I have often privately been accused of being an “Apple fan boy” by some in the past. Perhaps, to some degree, this might be true. However, as a blind user of technology, my “loyalty” and overall opinions are based on experience and interactions with my clients and other users.
Thus, I am going to post to consecutive articles in this posting from a clcient I worked with in the past, Donna Jodhan. More than that, she has become a friend, and I value her opinions quite a bit. The following might seem “controversal” to some in regard to the nature of this website, but I feel that Donna makes some valid points here. Also keep in mind that I walked her journey with her and can attest to her experiences.
I will preface the following by indicating that there are efforts behind the scenes to “correct” or “fix” the exam issues mentioned in the articles, but that has yet to come to pass as actually “moving” in that direction at the date of this post.
Here is Donna’s words with her first article:
The Apple announcement
In response to an Apple announcement on December 19 2023, I write the following and respectfully ask the Apple team to respond to my queries by writing to me at donnajodhan@gmail.com.
In 2021, I successfully completed an Apple certification Support Professional certification with the assistance of a Procter through the Pearson Onvue company. However, I sadly state that Pearson’s online system failed to accommodate my needs as a vision impaired person despite having had a proctor to assist me. For starters, the promised additional time that Pearson said that they would give to me to complete my exam did not materialize.
Next, my qualified proctor had great difficulty describing images within questions, and finally he had to spend a great deal of time ensuring that I understood several of the questions based on their structure.
In short, it was impossible for me to complete my exam independently as a vision impaired person.
Upon contacting Pearson to engage with them to see how they could make their exams more accessible to vision impaired persons, I was quite shocked that in actuality they did not test their online system before hand for accessibility. In addition, the Apple team emphatically stated that the onus would be on Pearson to make their exams accessible to me.
Yes; I succeeded in passing my exam but the experience on the whole was nerve racking and it did not help that during the course of my engagement, the Pearson team wanted me to sign an NDA while at the same time refusing to pay me for my time.
I continue to hear horror stories of blind/vision impaired persons continuing to encounter insurmountable challenges when attempting to write various Apple exams and I am now respectfully asking both Apple and Pearson to have an open engagement with me to see how we can rectify this. For after all; Apple says that access matters so now it is time for to put their money where their mouth is.
The following is the Apple announcement.
Updated course content and exams based on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma.
On December 19, Apple launched exciting new updates, including course content and exams based on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma.
Here’s what’s changed:
Apple Device Support introduces you to the skills, tools, and knowledge you need to support and troubleshoot Apple devices in an organization as a level 1 or 2 help desk professional.
The prerequisite to pass the Apple Device Support exam prior to the Apple Deployment and Management exam has been removed. IT professionals now have more flexibility to take the course and exam that align better with their role.
The courses are free, open to the public, and available online. Exams cost $149 USD and are delivered in an online-proctored format through Pearson OnVUE .
If it’s been a while, consider earning these new industry-recognized certifications from Apple. Visit the Apple Training website for more information.
Apple Deployment and Management introduces you to the tools, services, and best practices you need to deploy, secure, and manage Apple devices at scale in organizations.
Each course is self-paced, and includes articles, tutorials, and linked resources. Use the Planning for the Exam section and sample questions to help you prepare for the exam. If you pass the exam, you earn the corresponding digital badge, which is valid for 2 years from the date issued by Apple.
Just my two cents for today.
Image = A green apple whose surface is cracked and full of deep fissures.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit www.donnajodhan.com
Article #2:
What does Apple really mean by the slogan access matters?
I am respectfully asking the Apple company to enlighten us further! For whereas I would consider this slogan to be one that can probably give us hope, there needs to be more than this to convince persons with disabilities that Apple and other technology giants are prepared to walk the talk.
For too long we have been hearing and listening to those high profile technology companies tell us that yes! They are committed to ensuring that accessibility is important and that they are going to work to ensure that persons with disabilities are not being left behind but alas!
We are still waiting for concrete action! We continue to wait for them to develop software, hardware, apps, and websites that show us that indeed! Access matters!
We continue to wait for them to start engaging in meaningful communication! We continue to wait for them to use their influence to pressure their third party vendors to get serious when it comes to using user testers with lived experience to test and verify their products.
So when Apple tells us “access matters”, we need more than lip service! Show us that you mean it! Show us that you will take the next step and do it now instead of maybe tomorrow!
This is my call for other technology giants to do the same! Apple is not the only culprit here!
Time to get going!
Just my two cents for today.
Image = A green apple whose surface is cracked and full of deep fissures.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit www.donnajodhan.com
