TUMWATER, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Commerce is working to fix technical accessibility issues for visually impaired business owners seeking relief.
The state is offering grants of up to $20,000 to small business owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and applicants must fill out applications online.
Shannon Warnke, who is legally blind and relies on enlarging images on her computer, said she could not complete the application without help from her son.
“I would have been screwed,” said Warnke, who runs the cafeteria at the state’s Department of Labor & Industries Tumwater headquarters.
“Not everybody has a sighted person in the house living with them,” said Warnke.
Robert Ott, who has been fully blind since 1990, said his software that verbalizes what is seen on the screen does not work on the website.
A Department of Commerce spokesperson said they have received complaints from visually impaired business owners and said the website’s vendor is working on a fix.
The spokesperson suggested anyone with questions about the grant process reach out to the department online or by phone at (360) 725-5003.