1 point2 points3 points 4 hours ago (2 children) Sadly, WCAG only applies to federal projects and contractors. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 1 point2 points3 points 3 hours ago (1 child) WCAG is a web standard, not a law. It's referenced by different laws in different jurisdictions. You're referring to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. That said, there is case law to support WCAG compliance under the ADA. I imagine you may have known some or all of this, but I didn't want to miss the chance to provide more context. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]robertmeta 0 points1 point2 points 2 hours ago (0 children) What case law? I sincerely would like to be aware of it so I can cite it. I have been in the room on discussions on the topic with a major US mobile carrier and their very high paid legal team seemed to absolutely disagree with the assessment that WCAG can be enforced on private industry via ADA or any other means. Basic accessibility under ADA can be enforced, but WCAG even older "easier" versions are far beyond what can and has qualified as "basic accessibility" in court and I the cases they referenced listed WCAG and similar as an undue burden going well beyond what is required. Having US case law in which WCAG (or really anything similar, a formal document by a standards body) has been seen as relevant to a private industry player would be very helpful to many of us who have been in the room and on the losing end of arguments. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]DrinkMoreCodeMore 4 points5 points6 points 1 day ago[Illuminati] (1 child) Reach out to the EFF as well. They are basically just a huge group of lawyers who are focused on internet and digital rights. They might be down to help with some pro-bono work or be able to explain any type of actions you can take against reddit. https://www.eff.org/ * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]witcwhit 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (0 children) Thank you for this! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (0 children) There have been some successful ADA suits for web accessibility. It could be worth considering. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 4 points5 points6 points 3 days ago (7 children) The first issue with this is that most of the mods aren't in the US. I'm Canadian, and a lot of the other members of the team are elsewhere. So we don't have standing, because US laws, while they do apply to Reddit, don't apply to us. The second issue is that beating people with a legal stick to make them become accessible often doesn't work. Especially on a website like Reddit, where culture and community are so important, I'm not sure this would have the result we might wish for. Instead, we're better to make common cause with our fellow sighted users, who are also upset about losing the third party apps we love. If Reddit won't make a change when everyone, disabled or not, is protesting, I would rather leave and find community elsewhere than get embroiled in an endless legal battle with dubious results. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]witcwhit 9 points10 points11 points 3 days ago (2 children) I totally understand your perspective and I think, for the users who are affected in the US, maybe we can do both. The thing is, in the US, beating corporations with a legal stick is one of our few avenues for being heard and, as unpleasant as a legal battle might be, one like this would go a long way towards establishing significant precedent for the internet being legally viewed as a public space here, which would put more pressure on the tech companies based in the US to make their sites fully accessible. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 3 points4 points5 points 2 days ago (1 child) The only way I see it happening is via an organization like the nfb or acb taking it on. If your active in those organizations and want to try and bring them in, we would be happy to work with them. But this isn't an effort we could lead. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]witcwhit 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (0 children) I'm not sure that I have any sway, but I can certainly try reaching out to them. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Trythenewpage 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (2 children) As someone that uses a screen reader despite not being blind or (as far as I'm aware) having ADA protected disability, that also likely wouldn't help me. (Not sure if adhd would qualify in this case) I use @voice aloud reader for most online articles, select to speak for online browsing situations with longer passages that aren't worth downloading, and joey for reddit. All of these options manage tts without forcing me to use some talkback type thing that reads every dang menu option or something. Most accessibility options for tts tend to be exclusively for completely blind folks. But different people have different needs. I would personally like to see something like archiveofourown.com come out of this. It is a nonprofit that originated from the dumpster fire of the enshitification of fanfiction.net. Any for-profit option is doomed to failure in the long run as user experience is eroded in the name of more moneys. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Kitchen-Impress-9315 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago* (0 children) ADHD definitely counts! The ADA defines disability broadly. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. If you have a hard time reading things online because of your adhd, that absolutely counts. You need an accommodation because of how your brain works and that's okay and should be available to you! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (0 children) I'm hopeful that Lemmy, or another federated solution, might be the answer. But that's as yet unclear. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Alocasia_Sanderiana 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (0 children) Is there not an equivalent Canadian law? * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]smarthome_fan 8 points9 points10 points 1 day ago (2 children) I just can't believe Reddit admins have been on actual calls with r/ Blind moderators, they know that we're going to lose access to this platform, and they just... don't care. We're collateral damage. I cannot even express how truly pissed off I am at the utter smugness, arrogance and indifference of the Reddit staf.. Tagging u/lift_ticket83 even though I know he'll have tagging turned off. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 4 points5 points6 points 1 day ago (1 child) We have another meeting scheduled with them later today, and will update folks if any progress is made. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]liamjh27 5 points6 points7 points 1 day ago (0 children) I really hope it goes well. I genuinely don't know what I'm going to do not being able to access Reddit anymore. It's got me through some of the hardest parts of my life. I made new friends for life, got reengaged with hobbies I thought were no longer possible after losing my sight. Am able to follow my football team and games through live threads etc. There really is nowhere else I can be as engaged with such a wide variety of communities as easily. This absolutely sucks. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Anduri90 8 points9 points10 points 3 days ago (5 children) It doesn't affect me, have never used third-party apps. But out of solidarity, I will not be using Reddit during this period. I hope it does something and keep my fingers crossed that you will be heard. Good luck! * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev[M] 7 points8 points9 points 3 days ago (0 children) Thank you for your support! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]furiana 5 points6 points7 points 2 days ago (1 child) Same. I came here from an unrelated subreddit, and I'm grateful that they boosted the signal. I already have reminders set in my phone for the 12th and 13th. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Anduri90 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (0 children) Same. I saw a crosspost of this and I am very happy people on Reddit try to help each other. