That's fair enough, I was just curious. On 2 Dec 2009, at 14:21, Chris Hofstader wrote:
> I think VO does a poor job with spreadsheets, containing none of the semantic > navigation features in JAWS or WE. It generally does a hardly adequate job > in all tabular constructs and struggles with complex web 2.0 apps like > googledocs. > On Dec 1, 2009, at 5:47 PM, James & Nash wrote: > >> Hi, >> >> I'm not looking to upset anyone, but can I ask why do you think that VO and >> NVDA are not quite up to the standard set by JFW and We? >> >> Mac OS X 10.6 set the VO bar extremely high. This release has made VO a >> fully functional and viable solution for Blind computer users who wish to >> use a Mac. I am not saying that improvements do not need to be made, but >> that goes for all of the Screen Readers on all of the platforms and the >> operating systems generally. I admit that prior to this, whilst VO was very >> good, it did not quite hit the mark, and Apple's approach to accessibility >> seemed to be stagnating - and so I migrated back to Windows. This was a >> personal choice though. >> >> Keep in mind, that; NVDA, Orca and VO work in a very different way to JFW >> and Window Eyes. All three use object navigation - a concept which allows us >> as blind users to gain an idea of what our sighted co-workers etc are seeing >> on the screen. This is a radical concept, and one which Apple has been >> slammed for pursuing. It is also worth remembering that both Orca and Voice >> Over are being used on operating systems which are fundamentally and vastly >> different to Windows, both in concept and design. >> >> I do not mean this to be a patronising or condescending E-Mail, I am just >> curious as to why you think VO is not yet up to the standard of the >> commercial offerings of the Windows world? Please bare in mind, that these >> are just my opinions. If you'd like to discuss this further, please contact >> me of list as i think we may be going off topic here. >> >> TC >> >> James >> >> >> On 1 Dec 2009, at 22:10, John G. Heim wrote: >> >>> Several years ago, Microsoft began working on improvements to narrator that >>> would make it a realistically usable screen reader. But the National >>> Federation of the Blind asked them to stop. The reasoning was that if >>> Microsoft improved narrator, it might drive Freedom Scientific and GW Micro >>> out of business. They thought that narrator would never reach the quality >>> of >>> Jaws and window-eyes yet it might still be good enough to drive those >>> products out of the market. >>> >>> Obviously, that decision was somewhat controversial at the time. I argued >>> that it made no sense to think that narrator could be at once too crummy to >>> be used and at the same time good enough to drive jFS and GWM out of >>> business. I didn't anticipate the development of the other free screen >>> readers, voiceover, nvda, and orca. But certainly, that's another point >>> against the NFB position. >>> >>> On the other hand, I don't think I'd like to switch to voiceover or nvda >>> full-time. They are not quite up to the standard set by jaws yet. >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Lynn Schneider" <canepri...@gmail.com> >>> To: <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >>> Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 10:54 PM >>> Subject: Re: Economics and the Mac >>> >>> >>> I purchased my first Apple computer about three months ago. I will never >>> forget the feeling of complete surprise and joy at being able to just turn >>> the iMac on and get it talking within minutes. Microsoft is not to blame >>> for not having default Windows access out of the box, blind people are to >>> blame. As Mark said, thinking outside the box can get you into hot water. >>> A few years ago on a blindness-related list, I made the cataclysmic mistake >>> of expressing my wish that some day, windows would be accessible out of the >>> box. You would not believe the hate mail I received from tons of blind >>> people basically saying that I wanted a free lunch, I was ungrateful for >>> all >>> the hard work and research of the screen reader companies, etc. etc. >>> Honestly, it was totally shocking to me that I would get such ire for >>> simply >>> suggesting that we ought to have access to something our sighted peers take >>> for granted without having to pay thousands of dollars extra. But, being >>> on >>> this list and seeing all the other blind switchers out there, I feel at >>> least a tiny bit vindicated, as blind people are starting to see the >>> benefits of universal access. I really think it is the young blind people >>> who are going