As someone who is vision impaired, I – along with millions of others globally – rely heavily on screen-readers to perform everyday tasks, including for accessing social media platforms like Facebook. The removal of Facebook's basic version, mbasic.facebook.com, has made a significant impact on us, as it has rendered the application virtually inaccessible to screen-reader users who wish to access it from a laptop or computer. In practical terms, these are just some of the issues it causes for a screen-reader user:

1. Extremely cluttered pages with too much information for the screen-reader to read in a way that makes any sense.
2. Screen-reader constantly loses focus, making it impossible for the user to know where they are on the page.
3. Screen-reader arbitrarily reads out irrelevant text when attempting to type posts, making it impossible to know what text is actually appearing on the screen.

For some of us, including myself, the basic version of Facebook plays an integral role in our profession. I manage a Facebook group as part of my work, and the current situation now makes this task difficult, if not impossible. 
Due to the change, a large population of blind and vision-impaired people are being marginalized and will likely no longer use Facebook if the basic version is not reactivated. The current situation not only infringes on our right to information and social interaction, but also impacts our professional lives. With the reinstatement of the basic version and Messenger within this version, Facebook can ensure its platform is accessible to all, as it previously was for several years. 
To ensure that inclusivity and digital equality are prioritized, sign this petition and support our appeal for Facebook to restore the basic version and Messenger integration within. Together, let's be the voice for millions of blind and vision impaired individuals who are currently sidelined in the digital realm.