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]FizzyEels 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago[Illuminati] (0 children) Same, not blind myself and I tend to use the official Reddit app more than I use Apollo but will not be using Reddit not only for this period, but for the entire week. Funny, because I normally wouldn't engage in this kind of action, but this seems too important I can no longer shrug it off. Losing access to support groups is perhaps one of my worst fears, having seen it happen multiple times to others and the deterioration of those individuals that followed. r/blind you have my support. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]commander_bonker 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (0 children) it will affect you one day if not now. also, why are you stuck with official app they've been taking away all the features old reddit app had each update * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind[M] 5 points6 points7 points 1 day ago (4 children) As mentioned in the post, r/blind isn't the only subreddit blacking out in protest. If you'd like to see the list of subreddits involved, this post is regularly updated with the latest information: https:// www.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/1401qw5/ incomplete_and_growing_list_of_participating/ * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]HumanAverse 1 point2 points3 points 7 hours ago (0 children) " r/blind isn't the only subreddit blacking out in protest." That wasn't supposed to be funny but it was. Kudos * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]WeHaSaulFan 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (2 children) Have people tried contacting Reddit CEO Steve Huffman directly? I would think it could only help for him to get a bunch of emails from affected users. Steve@reddit.com * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (1 child) I'm sure he has someone else reading and sorting his email for him, though. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]WeHaSaulFan 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (0 children) I've worked in offices like this, not a CEO office specifically, but significant public decision makers. They tally this kind of mail. Whether it's members of Congress, senators, high corporate executives. They track how much messaging they get about issues, and it often can affect their decisions. And if he gets a lot of messages about this issue, Mr. Huffman would want to read some of it himself, quite likely. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MsSpentMiddleAge 5 points6 points7 points 1 day ago (1 child) Have you reached out to the Double Tap podcast? This is just the kind of thing they cover, tech news of interest to the visually impaired, and accessibility. I don't think they've mentioned it yet. The link for the podcast is https://www.ami.ca/category/2471/ recent_episodes The email address to contact them is feedback@doubletaponair.com * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 11 hours ago (0 children) I've actually reached out to Steven via Mastodon. However, this is WWDC week, so they're understandably pretty focused on that. I wouldn't expect any coverage until next week. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]babuloseo 4 points5 points6 points 3 days ago (0 children) I actually go on here :( * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]ClearerByFar 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (1 child) Can you share the resources here also before the blackout? I'm going to see if I can repost this to the Uveitis subreddit. Someone may want to do the same with the Glaucoma subreddit. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 5 points6 points7 points 2 days ago (0 children) We're working on a general message that will be sent to media contacts over the next few days. I'll see about getting that posted in public as a template. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Vicki7789 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (3 children) This is not good. I have useful central vision so won't be affected by the change, but the fact we're being ignored is appalling. I totally support the blackout. I am also willing to help moderate if needed, so that we can keep this space for anyone who wants to continue using it. Discord confuses me but I'll try and get over there too. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]DHamlinMusicBilateral Optic Neuropathy[M] 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (0 children) Feel free to mod mail us for help with discord, we can definitely find a few minutes here and there to help with getting that sorted out for people. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (1 child) Thanks for your support! The issue is that we're not sure we're comfortable running a sub about blindness where blind folks would have difficulty participating. We want people to talk with us, not about us. If that becomes impossible on Reddit, it might not be a good idea to keep this community running. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Vicki7789 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (0 children) I totally get that, but know the offer is there. I've been around here a while and know that whatever decision you make will have the community at the heart of it. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]saturday_sun3 4 points5 points6 points 1 day ago* (1 child) Hey guys, hope I'm not overstepping by commenting on your sub. I'm sighted and able to use reddit on the mobile app, but do still have a VI and just wanna express solidarity. I know reddit is an internet site and a business at the end of the day, but it sucks that it's treating its blind users and transcribers like this. You guys should not have to go through this BS just to use Reddit and engage with the community/subs here. Anyway, over and out. [?] * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (0 children) Thanks for your support! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]June_Berries 5 points6 points7 points 1 day ago (2 children) 48 hours is way too short. They'll wait it out. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]CloudyBeep 2 points3 points4 points 16 hours ago (1 child) The protest is to show the number of people who oppose the changes. The real loss will be in July when people unable to use third-party apps will leave permanently. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]June_Berries 2 points3 points4 points 16 hours ago (0 children) Reddit is often fully aware of how many people hate changes, then they keep them anyways * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]b00jum 9 points10 points11 points 3 days ago (7 children) Assuming this means Reddit is itself struggling to maintain sustainability, I'd expect that even accessibility concerns won't be enough to change the site's strategy. That said, is Discord any better? * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 19 points20 points21 points 3 days ago (3 children) While Discord isn't perfect, they have made and continue to make constant improvements to Discord accessibility. They are also extremely responsive; Discord employees hang out in the r/blind Discord server, and quickly respond to feedback, fix bugs when they crop up, and have full time folks responsible for accessibility on staff. While I personally wish Discord offered a more open API, the fact is that as a practical matter, Discord is the place that the largest number of blind folks will be able to access in order to engage in realtime coordination. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]DHamlinMusicBilateral Optic Neuropathy 10 points11 points12 points 3 days ago (2 children) Yep, they also got hcaptcha to add the audio bypass for us which is not widely available yet which was very nice of them. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]CloudyBeep 4 points5 points6 points 3 days ago (1 child) The text challenge doesn't work for me. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]DHamlinMusicBilateral Optic Neuropathy 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (0 children) Can you message me and I can try and help and/or run this by their people. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]merRedditor 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (1 child) I don't know the whole story, but Reddit is going public, and that does lead to profit-seeking behavior to impress investors. So the two workarounds are to either negotiate a way to make the adjustments profitable to the company, or to make it expensive to not make the adjustments. Raising awareness is a good first step toward the second item. I think it's too late to talk them out of listing on stock exchanges. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]ReganLynch 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (0 children) If making something profitable means denying access to disabled individuals then they aren't doing it right. And hopefully kicking people to curb in their rush toward financial success will backfire. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MustacheEmperor 1 point2 points3 points 1 hour ago (0 children) struggling to maintain sustainability Sustainability means making enough money to cover your bills every month - a long time ago when Gold was introduced, there was a bar graph on the right side of the website to show Gold income vs Reddit's server bills, and after many months of income always exceeding expenses it was removed. Reddit isn't looking for sustainability, they are looking for the kind of user monetization growth Wall Street will want to see in an IPO, an event they've been promising to their team and investors for years. They are hoping to get truly rich off a public offering and are ripping up the studs to sell the wire in the walls, because when they're done they won't have to live here. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 8 points9 points10 points 3 days ago (5 children) I just tried Reddit on a browser and oh God, it's horrible! I swear knew read it used to be fine, or at least okay, now it's just really really clunky. The shortcuts work up to a point, j and k move from previous post to next post, but no titles read out. X doesn't seem to wor, and the comments have so many buttons above them. I really really hope this thing you guys are doing helps because I can't use this site. Yeah, there's the old version, how long will that stay around? * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (0 children) They'll probably want to get rid of old Reddit pretty soon. Once this blows over. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Sad-Application-2103LCA 1 point2 points3 points 3 days ago (3 children) You do realise that on the web, each post is a heading, correct? No need to use J and k for anything at all. I've been using web client for the last 4 years, since I have gotten reddit, and at this point, I'm flat out refusing to use any third party clients. I use mobile for text, chromeOS macOS and windows work beautiful with posts via headings. Comments, just hit e to jump to the comment box, then down arrow from there. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 0 points1 point2 points 2 days ago (2 children) the headings thing is true but the comments are quite clunky when you're used to something like dystopia. You have to arrow through buttons just to read a comment and sometimes n works, and other times it doesn't. I'll probably still use reddit once this is over but yeah, dystopia makes things a lot easier. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]robertmeta 0 points1 point2 points 3 hours ago (1 child) This is where open source really shines, I was able to submit a patch to lobste.rs to make each comment a level 3 heading, made reading it a lot easier for me. Web 2 was the era of centralization, but now the risks of centralization get felt when the keyholders change the rules. I think if the blind community switched to something like discourse, we could also throw some programming effort at improving the already decent accessibility. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 0 points1 point2 points 3 hours ago (0 children) Well, let's hope things change in the future. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]YuanShu 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (3 children) Hello, r/blind! I'm not a member of your community; however, I very nearly suffered complete vision loss due to posterior uveitis. After half a decade of monthly steroid injections and a couple rounds of laser surgeries, I now have relatively stable, mostly-functional vision. I remember the years I spent wondering how I could adapt to a society that offers so little to the visually-impaired, and I thought of you all first when the API news broke. I just want to say that you have not been forgotten; as upset as I am for myself, the most cynical part of all of this is the callous disregard that Reddit has shown for users that depend on accessibility apps to remain engaged with their communities here. I'm disgusted with the way that this has been handled, and I will not be participating on this website once they drop third-party support. I hope you all are able to find a digital space that treats you with the dignity that you deserve. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 9 points10 points11 points 3 days ago[Illuminati] (0 children) Thank you for your support and I mean that very sincerely. However this is not about this community finding another space. This is about this community having the ability to participate with other communities just as we actively do today. This sub was very helpful when I lost more of my vision a few years ago and was struggling to find a way to keep my career and to use technology. I still read almost every day and sometimes post in support but for the most part I don't want to just participate with this community. I want to be able to be part of the communities where I read and post and have relationships or I'm just an observer. My access to the world has already been limited in recent years and I don't want this to become yet one more way that I cannot be part of a larger community. I suspect that my reading and usage of reddit actually increased after I lost more of my vision because I could not go out and participate as actively as I was used to. This is not just about the blind and the visually impaired community finding a place where they can lead together. It is about finding a place where we can all be together regardless of whether or not we can see. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 6 points7 points8 points 2 days ago (0 children) Thanks for your support! The issue isn't so much that we need a community specifically for blind folks. There are actually quite a few of those. But blindness doesn't make up our entire identity. Personally, I read Fanfiction, love Harry Potter, and am interested in advancements in AI. Reddit offers me a place where I can read, learn, and talk with others about all of those interests. Wherever we move, it's important to us that it's a place where blind and sighted people can participate alike, on equal footing. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]SiriuslyGranger 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (0 children) Yeah, I don't actually come on r/blind too much I am obligated to with r/blindsurveys because I am mod there. I wanted to come see this thread. What the goal is I think is to be able to be part of reddit not just this sub. I use reddit actually more for stuff like r/mbti and r/ socionics and r/jung_mbti yeah, I know call me a weirdo hahaha! I'd like to continue to use that. I also own a sub which I hope more serious typology students can continue using. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]CivetKittyOptic Nerve Hypoplasia 2 points3 points4 points 3 days ago (1 child) The site reall needs to do something such as hiring the modders and adding the exclusive features to the base platform. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]saturday_sun3 0 points1 point2 points 1 day ago (0 children) The problem with that is they tried it a few years ago. They bought Alien Blue, another mobile app, and turned it into the current app. This is about redirecting users to their official app so they can control ad revenue. