ComputerWorld.com Publishes Access Story, Fails to Acknowledge VoiceOver
16 April, 2008 @ 11:06 am by LioncourtIn a lengthy article, ComputerWorld.com discusses access to computers for the blind and visually impaired. Though the article is extensive, covering topics from general computer access to web accessibility issues, there’s no acknowledgement of VoiceOver’s existence or Apple’s work to provide universal access to the visually impaired and other disabled groups. In fact, the article, in its description of free screen readers, seems to imply that "Narrator" the sub-standard offering included in Microsoft Windows, was typical of access solutions that come bundled with operating systems, or were otherwise free of additional cost to the end user.
VoiceOver was not alone, however. Orca, the popular open source screen reading solution for Gnome Linux was also omitted from the article’s coverage.
As more and more usersmove away from Windows, blindness organizations like the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), who were quoted in this article, will be forced to acknowledge the value of noncommercial, and non-WIndows, solutions. Gone are the days when GW Micro and Freedom Scientific enjoyed near total control of access technology for the blind and visually impaired. These days, like our sighted colleagues, we have choices.
John replied:
We have seen more than a few articles that seem to intentionally leave out the reality of VoiceOver on the Mac being a viable option for the blind user or efforts to disparage Apple and VoiceOver entirely. One of the individuals mentioned in this article was also responsible for what was the first negative attack on VoiceOver from the AFB Access World publication a few years ago. So, this continued trend does not surprise me.
What does astound me completely is the very fact that the Mac and VoiceOver opens further doors and options for the blind user, giving us more choices like the sighted consumer. Yet, Apple is still vilified in some corners of the blindness community for “not doing enough” for accessibility or paying accessibility “legal lip service”. The politics of this industry never ceases to amaze me, but it is truly disgusting when it serves to harm the blind and not help them. Windows is not the only kid on the block any more, and whether it’s the Mac or Linux, or even the free Windows screen readers, some folks are going to have to face the fact that the landscape of the assistive technology world has changed and we have several more options from which to choose.
Chris said:
I know several blind people who have been told by the agencies that serve them that Mac can’t be used without sight. I’ve been using my Mac since about the end of November and I’ve done much of the learning curve on my own. I couldn’t do that with Window-Eyes.
Lioncourt observed:
Ignorance is no longer a viable excuse for the agencies who are telling blind computer users that the Mac is not a viable solution. VoiceOver has been around for three years now, and has, particularly in the last year or so, received pretty wide coverage, between Apple’s attendance at conferences, ScreenlessSwitchers, Main Menu on ACBRadio, etc. If you’re in the business of access tech and you don’t know about it, you’re not competent at your job. It’s that simple. The misinformation that has been propagated by the Access World article John mentioned, the NFB, and the ACB is, of course, another matter entirely. The failure to mention VoiceOver in the Computer World article seems to me to be a sign that the tide has turned. It’s getting harder to erroneously criticize VoiceOver, so now they will simply ignore it.
BlindGeek wrote:
Testify, preach it, brothuh!
It is my belief that many blind people don’t want to hear about how great the Mac is because it forces them to take a look at the fact that they have spent more than a thousand dollars to get their computer up and running, and the idea that someone can just pick up a PC of the store shelf and have that same freedom –freedom they had to pay for either in dollars or in aggravation dealing with their department of choice–is abhorant to them. Sure, the lip service is there, but when push comes to shove, I think many blind people–though, obviously, by no means all–want others to have to pay their dues, so to speak. It seems silly, but nothing else can explain the backlash of ignorance and negativity from even average people about Voiceover. Add to that the politics involved with GW Micro and Freedom Scientific, along with the NFB, AFB, ACB, and several other acronyms I can’t think of right now, and you’ve got quite an unfortunate and uphill battle ahead. This should be a no-brainer, dammit! There, I said it! The fact that we have to go around and all but prosthelatize about the vitues of Voiceover is just plain stupid!
And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is why I got the award last year or Most Tactful Individual on the Planet. It was a tight race, but I came through.
Okay, enough ranting from me. Ciao, y’all.
blueskyes noted:
One other thing that bothered me about this article is that it made us blind users seem… Oh I don’t know, slightly pethetic? Yes. some websites aren’t accessable. Yes. This is a pain. But I don’t personally feel that I’ve been shut out of the on-line world. Quite the reverse. I feel that being able to go on-line has opened up a huge world to me that I’d of not had access to several years ago.
As for the snubbing of VoiceOver and Mac as a useable option by the blind. Shame on you! There is simply no excuse to leave out several non-conventional screen access options!
Apple is not a new kid on the computer block, and I’d guess that it would be awfully hard to not know about VoiceOver as it asks you straight away when starting a new Mac for the first time if you’d like to make use of it. Makes me wonder who is the most blind?
The cost of not only getting a new computer plus JAWS to make it useable is the whole reason, out of despration at first, that I even looked at the Mac side. I was told by several friends, both sighted and blind, about the built in screen reader that came as part of the Mac. Let me say this again, lest you missed a small but important detail… I was told by several friends, (here’s the small but important detail) both sighted and blind, about the built in screen reader that came as part of the Mac.
