Please Take Care

In designing your website's features and offerings please take care to plan in advance and make sure that all services offered through them are accessible to folks with disabilities. Today, with regret, I had to send the following e-mail to the folks at Apress:

Dear Apress --

Today I received my online ordered copy of your book Pro Drupal Development. I purchased the book from Amazon.com. I was excited when I turned to the last page and discovered an offer for an e-book version for only $10. But I was disappointed to find out that in order to take advantage of the offer I had to compete in a timed contest; I had to find a specific word on a specific page within 60 seconds.

Even though I tried, it is physically impossible for me to succeed in a timed contest. You see, I am physically disabled. I have cerebral palsy and cannot use my arms and hands quickly. I am what they call a cerebral palsy quadriplegic. I use an electric wheelchair for personal transportation. I'm also writing this letter to you via means of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking dictation software.

I did find the word I was supposed to submit on the page I was supposed to look for. But by the time I did so my time had run out. And your system does not seem to allow me an opportunity to try a second time. Is there some other way I could qualify to receive the e-book version for $10?

I currently have an online website accessible at http://www.oflanagans.net/NorthCalViews . I developed it using the Joomla CMS software suite. But I hope to be able to develop effective sites using Drupal.

Please write me back and let me know how I might obtain an e-book version copy of this book you have published. By the way; did you consider the possibility that the timed contest might be in violation of requirements that websites not discriminate against persons with disabilities? The timed nature of the contest has certainly made it, and the material which might otherwise be available to website visitors, inaccessible to me.