Mastodawn

スコット Mar 6, 2023

I'm posting this partially to acknowledge progress and to thank all who made it happen, but also to encourage those who get discouraged and think that one individual can't change anything big.
In 2018, I received my Census code in the mail. I'm totally blind and had difficulty performing OCR on the code, so I asked the Census Help Line if I could have the code texted to me. They first said that would be fine, but then said they couldn't do it for "security reasons" a standard phrase that is often used to fob people off.
After I issued a media release, being interviewed by several. media organisations and the Minister being asked to comment, a senior official from Statistics NZ actually came to our house on a Sunday afternoon to read me my code, which was absurd.
I started a Parliamentary petition. I appeared before a Select Committee. The Committee was sympathetic. I got a personal apology from the Minister sent to me as an inaccessible PDF image so they had to send it a second time. But in the end, I got a commitment that yes, blind people count and this debacle would never happen again.
Here we are in 2023 and its census time again. This year, I went to the fully accessible website, completed a fully accessible form to get my code texted to me, and have now completed the fully accessible form. I know this wouldn't have happened had I not taken a stand.
So when you think you can't change things for the better, please don't sell yourself short. Each of us have the ability, and I maintain we have the duty, to make good change in the world.
Thank you to all those involved in Government at all levels for getting it so right this time.

JeremyJupiterJones

@JonathanMosen Well done Jonathan.

Vincarsi Mar 4, 2023

@JonathanMosen Speaking of getting involved in politics at all levels: When an old Punk legend ran for our city council, my punk hubby and I voted for him. He got in by a mere handful of votes. He proposed and championed a tenant protection plan that makes sure people aren't displaced by new condo developments. That program is now the only reason we are still able to live in this city now that our old building is being torn down.
If you want a vote that counts, start with local politics.

Tim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPE Mar 5, 2023

@Vincarsi @JonathanMosen In the UK at least, two thirds of people are perfectly happy with local politics, as witnessed by the fact that they can't be arsed to vote.

On the original post, yes, the trick is to attract the attention of someone who's going to think "oh shit, yeah, right, we'd better fix this".

@jaybird110127 @JonathanMosen I wonder if this would work in a system as big as the US. I don't know how much is state-based and how much is federal. I should ask somebody.

MWT Mar 5, 2023

@x0 @jaybird110127 @JonathanMosen
It would in fact not. People living in small countries have the luxury of being able to talk directly to their governments and getting useful responses back. Multiple times in the past, I've marvelled at people in NZ, who were previously from a small country in Europe, asking me "why not just go to your [govt entity] to plead your case? Surely they'd do something." Ha ha ha...

To get useful change in the U.S., you'd have to be like Stacey Abrams.

Ryan J. Yoder Mar 5, 2023

@mwt @x0 @jaybird110127 @JonathanMosen that seems a bit pessimistic. Change like this can definitely happen at the state level. Admittedly it's less likely to happen at the federal level.

Laura J Mixon Mar 5, 2023

@ryanjyoder @mwt @x0 @jaybird110127 @JonathanMosen But because states have a lot of power to affect people’s lives, it still really matters. And state-level advances can have a huge impact on federal policy. It definitely works; it just takes more time.

Kevin R Jones Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen hello over there, Wondering how you got the Drafts app working with chat GPT google isn't helping over here. When I read you had Drafts working with Mastodon I also found that action and installed it, will be very convenient.

Jonathan Mosen Mar 5, 2023

@kevinrj There are a couple of Chat GPT actions in the Directory. The one I have is called Chat GPT Conversation. It’s epic! I’ve assigned it to a hotkey, and after I press it, the text of the Draft is sent to Chat GPT, then its response is appended to the same draft.

Evan Prodromou Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen thanks for your hard work!

Terence Eden Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen more power to your elbow!
Glad you were able to make a difference.

Lars Marowsky-Brée 😷Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen Well done. Also, New Zealand often is the last remnant of hope in this world.

Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen that's wonderful. Thank you for pushing for change and making it happen.

Dr. Tineke D'Haeseleer Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen @n0toose so when we hear stories about how amazing and progressive NZ politics and services are, we need to remember there are amazing and tenacious people like you behind that, who demand to be treated like they should: equal, with dignity and respect. It doesn’t happen without the citizens making it happen, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Thank you for sharing, it’s inspiring!

Mike Berring Mar 5, 2023

Well played, sir

John Caveney woke is me🛠️Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen 💪🏼

Damian Yerrick Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen I wonder how much of this conception that one person can't change much is caused by lack of general knowledge about how to issue such a media release.

Jonathan Mosen Mar 5, 2023

@PinoBatch I certainly think constructive self-advocacy skills aren’t taught enough. Perhaps all those who lament the lack of civics classes in school have a point.

MissScott01 Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen And this it’s how it’s done. Thanks for the encouragement, and congrats!

Annie Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen Serious question: do you think you’d have been as successful without Ardern in leadership during that time?

Jonathan Mosen Mar 5, 2023

@anne Absolutely! She was no particular friend of disabled people and tends to be thought more fondly of overseas than here.