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Florentinepotion 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (0 children) I'll probably just stop using Reddit once this goes into affect. I spend too much time on here anyways. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago* (6 children) I can't help with modding stuff, but from a little bit of help, I've figured out that reddit is actually usable. You have to turn single navigation off with NVDA shift space, then you can use the shortcuts, I prefer h to go through the posts but j and k work fine for comments, yes it's a bit wordy but it's completely usable from a non mod standpoint. Does anyone want me to write up a little post and then the mods can put it on r/blinds sidebar? I think this kind of thing needs to be done anyway just in case reddit isn't usable with apps after July. the only things I can't speak on are signing up and mods. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (1 child) Yes, modding is where the biggest problems are. When moderating, most of the buttons are unlabeled. It would be quite easy to delete a comment when I meant to lock a thread or whatever, if I forget the exact order I've memorized for the buttons. And adding stuff to sidebars or changing the layout of the sub isn't really possible at all. There are also a lot of dialogues, alerts, etc, that pop up without getting focus. There's also a lack of headings, landmarks, or other mark-up in modmail, making it slow and difficult to use. This stuff really matters when you're helping mod a sub with thousands of users. If all you're doing is reading, and leaving the occasional comment, it's...fine. Not good, but fine. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 1 point2 points3 points 2 days ago (0 children) Right, I understand. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]anniemdi 1 point2 points3 points 2 days ago (1 child) When you say you're finding reddit is navigable, are you using new.reddit.com? Or old.reddit.com? * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 0 points1 point2 points 2 days ago (0 children) I've used both but I prefer new reddit. It's not the best and sometimes it doesn't work, the q key doesn't sema to be consistant but it works well enough. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 0 points1 point2 points 2 days ago (1 child) You know what, that could be useful. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (0 children) I'll wait for more people to chime in, but if I get more positive than negative feedback, I'll make the post in the next day or so. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (6 children) I've written to a bunch of subs with a message about the blackout and most responded saying they're taking part. I think one is thinking about it but the rest are definitely taking part. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]SiriuslyGranger 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (3 children) I found one that is opposed to it the others I am on is honestly not very moderated and we don't know where the admins are. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (2 children) Honestly, I don't really think it will do much but yeah. I can use reddit no issues, but for moderation it's really hard. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]SiriuslyGranger 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (1 child) I don't think it will do much either. But it doesn't harm to try already getting people off of reddit that I know to keep in touch. I have some communities I am part of that I will miss, though. It's just not as easy on the computer but it is sort of doable. In a sense. I use a mac. Can try to switch to chrome to see if things get any easier * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 0 points1 point2 points 1 day ago (0 children) I hope it works for you. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (1 child) I wrote to one that is supposedly very engaged in protecting human rights (and which also had requested that I be a moderator, got angry when I didn't 'see' the request, and then asked me to no longer post after I lost my vision and sometimes talk to text didn't understand my English) There has been silence from that moderating team, which indicates to me that their 'concern' is misplaced. It's really not difficult for a sub to participate. I've also seen at least one sub (poorly but very actively moderated) put up a thread 'soliciting feedback' as they are not sure that they will participate. Responses are very divided, supporting a blackout and insisting that they join, to those saying 'I don't care, doesn't impact me, why bother?' * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (0 children) Interesting. I can see the side of the ones who say they're not bothered, because honestly I'm not really that bothered. I can use Reddit on the website, but I do prefer the app but won't be losing sleep over it. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]disguisedroast 3 points4 points5 points 22 hours ago (1 child) Hello friends! I am not blind but have a brother who is and know how important it is for Reddit to keep 3rd party apps for accessibility, i will be joining the blackout period with plans to follow up thereafter if no action is taken by greedy fucking reddit. I also left a bad review on the Apple platform also informing them of what I thought of their recent actions. I hope you guys all follow me in this justified anger as Reddit is a window to a community that we can all enjoy whether we have disabilities or not. And then suddenly taking away that community is a big deal, especially, to those who can't see very well. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 11 hours ago (0 children) Thanks for your support! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]mountain_dog_mom 3 points4 points5 points 21 hours ago (1 child) I'm not blind or visually impaired but you have my full support! I am a service dog handler, so am no stranger to disabilities and how they impact lives. I've been advocating for subs to join this movement when I see posts. I'm so grateful the service dog sub is joining, as I know many SDs are guide dogs. Guide dogs helped pave the way for people like me to have my SD and I couldn't be more grateful. I'm also rallying support in other dog communities. I truly hope that Reddit sees how big of an issue this is. The more subs that join, the bigger the impact it will have. To members of this community, you are not alone! There are so many people fighting alongside you to take a stand against this huge injustice! * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 11 hours ago (0 children) Thanks so much for your support! The solidarity of the entire Reddit community has been really impressive! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]PossibleExciting7837 3 points4 points5 points 13 hours ago (1 child) I'm not blind but am an older person who sight is fading. I will support you for that week. This is far more important than any information I might need during that week. This situation also reminds me that Reddit is a just a business with only one real goal, make money for stock holders, the rest be damned. Nothing wrong with money making. But lots wrong with this situation. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 11 hours ago (0 children) Thanks for your support! Disability is something that all of us will experience at some point during our lives. It could be because of aging, or a temporary medical condition, or accident, etc. But not creating accessible websites means not just excluding people with disabilities. It means excluding our future selves. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]TotesMessenger 2 points3 points4 points 3 days ago* (1 child) I'm a bot, bleep, bloop. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit: * [/r/anarchism] Accessibility and Reddit. Proposes changes to Reddit's API policy could affect accessibility * [/r/anarchychess] The blind will be disenfranchised due to the Reddit API Changes - How will they shitpost? Support the reddit blackout! * [/r/wholesome] Did you realize that Reddit API changes will disenfranchise the blind? Support the blackout! ^If you follow any of the above links, please respect the rules of reddit and don't vote in the other threads. ^(Info ^/ ^Contact) * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev[M] 6 points7 points8 points 3 days ago* (0 children) Good bot. No ban for you. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]EmmaHere 2 points3 points4 points 3 days ago (0 children) Thank you for spreading the word. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]Piz-dur 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (2 children) Leave Reddit behind. It's became a crap. Come to Fediverse instead. Check out e.g. beehaw.org or kolektiva.social and many more apps in the Fediverse realm. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (1 child) Unfortunately all of the federated Reddit-like services have accessibility issues. I've filed a couple issues against Lemmy though, and gotten a response, so work is on-going to improve things on that front. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]robertmeta 0 points1 point2 points 3 hours ago (0 children) Absolutely true, but at least it is fixable. Even a victory here will be temporary, after they go public new quarter to quarter profit will be hanging over the head of 3rd party clients (assuming we win). Fediverse has the possibility of a broadly friendly blind focused client. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]shiihs 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (1 child) Good initiative! My guess is the API price is instated because massive amounts of reddit data are being (ab)used to train AI systems (like ChatGPT) for free, after which the creators of these AI systems make a lot of money from users trying to get data back out. My guess is it's not easy to *reliably* distinguish between fair use and abuse. But the collateral damage of forbidding all third-party uses turns out to be unacceptably high and a solution will have to be found. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (0 children) Apps send their own unique identifier to Reddit, when using the API. They could absolutely make a list of approved apps. Their latest statement is specifically against "third party UIs." * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]DabbleDAM 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (2 children) Your mention of r/save3rdpartyapps has an extra - at the end causing it to fail to link * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 1 point2 points3 points 11 hours ago (0 children) Yikes! Thanks for letting us know. Now to figure out how to edit stuff posted via automod... * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]ChaoticNichole 2 points3 points4 points 23 hours ago (1 child) How do I add my subreddits to the protest? Do I just repost this on mine? * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]CloudyBeep 1 point2 points3 points 16 hours ago (0 children) r/modcoord * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]jcourt01 2 points3 points4 points 12 hours ago (0 children) I also think it's sad we need to rely on 3rd party apps. If Reddit actually cared about us and accessibility we would at least have other options. In an ideal world lack of accessibility should negatively affect an IPO. REeddit doesn't care about people just the data they can harvest from us for ai language models * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]Mindless_Hedgehog_48 5 points6 points7 points 1 day ago (3 children) Hello all, I am not visually impaired, and I hope that my comment isn't seen as intrusive. It's just that I discovered this group just moments ago while reading a different announcement about this blackout. I am guilty of being one of those people who just go about their day, unaware and unconcerned with others, add after reading this thread, I realized just how selfish that is and I feel not only remorse, bit a strong desire to make it right. If I can be honest, my immediate reaction to the blackout was who cares? It's Reddit's own platform, if they don't want to offer their API for free, they shouldn't. Who cares who is upset or angered? Who cares if they don't want to pay? It's tiring for people to keep fighting for such entitlements that they aren't owed. That was my mindset as I was reading the other announcement. It mentioned this thread, and simply out of being nosey and sort of feeling self righteous, I just clicked the link to come read another point of view, as if for amusement. I began reading all of your comments. I have to say I am moved. Reading your comments changed my entire perspective about this issue, and I am now aware of the harm this API change will cause, to the blind community especially. It even made a tear fall down my face that I didn't realize was there until it streamed over my quivering lip. I am so sorry for being apart of the collective that, in a pompous and arrogant way, tends to think EVERYTHING is about them. I am ashamed that I so easily chose a side without being educated about who all is affected and in what ways. I thank each of you for sharing your perspectives and explaining what these API changes will do to your accessibility, and I do feel like something can be done, abd this has to be a violation of your rights in some kind of way. I think when people like me, who don't know your struggles, who don't understand what this platform and the current API empowers you to do, we tend to be ignorant and self righteous about issues that don't even affect us. So I have to admit, almost instantaneously upon learning about the blackout, I committed myself to the opposition. I was going to make a deliberate effort to stand with a Reddit against what I call entitled people, and purposefully log in on those days, just out of spite. But after reading a host of your comments, after hearing how some of you feel defeated and uncounted by people like me, after taking a moment to comprehend how the blind community may feel excluded in this world in so many ways that i take for granted, and after internalizing how it would feel if Reddit was my window to the world that I cannot see clearly and it enabled me to be on equal footing with the world, and then to have Reddit remove that from me and the entire community almost as punishment, I am now committed to standing with all of you, with especially you, for you, about your unique struggle. I can be kind of long-winded, and I apologize for just inserting myself into your conversations. I just really felt compelled to share with you how this one conversation is so powerful and how it crushed all of my walls of defensiveness and what I thought of as protectiveness, and opened my eyes when I didn't even know that in some ways, I was blind. I know now who really needs and deserves protection. And it is the blind community. So thank you, thank you for sharing. You may not know how powerful your voices really are. But I wish I was rich because I envisioned this thread almost as a commercial as i read it.. A television commercial that should be aired on all the major networks, to bring awareness and open the hearts of people like me. I see it as powerful. I know it would bring more people aboard the plan. I am definitely on-board now. And I thank you for bringing this to my attention as I promise to be more conscious and mindful of how even the littlest of things I may take for granted can affect the community of my newfound friends. Thank you all. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (0 children) Hey mate, don't worry about it :-) Don't think because we are blind we're angels :-) I can assure you, I'm definitely not thinking about other things simply because they don'timpact my life. You're not a bad person because you didn'tthink of the blind/disabled :-) The blackout might help, it might not, but it's something. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (1 child) Thanks for your support! The truly frustrating thing is, that if it's about money, we could pay if they offered a reasonable option for a reasonable price. For example, why not make the API only available to those who have reddit premium? Many of us are employed full-time, and thanks to Reddit awards, it would be easy for us to help out and award premium to our fellow blind folks who might be less fortunate. Nobody is saying they have to give it away for free, even. But instead of charging a reasonable price for a reasonable service, they seem to be just trying to kill off all third party apps by overcharging for the API and setting unreasonable limits on how it can be used (no NSFW, etc.). * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]kilwam 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (0 children) Have you raised the possibility of API/third-party app access for reddit premium subscribers with them on a call? Is there any chance they'd go for that? It would surely cover their costs, so not going for it seems like a sign of their true intent. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]TSnowCrash 1 point2 points3 points 3 hours ago (0 children) I deleted Facebook in 2016. I deleted SnapChat in 2018 I deleted Instagram in 2019 I deleted Twitter in 2022 I deleted Whatsapp in 2022 Looks like I'm deleting Reddit in 2023 * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]ThatsCubbie 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (1 child) Full sight. Full support. We love you gang. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago (0 children) Thanks for your support! * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]LeBlindGuy -1 points0 points1 point 3 days ago (5 children) Hello, rblind mods, here is my suggestion for the worst case scenario, why don't the modst start a fundraising campaign to get donations? But why donatios you ask? With donations i think it would be possible to employ programmers to create an app with the same posting functions as reddit, but with more accessibility I know that this is just too extreme, but it sounds like a dream to me to have a social media with blind people as it's main focus * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 8 points9 points10 points 3 days ago (4 children) Hi! There is already open source software that might help us do this, and we're already chatting with developers like u/LaraStardust to help us understand if these solutions might be workable or not. However, for now, this is a back-up plan. Let's not give up on Reddit quite yet! If it turns out Reddit is no longer workable for us, you can expect to hear a lot more about what we need to preserve this community, and what we're planning. But for now, let's stay focused. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]boxer_dogs_dance 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (3 children) There was a large r/AskReddit thread discussion focused on users of the third party apps who want to leave if not accommodated. The following alternatives surfaced as plausible. Lemmy, Sift, Mainchan, FARK, Tildes, Co-host.org, dscvr.one. I have no knowledge of the accessibility of any of these sites. I support your fight and will help if I can. As an American, this is the kind of thing the ADA is meant to prevent. Either or both of litigation and lobbying congress to refine and clarify the law might help and won't hurt. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (2 children) Thanks for your reply! One of our key requirements is that the software we use is open source and can be self-hosted, while supporting federation in some way with other communities. This way, we could fork the software, or hire developers to make accessibility improvements to the code for us. If it turns out we need to move our community (and we still hope we don't), we want to move it in a way that will prevent the kind of thing happening now from ever happening again. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]boxer_dogs_dance 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (0 children) Best of luck. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]robertmeta 0 points1 point2 points 3 hours ago (0 children) Discourse has reasonable accessibility out of the box, and for me an amazing feature is its mailing list mode, as my mail setup has fantastic accessibility. It is open-source and updated regularly and these updates can be applied from a terminal, which is advantageous. If a large community like this moved to it, we could probably contribute developer effort directly as well as push up the issues we care about. Obviously, eye on the ball for the moment, but Discourse is not an awful fallback. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [+]BradLB22 comment score below threshold-6 points-5 points-4 points 3 days ago (2 children) I don't think this will do much but if it does, great! I like using Dystopia, and Reddit for the blind, but I can use the website if I need to. A couple of people have said this is specifically a blind/disabled people thing. I think those people need to realise the world doesn't revolve around us, we are a tiny fraction of this website. As much as you may not like it, the website is usable. There is still old Reddit and the new website, whilst clunky, is definitely usable. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 8 points9 points10 points 3 days ago (1 child) Here's the thing: you're basically right. This affects moderators more than users and blind users more than other users. Because of how it affects all of these people, it's not just a disability thing and there are many subreddits joining. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (0 children) Right. I hope this does do something. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Littlebiggran -2 points-1 points0 points 3 days ago (3 children) This reminds me of what seems a pattern. We get apps, a platform, a system that works for us. Then a unilateral decision is made (whether based or greed or uncari g boardrooms) that makes us unable to participate. I'd like to as the Mods here to come up with a protest line or statement that each of us can put on our profile page Mods: You said my last post didn't fit either r/blind or r/blindsurveys. I gave up but it was about (Facebook) George Abraham, an Indian activist for the blind, and his request for short podcast statements on accessibility. He represents a large contingent of three visually impaired and perhaps he could reach others for a larger impact. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]rumsterCreator of /r/blind & Accessibility Specialist and Adv.[M] 0 points1 point2 points 3 days ago (2 children) Can you send me a link to the posts or comments. I'm sorry we had issues w/ your post. The sub receives a lot of scam posts so you have to understand we have to very careful what we approve. Send me a direct PM thanks. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Littlebiggran 0 points1 point2 points 2 days ago (1 child) Facebook link * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Littlebiggran 0 points1 point2 points 2 days ago (0 children) And the document https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/ 1FAIpQLSc0xMVtqMaTxekYLeo-mI8ENvHr3VSXYtTgfgEteIycratEww/viewform * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]swigjr_23 -7 points-6 points-5 points 3 days ago (15 children) Nothing we do will change this. This is because Reddit is going public, and they need to make the platform look good to investers. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 11 points12 points13 points 3 days ago (14 children) I suspect you've got the motivation right, but a platform with no content isn't very profitable. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]swigjr_23 -5 points-4 points-3 points 3 days ago (13 children) I wonder how many sighted folks care enough to leave Reddit. After all, they can use the Reddit app or the website. Those folks won't be impacted by accessibility issues. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 9 points10 points11 points 3 days ago (2 children) Lots, actually. This is making mod's lives much harder, for example. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]swigjr_23 -2 points-1 points0 points 3 days ago (1 child) You are probably right, but I will believe it when I see it. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago (0 children) [squints] * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]ChunkMcHorkle 5 points6 points7 points 3 days ago* (3 children) I'm here, fully sighted, never been to this sub before but find myself wandering down the rabbit hole of subs that are participating in the June 12th blackout, and happened to come across your post. If it's okay with the mods, I'll answer you. As a sighted reader I am not directly impacted by accessibility issues, you're right about that. But I'm going regardless. The difference between you and I is that Reddit is actively letting you get booted off by removing your sole means of accessing the site, because they don't give a shit about accessibility, and simply repelling me into voluntarily leaving with all their other bloated adware. There are many very valid reasons third party apps are the go-to for Reddit users, and accessibility is only one. Reddit is shutting them all out, and whether booted off (you) or repulsed off (me) the end result is the same: Reddit is having an IPO later this year, and is doing this to funnel all content and all users through official portals where any/all monetization is exclusive to Reddit. You don't matter to them. I don't matter to them. The IPO matters to them, and that is ALL that matters. We are here to provide content and to consume ads, and that is all. If we don't want to do that, like me, or cannot, like you, then fuck us. Hence the blackout. I probably won't be in this sub again, but I hope I answered your question. Apologies for the intrusion. EDITED TO ADD: This also directly affects the Transcribers of Reddit, which is another part of making Reddit accessible for all. Here is what they have to say about this situation: https://old.reddit.com/r/ToR_Meta/comments/13yhnxa/ june_monthly_meta_not_quite_the_rainbow_we_were/ * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Sailing8-1 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (1 child) I am also able to see. Also my first time in this sub. Also gonna leave reddit in the dust when they kill the third party API access with that stupid pricing. I would love if like ALL of the mainly active subs hear about this and participate in this protest. After all - reddit comsumes our data and hoards it. On this protest day they should have no subreddit to be open and by that not a single user being interested in opening reddit. Let them feel the anger of us by them having take a look at their usage statistics going extrenly down. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 1 point2 points3 points 3 days ago (0 children) Thank you for your support. You can follow the links in the post and get other subs involved. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev[M] 1 point2 points3 points 3 days ago (0 children) Good stuff, thanks for backing us up p. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]nicolas17 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (2 children) Here's a list of other subreddits taking similar action: https:// old.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/13zr68f/heres\_a\_list\_of\ _subreddits\_that\_have\_gone\_private/ * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]CivetKittyOptic Nerve Hypoplasia 1 point2 points3 points 3 days ago (1 child) removed... * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 1 point2 points3 points 3 days ago (0 children) https://reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/1401qw5/ incomplete_and_growing_list_of_participating/ * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]PimpinNinja 2 points3 points4 points 3 days ago (1 child) Followed this thread here from a cross post. My wife and I will be leaving reddit when this goes through. We've both been here for over a decade. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]MostlyBlindGamerLegally blind software dev 3 points4 points5 points 3 days ago (0 children) Thank you for your support. We can still all try and do something about this. If it doesn't work out, we adapt. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Plenkr 0 points1 point2 points 2 days ago (0 children) r/Belgium is joining in the blackout. That's how I ended up here, they linked to this post to explain why this is an issue for blind folks. I'm disabled myself but not blind and I do care about fellow disabled people and I'm not alone: https://www.reddit.com/r/belgium/ comments/1418vav/announcement\_rbelgium\_joins\_reddits\_blackout/ * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [+]neosonic2 comment score below threshold-8 points-7 points-6 points 3 days ago (11 children) Simple solution to this problem: if none of the current moderators can moderate this subreddit when Reddit's changes go into effect, then just find someone who can, even if that user is sighted. If all other solutions or workarounds fail, remember there are billions of people in the world who are able to use Reddit without issues and whom, I'm sure, would have no problems moderating this or other communities. Also, remember that Reddit offers several official ways to access its service, so just because third party client access may be going away, this doesn't mean that nobody who is visually impaired will ever be able to access Reddit again, or even that the company's official. offerings present unsurmountable challenges to every visually impaired user either. Users need to decide for themselves how accessible the official offerings are and, if they feel they will be impacted by the upcoming changes, they can make individual decisions based on such an impact. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]fastfingeborn blind 4 points5 points6 points 2 days ago (3 children) We'll close the sub if most blind people can't moderate or participate. We're not interested in having a sub where sighted moderators run a community where other sighted people talk about blindness, in a place where most blind people can't be present and part of the conversation. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]neosonic2 -3 points-2 points-1 points 2 days ago (2 children) Then close the subreddit if that's what you feel is best. You aren't the only community on the Internet and blind and sighted users have other options, and will continue to do so even after Reddit's changes are implemented. It would be one thing if this were the be-all, end-all place for blind and sighted individuals to congregate and discuss blindness, but the fact of the matter is that there are other places on the Internet for this as well. This subreddit has certainly been an important community, but if it or others close the world will not burn down. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]suitcaseismyhome 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (1 child) You are looking at this from a very narrow lens. It (wrongly) assumes that most of us only use this sub. I've stated elsewhere that I don't want to be limited and want to still actively participate in the subs where I was a member prior to losing my vision. This isn't about the r/blind sub, it's about the members of this sub continuing to have access to ALL subs and communities .We are already physically isolated, and don't want to be further isolated by migrating to a site/location specifically for the visually impaired. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]neosonic2 -3 points-2 points-1 points 1 day ago (0 children) Reddit and its official offerings are not 100% inaccessible to blind people, and will continue to be usable by both the sighted and the blind even after third party client access is revoked. Yes, there are accessibility issues and things that can be improved, but the service is not 100% unusable by the visually impaired. Thus, if you want to continue participating in this and other subreddits when third party client access is revoked, assuming you currently depend on such access, you should be able to adjust to using Reddit's official offerings even if they may not be as accessible as third-party offerings you are accustomed to. If you aren't able to do that, then you can always find another platform besides Reddit that better meets your accessibility needs, or you can learn to develop accessible web applications and create your own platform, showing up Reddit one day with your platform's superior accessibility. I believe you and many others assume, quite incorrectly I might add, that Reddit will become unusable just because it will start forcing users to use its official offerings, but this is far from the case because as I said it's official offerings are not 100% inaccessible. If you want to continue using the platform so badly, you'll adjust, I'm sure. If not, then I'm sure you aware Reddit is not the only website on the Internet for communicating with individuals and groups. Remember though that having to use a company's official service offerings does not equate to being "limited"; rather it equates to following the rules set out by that company and using what they provide for you to use. You can still actively participate in Reddit through its official interfaces, and if you can't then the issue either lies with (1) your understanding of and expertise in technology, which is something you can resolve, or (2) an issue on Reddit's end that they may resolve (though they are not obligated to do so). * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]SiriuslyGranger 1 point2 points3 points 2 days ago (5 children) And what if the other solutions are not accessible anyway? Are you blind or are you just scabbing for the reddit admins because this is what it looks like you're a scab. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]neosonic2 -4 points-3 points-2 points 2 days ago (4 children) If the other solutions aren't accessible, then either find a solution (the old Reddit site, the new one, one of its mobile apps) that you can tolerate (even if it has issues), or don't use Reddit and find another platform that meets your accessibility needs. It's really that simple. The fact is that Reddit as a company has the right to do what it believes is best for its platform and, ultimately, for its bottom line (since its primary goal as a business is to make money in whatever way it can). If you don't like the choices Reddit is making, and can't tolerate their offerings, then you are welcome to move on to another platform. If I as a blind person can use Reddit's website with minimal accessibility issues, then that means it is possible for others to do so as well, or at least to learn to do so or as I said learn to tolerate Reddit's current offerings. If all of Reddit were completely inaccessible, i.e. had 0% accessibility, that would be one thing. But that is clearly not the case and will continue to not be the case even after third party apps go away. Reddit is usable by the visually impaired, though perhaps to a greater extent for some than for others, but that doesn't mean it is 100% inaccessible. And you're right - I am in favor of the changes Reddit is making, just like I was in favor of the changes Twitter made regarding third-party apps. Both companies are businesses that have complete control over their platforms and can make whatever decisions they feel will help their bottom line, as I said above. Keeping users on their own platforms, where ads can more easily be served, revenue can more easily be generated, and new platform features and fixes can be deployed, without having to worry about third-party applications being updated to support the latest platform changes. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]SiriuslyGranger 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago (3 children) Isn't it possible this is a bit narrow minded? I mean, what about trying to acomodate folks, why is it wrong to advocate for inclusion and accessibility for all? * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]neosonic2 -3 points-2 points-1 points 1 day ago (2 children) Inclusion and accessibility for all can be found in Reddit making their own, first-party offerings more accessible, something they would have an incentive to take up if they moved everyone to their own offerings and removed access to third party applications. Accessibility for all doesn't have to by any means include allowing third parties access to your platform, or even access for what you may deem a reasonable fee. Moving everyone to Reddit's official offerings allows them to earn more revenue (by, for example, preventing people from using a third-party client that might not show them ads), allows them to control the end user experience, allows them to deliver features, improvements, and security fixes faster, prevents platform fragmentation, and, as previously stated, can (if done properly) result in a more accessible experience should Reddit choose to improve the accessibility of their first-party offerings. But at the end of the day - it's Reddit's bottom line that is ultimately at stake here, end users be damned. They are going to do whatever they feel is best to maintain that bottom line because they are first and foremost a for-profit business. One can hope that they recognize that improving accessibility of their first-party offerings will subsequently result in a better bottom line because more users will end up using their service, but this is ultimately for those at Reddit to decide. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]SiriuslyGranger 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (1 child) So what if reddit is unwilling to make their own stuff accessible then what? Because people apparently have tried and they are not willing. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]neosonic2 -2 points-1 points0 points 1 day ago (0 children) Then depending on how much you are set on using their services, you make do with the accessibility they do provide (again their services are not 100% inaccessible and actually can be used by the visually impaired), or you leave the platform and find another service that better meets your needs. It's simple, really. You could even learn to develop web applications and build your own service and show Reddit up one day should you so choose. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]BradLB22 -1 points0 points1 point 2 days ago (0 children) what other ways are there apart from old reddit and the new website? I've tried teddit but you can't seam to log in there. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [+]mrg3rry comment score below threshold-11 points-10 points-9 points 3 days ago (1 child) Why is no one going after ChatGPT or other large language, model, or AI sites as this is why Reddit hast to raise its prices * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]stas-prze 6 points7 points8 points 3 days ago (0 children) That's just factually untrue, I'm sorry to say. The entire reason why Reddit is raizing their prices is money, nothing more. If LLM's were the problem, then they would only raize the prices for bulk downloading of the data. Instead they're raizing them for small devs also. So please, stop with your bullshit and go touch some grass. * permalink * embed * save * parent * report * give award * reply [-]Papa_G_Glaucoma 0 points1 point2 points 3 hours ago (0 children) I'm half blind and I support your decision. Accessibility is something that needs to be a priority for everyone. Reddit is screwing up! * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]borlak 0 points1 point2 points 2 hours ago (0 children) You should make the shutdown open-ended. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]vogelke 0 points1 point2 points 53 minutes ago (0 children) I'm VI (legally blind in one eye) and it's good to hear about the consequences of this stupid API decision. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply [-]First-Radish727 0 points1 point2 points 11 minutes ago (0 children) Not blind, but I am extremely hard of hearing. I didn't know until this moment that Reddit and screen readers don't work. Horrible! I am very used to being left behind by social media platforms. I hope the boycott is effective. * permalink * embed * save * report * give award * reply * about * blog * about * advertising * careers * help * site rules * Reddit help center * reddiquette * mod guidelines * contact us * apps & tools * Reddit for iPhone * Reddit for Android * mobile website * <3 * reddit premium * reddit coins Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. (c) 2023 reddit inc. All rights reserved. REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc. [pixel] p Rendered by PID 59780 on reddit-service-r2-loggedout-546ff6bb4c-mzbmw at 2023-06-07 23:00:50.041155+00:00 running f58cad0 country code: US.