[community] Cryptocurrency and Accessibility (!)

[Feriyal Hallajarani]

Hello Rylan,

100% agree, there's a big problem with Bitcoin when it comes to the
softwares. I did some research to find an accessible Bitcoin Wallet, but
unfortunately couldn't find one. Do you have any recommendations or
experience of using one? I read about "MultiBit" in an article, but the
wallet is not available anymore. You can find the article here at:
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-needs-accessible-visually-impaired/

I use "Blockchain" wallet which asks for fingerprint touch as an
alternative way of entering your password.

Thanks,

*Feriyal Hallajarani *| Sr. QA Analyst for Accessibility  | CIBC Business &
Corporate Banking Technology
55 Yonge St., 12th Floor , Toronto, ON | Tel: (416) 594-8331
Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/feriyalharani
Feriyal.Hallajarani at cibc.com
Feriyal.Hallajarani at nttdata.com
feriyal.hallaj at gmail.com

On Mon, Oct 9, 2017 at 7:22 AM, Rylan Vroom <dj.sonr at gmail.com> wrote:

> Good morning, you ask many good questions here. First of all, automated
> banking are at least someone accessible in North America. They come with
> screen reading, large print, and larger button capabilities, at least those
> of the five big banks in Canada and many of the big banks in the US.
>
> Now, regarding crypto currency‘s, one of the big things to consider is the
> software that manages the block chain. I can tell you that from Aquinas
> perspective, the main bitcoin network software has many accessibility
> issues. Therefore, it is difficult to make a log transactions using the
> software. Fortunately though, there are other third-party software to fill
> this gap. I do not have issues using bitcoin myself.
> I think you’re absolutely right, this system would create many barriers
> for people of different abilities. One of which is the wallet it’s self.
> How would somebody with cognitive disabilities remember a passphrase?
>
>  that from a money point ofview though, transitioning to a digital
> currency like will only increase accessibility. The user still gets the
> anonymity of cash, but with the Accessibility of their bitcoin wallet of
> choice. Therefore, the lack in braille on cash becomes less of an issue.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Oct 8, 2017, at 3:16 PM, Feriyal Hallajarani <fh12li at student.ocadu.ca>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm recently very intrigued by the idea of Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
> > Technologies. Although the system itself is really young (It was invented
> > in 2009, by an unknown person/group of people named "Satoshi
> > Nakamoto".) and has a long way to go, but it has already attracted lots
> of
> > attentions. People no more look at this idea as a financial technology,
> but
> > more as a cultural and political shift in the society.
> >
> > I'm sure so many of you heard that Bitcoin is (or could be) the future of
> > money. I personally think of all the positive changes that this
> technology
> > can make in order to build an inclusive society. Lets make a list of all
> > the possible barriers that people with different abilities might face
> > during their day to day use of money:
> >
> >   - The physical money itself is not accessible at all, some countries
> >   still don't have braille fonts on the money.
> >   - Banks and ATM machines are not accessible for people with
> >   disabilities.
> >   - When you go to another country, you need to learn their currency and
> >   do all the math to know the prices. It causes issues for people with
> >   cognitive disabilities.
> >
> > And as you know the list can continue with more problems that exist in
> our
> > current financial systems.
> >
> > Now getting back to bitcoin, considering that the transactions take place
> > between users in different geographical locations directly, through their
> > "Digital Wallets" and recorded in the "Blockchain", the development of
> this
> > system can fix lots of the mentioned accessibility problems in our list.
> > And not to forget, I find that Bitcoin can save the planet and our last
> > drops of the natural resources too, as the whole system is digital.
> >
> > That's why I would love to know your thoughts about Crypotocurrency
> systems
> > and accessibility? I would also appreciate if you can share with me any
> > article you've read related to this topic.
> >
> > Here is a link if you're more interested to know about bitcoin,
> > written by Jameson
> > Lopp, he is a software engineer at BitGo, creator of statoshi.info and
> > founder of bitcoinsig.com. :
> > https://www.coindesk.com/nobody-understands-bitcoin-thats-ok/
> >
> > Thanks and best regards,
> >
> > *Feriyal Hallajarani *| Sr. QA Analyst for Accessibility  | CIBC
> Business &
> > Corporate Banking Technology
> > 55 Yonge St., 12th Floor , Toronto, ON | Tel: (416) 594-8331
> > Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/feriyalharani
> > Feriyal.Hallajarani at cibc.com
> > Feriyal.Hallajarani at nttdata.com
> > feriyal.hallaj at gmail.com
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