to demand universal access, at least I hope so. They are the >>> ones who are going to benefit most from being able to buy an iPhone or iPod >>> Touch like their peers and just start using the thing, and they are >>> hopefully going to demand more of that. With chips being so cheap now, >>> there is absolutely no reason why universal access cannot be built right >>> into things. The best thing we can all do is to spread the word far and >>> wide about what Apple has been able to accomplish with their products and >>> make them an example of what can be. >>> >>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 9:27 PM, Richie Gardenhire wrote: >>> >>>> I have changed the subject line to more reflect on the discussion at >>>> hand. If Apple can set aside resources to make their Mac computers >>>> universally marketed across the board, there is no reason why >>>> Microsoftshouldn't, (and they definitely have the resources and the >>>> technical expertise throughout the company) to do so. And if it >>>> brings the prices down, and Microsoft does, for example, develop a >>>> mechanism by which Windows can be installed out of the box without >>>> sighted assistance, companies such as Freedom Scientific would then be >>>> forced to either go with the trend; otherwise, they would lose their >>>> economic dolars; after all, isn't that what competition for tax >>>> dollars and marketshare is all about? In my humble opinion, for what >>>> it's worth, the only reason Freedom Scientific survives in the market >>>> is because they have contracted with some state agencies and >>>> government entities, and we bare the brunt of the expense ineirectly. >>>> I paid less for my car than I have for braille displays costing $8000 >>>> to $12,000 dollars at a time. In Alaska, for example, the biggest >>>> majority of vision loss occurs in the elderly population and baby >>>> boomers who are about to reach retirement age. We have no school for >>>> the blind in Alaska; therefore, if parents want to send their blind >>>> kids off to a residential school, they would have to send them >>>> Stateside, which costs the state thousands of dollars which they could >>>> probably find other revenues to use elsewhere.There are a handful of >>>> us who are blind and visually-impaired Macusers, but that numberis >>>> increasing, as the word about VoiceOver gets out. Richie Gardenhire, >>>> Anchorage, Alaska. >>>> >>>> >>>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 1:21 PM, carlene knight wrote: >>>> >>>> I know that the companies take huge advantage of the fact that they >>>> have a guaranteed nitch and can charge whatever they want. That's why >>>> I will not upgrade my JAWS SMA. For one thing I don't need it and >>>> secondly, I don't want to pay that kind of price for an upgrade, but >>>> FS knows that they can get away with it because of a guaranteed >>>> market. I'm not saying things could not change, but simply stating >>>> that you can't get JAWS or a Braille display from a home electronics >>>> ore software store, and I wouldn't expect to happen any time soon if >>>> ever. In their eyes, why should They bother as they won't sell enough >>>> of them to make it worth their while. There is a cell phone put out >>>> by Capital Accessibility in Europe. I've seen one and it's no big >>>> deal. The speech is great, but there is no camera, digital screen, or >>>> anything that might ad a bit of a price to the phone. It's built like >>>> a brick, but it is over $500 and though the speech is clear, it's very >>>> robotic. Tell me that's not ridiculous? I don't know that agencies >>>> are responsible for this one, but the phone is so tailored to our >>>> needs that somebody will buy it. Not me. Granted, if more people >>>> were learning braille and speech software as they were dealing with >>>> macular degeneration, and there was a big enough demand for it, things >>>> might come down a bit. That's great about the scanner. I'd better >>>> stop typing now as I am misspelling more things than I am typing >>>> correctly and am about to throw this keyboard, though it's not at fault. >>>> >>>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 1:46 PM, Richie Gardenhire wrote: >>>> >>>>> With all due respect, that argument has been used time and time >>>>> again. To that, I say this: the best example of a product that has >>>>> gone down in price because of the acceptance of it by the sighted >>>>> community, is the optical scanner, which was originally intended for >>>>> use by the blind for scanning newspapers, magazines, and othr >>>>> documents in their computers or reading machines. Back then, you had >>>>> to pay