Hi Mark, I'm a newbie with the mac, but I read some things in the below e-mail to Charlie, that sparked questions. You talked about Braille embossers. I'm assuming you're using them on the Mac. Is this correct? What about Braille translation software? Also I see you mention VMWare fusion, for running windows on the mac. Are there any other accessible Virtual machine programs out there? Fusion is probably the one I'll ultimately end up using, just because of a couple of demos On blind cool tech, but I like to see if there are any other choices anyway. What about games. Are there accessible games for the Mac? I'm totally blind, but I agree wholeheartedly with what you say below! We all get frustrated, at some point, when it comes to learning new things, and screen readers, by their very nature are indeed, quite complicated, but I for one am certainly grateful we have them! I'm old enough to remember what it was like before we had personal computers, and the internet. This sort of information availability was only dreamed of back then!
-----Original Message----- From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of M. Taylor Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 9:44 AM To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: Getting used to the screen on a Macbook pro Hello Charlie. It's good to hear from you and I am glad you find my words useful. As for Windows 7, I have it on several Desktop and net book computers. As for my MacBook Pro, I have Windows 7 installed via VM Ware Fusion. However, 6 months or so ago, I used it via Boot Camp. I regularly install it on Macs for clients, when they request it. In addition to being a Mac developer I also beta test for Microsoft; I like having my proverbial feet in both worlds--no surprises that way, right? As for learning VoiceOver: Well, as long as you remember the VO Help command which is Control+Option+K, you are well on your way to the path to VoiceOver bliss. (Smile) Just remember that the Escape is the only way to get out of Help mode. I found it extremely useful that I owned an iPhone before purchasing my Mac. Why? Because one can use many of the same gesture based commands on a notebook computer that is equipped with the multi-touch trackpad UI. I almost never use the keyboard commands for VO because I never had to learn them. I am sure that were I to use an iMac, I would be much less efficient unless it had an external trackpad UI. Even though I have enough residual vision that technically qualify me as a medium-level low-vision person, I learned Braille many, many, many moons ago just in case I lost either more or all of my vision. As a result, I am an avid Braille reader and value this skill above all else for it allows me to enjoy reading the Snow Leopard user guide comfortably when first switching to the Mac. Now I use my CCTV daily for reading mail, cooking directions, etc however when producing hardcopy material for myself, 99% of the time I select my Braille embosser to my printer. In fact, even as I type this I have my embosser working hard. (Smile) Do not be afraid to ask people questions if you cannot remember how or what a VO command does. You're right, at first glance, VO does seem less efficient when compared to an actual mouse but this is only at first glance in most cases if not all. In the end, Charlie, it all comes down to the concept of a personal toolkit; that is, only you have the power to add new tools to your personal toolkit, no one can do it for you. Remember that switching to VoiceOver will give you more power and command in your mobile usage of any Mac. When you get frustrated that you cannot accomplish something with VO because you don't know how and you get the almost overwhelming urge to use your mouse, remember that what you're experiencing is nothing more than growing pains; the operative word being "growing" for that is what you are doing. Do not be too hard on yourself for it will take time. The key tis to be consistent and committed to your goal of freeing yourself from the restraints of low-vision based computer usage. Mark On Mar 31, 2011, at 3:44 AM, Charlie Bates wrote: > Hello Mark > > Thank you very much for your reply. It is such a comfort to know that > someone else in the world understands what I am going through. > > I applaude you on your use of JAWS. I have tried to use it in the past > (when I used windows as my main operating system) but I could not get > the hang of it because of all the keystrokes...I ended up going > straight back to zoomtext. > > Anyway, I think you are right about forcing myself to use voiceover. I > have tried it before but failed, which is why i only use it when > reading long bodies of text. In the same instance with JAWS, I think a > big part of the issue is not being able to memorise all of the > keyboard shortcuts in order to function fully. I just cant imagine > being able to do everything without a mouse. > > Do you know of a good way to learn all of the shortcuts? I mean I know > basic VO commands but i couldn't do half of the stuff that i am used > to doing with my mouse. Do you know of any good VO guides? and > shortcut lists? > > Sometimes I laugh at myself. I am legally blind, however, I know I use > my vision before any other senses at times... > > Do you use a mac full time? you mentioned that you still use windows - > is it through bootcamp? > > Thanks again > Charlie > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@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 macvisionaries@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 macvisionaries@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.
