‘Very, very anxious’: Bushfire app stops working for the blind

The app has not been correctly configured to work with a screen reader, which previously read out a list of nearby hazards.

Donna Purcell, who is legally blind and uses a guide dog for mobility, lives in Mount Ku-ring-gai, in Sydney’s far north, just one street back from the bush.

She noticed the app became impossible to navigate in October after having relied heavily on it over the years to provide early fire warnings.

“There’s often smoke around because we are so close to the bush, and you just don’t know if the fire is on our side ... or is it a real fire or a hazard burn?”

“It makes you feel very, very anxious that information isn’t there,” Ms Purcell said.

The NSW Rural Fire Service told The Australian Financial Review it was “actively working … to scope and add accessibility features and enhance the app for a broad range of users”.

A spokesman for the RFS said it first became aware of a specific concern regarding accessibility on November 29.

The RFS and Customer Service NSW did not directly respond to questions about whether the Hazards Near Me app met the NSW government’s standards for digital accessibility.

Opposition digital government spokesman James Griffin said the Minns government needed to fix the issue immediately.

“Following the NSW flood inquiry we know that a trusted single source of truth during a natural disaster will save lives. Confidence in, and accessibility of official information is paramount as we head into a busy summer,” Mr Griffin said.

With the return of hot and dry El Nino conditions, authorities have warned of a high risk of bushfires this summer after a quiet two seasons that followed the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires.

There were 63 fires burning across NSW on Tuesday morning, including 15 that were yet to be contained.

Ms Purcell, who complained to the RFS about the app four weeks ago, said that now if she smells smoke when she is home alone she has to ask a neighbour for information.

“It takes one’s independence away … it’s so frustrating when organisations change things and don’t maintain accessibility,” Ms Purcell said.

Kimberlee Brooker, who lost her sight completely when she was five years old, said she now felt “completely unprepared” living next to 60 hectares of fire-prone bushland in Picton, outside Sydney.

“It’s just such a dangerous situation not knowing where the hazards are. There could be one right there, and you don’t even know about it,” Ms Brooker said.

“The frustrating thing is this app used to be compatible with screen readers so it’s such a step backwards, a programming fix would help alleviate so much stress for so many in my position especially heading into such a dangerous season like this.”

Ms Brooker graduated from a law degree in 2018 but gave up her previous career as a solicitor because law firms did not have software that was accessible for her to use.

“It was so deflating to have done a law degree and in hopes that I would be able to practise as a solicitor, but then it was so challenging to find employment … the accessibility of software is such a huge issue,” said Ms Brooker, who works for Guide Dogs NSW.

Guide Dogs NSW general manager Tamara Searant said she was “extremely concerned” when she heard from the organisation’s regional and rural clients that such a crucial app had become inaccessible.

“This is reflective of a bigger problem. Technology is a gateway to information, services, social connection and employment. Yet digital accessibility is always an afterthought,” Ms Searant said.