thousands of dolars for the machine, and ys, state agencies >>>>> bought it for us, if we were lucky. Now, one can buy a scanner and to >>>>> a certain extent, software for scanning pictures, text, and other >>>>> document forms into one's PC, at a fraction of the cost it was in the >>>>> 1970's. The point here is that it found a marketable niche among the >>>>> sighted community, and once they were mass-produced, prices started >>>>> coming down and people could afford said scanners. While braille >>>>> displays are another issue, there are companies who are working to >>>>> make even displays more affordable and accepting to the universal >>>>> design market. In the 1980's, Apple tried an experiment, using an >>>>> ordinary, dot matrix printer, to produce braille. It wasn't the best >>>>> quality braille, but it was an experiment that, had it been popular, >>>>> might have flown. Richie Gardenhire, Anchorage, Alaska. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 11:50 AM, carlene knight wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Unfortunately you have to be realistic though. I agree with you in a >>>>> sense, but going into a store and buying JAWS or Window Eyes off of >>>>> the shelf? That would be nice? that's one reason I like the Mac and >>>>> accessories. The people in the Mac and Apple stores will likely not >>>>> be trained for extensive use with Vo, but they should be able to make >>>>> sure it works. Try going into a Best Buy >>>>> and asking them if JFW works. We probably make up less than 10% of >>>>> the population so it isn't going to happen. It would still be >>>>> expensive, and that's why I needed the agency to buy it for me. Again >>>>> don't get me wrong, in a perfect world that might happen, but we all >>>>> know the world is far from perfect. I'm not trying to defend anybody >>>>> necessarily, and I don't consider myself dependent because I need >>>>> assistance from them. I got my own jobs, take care of myself, go >>>>> where I need to go etc. A good organization helps people become >>>>> independent. I agree that whenever possible, we should do for >>>>> ourselves and not be too dependent on anybody, agencies included. >>>>> >>>>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 12:23 PM, Richie Gardenhire wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> And for this reason, I feel that many state agencies, (Alaska's, >>>>>> being >>>>>> one of them)will be cutting back services, in favor of other things >>>>>> and as Mark so eloquently pointed out, the elderly, the poor, and the >>>>>> disabled, will be hurt first. I know thisis a different subject line >>>>>> from what was originally intended, and I apologize for that, but I >>>>>> will say one more thing on this, and that is that I'm in favor of >>>>>> universal design so that blind people can walk into any store and >>>>>> purchase off-the-shelf software and get it working and we not be >>>>>> forced to be co-dependent on state agencies to purchase our stuff. I >>>>>> guess, in a way, I'm against state agencies for the reasons I stated >>>>>> above. Richie Gardenhire, Anchorage, Alaska. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 10:32 AM, carlene knight wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> Hi Mark: >>>>>> >>>>>> I certainly don't hold a grudge as everybody is entitled to their >>>>>> opinion. However, if it weren't for the Commission for the blind >>>>>> here >>>>>> in Oregon, there is no way that I could perform the job I was hired >>>>>> for. I had to have a programmer write JAWS scripts so that I could >>>>>> get to the buttons, read the drop down boxes that just had graphics >>>>>> for names, etc. I couldn't have afforded the thousands of dollars >>>>>> that >>>>>> has costed. He is working as we speak since the company I work for >>>>>> has changed software and everything we had done in the past regarding >>>>>> the original software is now null and void. I could have not >>>>>> afforded >>>>>> a Braille display at about 12,000 dollars. I can say with certainty >>>>>> that there are few if any companies that would provide any of these >>>>>> services. Unfortunately many government funded agencies, including >>>>>> the Oregon Commission for the blind do know little about Mac >>>>>> accessibility as they have contracts with certain vendors, and, face >>>>>> it,whether we like it or not, a majority of companies still use >>>>>> Windows based software. My husband and I both decided on our own to >>>>>> try the Mac, and though I've had some problems, I'm glad I did. I've >>>>>> learned it without an instructor. We nearly lost our Commission last >>>>>> summer