Annie Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen I guess I don't have much of an opinion one way or another, other than observing she was a darling of the foreign press.

I just always wonder how important it is to have one group of people in power versus another. It's all about optics, right? Even if she wasn't friendly to a particular cause, perhaps responding favorably was... expedient.

In the '70s, my father went to our state leaders with data, imploring them to do something about our local lake (it's big; 14th largest in the country). He said, "Look! The lake is dying." And the response was, "Yes, yes, we know but it's not popular to talk about that right now so we can't do anything." And indeed, nothing was done until decades later when it began to obviously impact the tourism economy.

Jonathan Mosen Mar 5, 2023

@anne Yes I think we are fortunate here in that for the most part, #accessibility issues aren’t perceived as a left or right issue. For example blind people here can vote by phone, and that was achieved during the tenure of the previous right of centre Government.

Annie Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen You ARE fortunate!

DDR Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen Wow, what an absolute debacle. I'm really glad you were actually able to pressure them into fixing it. Damn fine work!

Andrew Wooldridge 🌱Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen that's so badass (excuse my wording) but you rock.

Interpipes 💙Mar 5, 2023

@JonathanMosen it does help if you live in a country with a functional government that gives a shit about it’s citizens, of course :)

bendur Mar 5, 2023

Likely Jan Lukas Mar 6, 2023

@JonathanMosen @smiteri

Well done! 🙂 I'm sorry it took so much work to get them to do the right thing. ☹️

Dancingwiththebeloved Mar 6, 2023

@JonathanMosen well done! Thanks for sharing this story.

Oregon Wine Woman Mar 6, 2023

@JonathanMosen
Bravo!

gunstick Mar 6, 2023

@JonathanMosen and now that you can fill out the census, you are so happy you go buy some champagne to celebrate.
And can't pay for it because the shop has one of these new touchscreen payment teminals without keys and which randomizes the location of the buttons each time.
It is so bad even people who see have issues as they memorize the positions and not the numbers.

Jonathan Mosen Mar 6, 2023

@gunstick The work is never done.

John G Fitzgerald Mar 6, 2023

@JonathanMosen Well done.

Steve Mann Mar 7, 2023

@JonathanMosen I'd love to know how to get Social security in america to make things more accessible. According to them, the only way they can send letters is via snail mail, IE print letters, which do me no good at all, and they also use "security" as the excuse as to why they can't simply email blind people's letters to them. they've got a website, and some things can be done online, so to me, there's no need for them to be using "security" as a reason for not emailing notifications and so forth to blind people. I've been battling to get accessible notifications from them for years on end, and so far, I'm still where I started in 2014 or thereabouts.

Lisa Mar 7, 2023

@maerlynofmiria @JonathanMosen i wish to say this sighted paoeple can just open your letterd and read them how secure is that? re security?

Steve Mann Mar 7, 2023

@liseo @JonathanMosen Yeah, basically, someone you may not know that well has access to your information thanks to having to read your letter to you. Same reason I'm glad I have an app I use to do my banking, as i don't need anyone getting my banking information.

Lisa Mar 7, 2023

@maerlynofmiria @JonathanMosen same here you no whats bad? they sed us to letters! one in print for me and another in print for my mother like they never learn its the same dam letter sent twice to the same address just to to different peopel you twits

Steve Mann Mar 7, 2023

@liseo @JonathanMosen And what's worse is, even though they insist on doing periodical reviews to make sure you're still blind, they suddenly forget that when sending printed letters.

Lisa Mar 8, 2023

@maerlynofmiria @JonathanMosen YEP AND THEY ALSO FORGET THAT YOU BLINDNESS MEANS YOUR NOT GETTING ANY BLINDIDDIDER

Steve Mann Mar 8, 2023

@liseo @JonathanMosen they overlook that, but the overlooking is very convenient, as there's some stuff they make sure not to overlook. You get even a little extra money, they're all ready to cut you off.

Lisa Mar 8, 2023

@maerlynofmiria @JonathanMosen yep also you didd read ther letters? no excuses on that shit eather

Steve Mann Mar 8, 2023

@liseo @JonathanMosen I still say their printed letters are a security risk. after all, all your information is in those letters, and the person reading siad letters could very easily write the information down without your knowing it and suddenly, you're cleaned out.

Lisa Mar 8, 2023

@maerlynofmiria @JonathanMosen me to liek give us accounts with messages or secure emails or something better rather than easy to rip and read print

Steve Mann Mar 8, 2023

@liseo @JonathanMosen Exactly.

Jared Rimer Mar 7, 2023

@maerlynofmiria @JonathanMosen @devinprater they won't send email as email is inherriently not a secure method of communication. You can ask for braille and they will send that as I have braille and print coming here. With that said, they also put those on the SSA web site from what I can gather, so you can get them accessibly there too.

Sita Capak Mar 7, 2023

@JonathanMosen Well done!

AL Mar 12, 2023

@JonathanMosen a good story, thanks. It sounds like you are fortunate enough to live in a country that still has a working democracy.

betonglen Mar 21, 2023

thank you for sharing and so needed to hear this.