At first, dropping nearly $1,200 for a MacBook seemed out of reach, but once my feeancee and I sat down and worked out all the costs involved with getting a computer then getting screen access software to boot, we clearly saw that while the Mac’s sticker price was much more than a PC, there was a lot more to be gained by paying a lot of money for a Mac.
Not only was the O/S more stable, the Mac less open to viruses, but you got a damned good screen reader thrown in for more or less free! So in about a week or so, it will be off to the Apple store we go to get my MacBook. At which time I will gladdly hand off this Vista computer back to my stepdaughter.
I don’t mean to sound rude, but GWmicro and FS better watch out because I am sure as more and more blind people wake up to the fact that Yes! You can buy an off-the-shelf computer and use it right out of the box, they will flock to Mac, or NVDA or whatever they choose and leave the Kings of screen access. Thankfully for the Kings, they’ve got a corrner on the note taker market, but the MacAir and it’s compadibility with braille displays might give them a run for the money in that catagory as well.
About damned time too! I’m thrilled that I’ll not have to bolt on an extra program ontop of the stuff that comes on the MacBook in order that I can use it.
BlindGeek said:
I’m going to deviate from the topic of the article here, but I think this point is worth reitterating, since you’ll be starting to use your Mac very soon. I’m sure you’ve read the article about the memoirs of a new switcher, so I’ll keep this brief. I’ve been using my MacBook for a little over a week now, and I’ve got a pretty firm handle on Voiceover. Granted, I had help from Mr. Lioncourt (Check’s in the mail, sir.), but I’m sure if he hadn’t been around to ask questions, I’d have found the answers eventually; it just might have taken longer. My point is that Voiceover is quite manageable, but there will be moments when you think to yourself, What the hell was I thinking? In fact, I didn’t really see the benefits and joys of working with a Mac until I installed Windows on this laptop out of frustration, and saw side-by-side the two operating systems at work. Talk about a shot in the arm to learn Voiceover! To give you a small idea of what I’m talking about, when I connected my printer to this laptop for the first time, I expected some equivalent of the “Found New Hardware” wizard to show up, and figured I’d spend a few minutes configuring the beast. Imagine my shock and glee when all I got was a small dialog box asking me to confirm a few things like paper size and such, and then presto!, the printing did commence! No searching for drivers, hoping to God there was no problem with the installation of said drivers, finding out that Windows couldn’t find them and having to go a-hunting when all I wanted to do was print the damned document … nothing like that at all. By contrast, when I run Windows, just connecting my earbuds brings everything to a grinding halt with a warning dialog box: “Attention! An audio device has been plugged into your computer!”
You may find some accessibility hiccups here and there. Take heart. Eventually, it all just clicks (or in some cases, double-clicks) into place. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Last thing: I’ve learned that sometimes in Voiceover, the “right way” to handle a situation is simply to experiment and figure out the right way to handle the situation. Particularly with websites, if one is used to the rebuilding done by Jaws and Window-eyes, it can be a bit disconcerting when you first encounter a website where you’re not sure if you should navigate using the left and right arrows, or the up and down arrows. Answer: it just depends on the site. Take a few seconds and experiment; the answer will become clear in time. It’s not as bad as it might sound; I wasn’t exaggerating about it only taking a few seconds.
I think the biggest difference between Mac and Windows can be summed up by looking at what games are included with the computer. With Windows, you get Solitaire and Minesweeper. Fun games, but rather vacuous. So, I hear you ask, what do you get game-wise with your Mac?
Chess.
Yup, a game which requires your brain and assumes you have one and know how to use it.
What does that have to do with web-browsing with Voiceover? Simple: Apple assumes you can figure it out for yourself, given the tools to do so. Personally, despite my initial concern, I respect Apple for respecting me.
Okay, I said brief, and that pretty much went out the window. I hope you found this informative though, and if there’s someplace else I should’ve posted this, let me know. However, to bring it back around to the topic we’re supposed to be commenting on, let me just say that I think a lot of the “misconceptions” about Voiceover are due to the fact that those who review it or forget to review it probably only have a cursory knowledge (Hey, I’m on a roll with the computer puns, and they’re not even intentional!) of how Voiceover works. And let’s not forget that every blind Mac user equals $800-$900 Freedom Scientific and GW Micro don’t get. If you look at Access World’s sponsored links, what do you find there? Just sayin’.
Lioncourt said:
Re: BlindGeek
Thought I’d point out that the Chess game you referenced, on the Mac, is entirely accessible, out of the box, with Voiceover. I think that’s pretty sweet.
BlindGeek interjected:
That goes beyond pretty sweet. I think that worms its way into *very* sweet territory. And not to be too much of a nyeah-nyeah-nyeah, but none of the games included with Windows are accessible, out of the box or otherwise. A third-party developer eventually made an accessible solitaire game for Windows, but there’s nothing “official.”