so when I hear people talking about how we shouldn't have >>>>>> government agencies such as this, I have to disagree though they do >>>>>> have their problems. Yes, some people do rely on others to much, but >>>>>> not all of us do. Like you, I grew up in the public school system in >>>>>> a rural area. I was born blind also. I'll get off my soap box now. >>>>>> >>>>>> On Nov 30, 2009, at 10:51 AM, Mark BurningHawk Baxter wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> You, and I to a lesser extent, and others are the exception. I was >>>>>>> born blind, didn't go to any institutions for the blind, was raised >>>>>>> as >>>>>>> an only child, mostly in rural Vermont with minimal help from state >>>>>>> agencies. Graduated from Dartmouth when I was 20, again with >>>>>>> minimal >>>>>>> if any help from agencies--didn't have my first experience with any >>>>>>> agencies or institutions for the blind until I was 24, when the >>>>>>> Carroll Center was offering a medical transcription course and I >>>>>>> needed another, safer place to be. They kicked me out of their >>>>>>> dorm, >>>>>>> making me homeless, after six weeks there. Rehab flatly refused to >>>>>>> support me and my music career in any way, and pressured me to go to >>>>>>> the Carroll Center in the first place, then pressured me to get >>>>>>> therapy and reform my ways when they made me homeless. I only >>>>>>> started >>>>>>> cautiously learning how to deal with the agencies in 2007, when it >>>>>>> became clear that my failing hearing was going to force me out of >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> transcription career I'd had for 13+ years. I learned Jaws and >>>>>>> Windows essentially by myself, as I've always been good with tech. >>>>>>> Even now, while I may have learned a little about how to get along >>>>>>> with the agencies and get what I need, it's a very uneasy truce at >>>>>>> best./ I hope to be starting a job at another institution for the >>>>>>> blind soon, but this time as a trainer, not a student, which >>>>>>> hopefully >>>>>>> will turn out better. You can see why I advocate for the abolition >>>>>>> of >>>>>>> such systems. They do not foster independence of thinking, and tend >>>>>>> to punish outside-the-box people, in my experience. I do realize >>>>>>> that >>>>>>> people blinded later in life may not adapt as fully as those born >>>>>>> blind; I'm learning that as I lose my hearing, so I have the >>>>>>> privilege >>>>>>> of seeing both sides of the coin, but think about what that >>>>>>> implies-- >>>>>>> that the pressure on those whose world has already been blasted by >>>>>>> losing their sight will essentially become putty in the hands of >>>>>>> high- >>>>>>> pressure agencies who are set in their ways. The system seems to >>>>>>> punish at both ends--if you're too independent, you're pressured to >>>>>>> conform; if you're new to blindness, you're taught not to think for >>>>>>> yourself. Hell, I didn't even do mobility orienting stuff until >>>>>>> last >>>>>>> year, when Rehab here in CA suggested I ry it, and I decided, in the >>>>>>> interests of keeping the peace, what the heck; my mobility teacher >>>>>>> quickly realized that there was very little, beyond the immediate >>>>>>> rehearsing of directions, that she could improve upon what I and my >>>>>>> dog were already going. Since I got Trekker, that's even more so; >>>>>>> now >>>>>>> that Trekker is temporarily broken, I truly feel the loss. :) I >>>>>>> don't >>>>>>> see how the agencies really have done me any good, other than in the >>>>>>> purely material realm, and if I weren't as articulate as I am about >>>>>>> stating my needs, and as forceful as I am about what I need, which >>>>>>> most people are not, even that gain might be minimal, and even now >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> damage is significant. So, that's where my beef with the system(s) >>>>>>> comes in; sorry if that makes it a personal grudge, but there you >>>>>>> are >>>>>>> then. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Mark BurningHawk Baxter >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Skype and Twitter: BurningHawk1969 >>>>>>> MSN: burninghawk1...@hotmail.com >>>>>>> My home page: >>>>>>> http://MarkBurningHawk.net/ >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to >>>>>>> macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>>>> macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >>>>>>> . >>>>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en >>>>>>> . >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to 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