[access-uk] Re: Problems programming with speech
- From: Brendan Magill <brendan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:25:36 +0100
Hi Barry,
This is indeed a very interesting problem and one for which, I fear,
there may be no easy solution.
I worked as a programmer myself for some thirty years. Fortunately, I
had sufficient vision to be able to do this, although slowly, reasonably
effectively. In the early days of the late 1960s, all programs were
written out by hand; there were no screens and not even any teletype
terminals. So programs had to be written out in pencil, then punched
into cards or tape and then printed on the computer for checking. The
checking process was certainly visual, and thus slow for me. However,
it was doable.
When first teletypes and then VDUs became available in the early 1970s,
things actually got a bit better for me. This was because I could type
and did not have to write in pencil any more. The process of writing,
editing and checking programs thus became much quicker and easier for
me, even reading with a hand lens.
However, particularly with the advent of Windows, computer programming,
like many other workplace activities, has become increasingly visual.
All of the tools used by programmers are visual and rely heavily on
visual activities and visual indicators to facilitate them. As you have
identified, even the most basic tools for managing code written in text
format have become visual. Because vision is a parallel sense, whereas
hearing, certainly when listening to text, is serial, it is inevitable
that it will take you considerably longer to read a program text. This
in turn makes it increasingly difficult to retain sufficient information
in your mind to be able to check things quickly or reliably. Even with
a braille display, these processes are by no means straightforward.
I'm no expert on programming using a screenreader and I suspect there
may be a diminishing number of people out there who are experts in this
field. One thing I would recommend is that you select tools which are
as basic as possible. So, for example, when writing or reading a
program text, use a very basic text editor which does not have any of
the fancy visual stuff that your fellow students will be using; this
will minimize what the screenreader has to say. Sadly, for reading
symbols and strange words, which are often used for variable and
function names, you probably have no alternative but to read them
character by character. People do tend, too, to use variable names
which are very similar, so this makes it that much more improtant that
you read every character. In code you write yourself, you can probably
do much better, since you can choose your own variable names and use
spaces to split things up a bit.
This would make an excellent topic for discussion within BCAB. There
must be people there who will have experience of the sort of thing you
are trying to do.
Sorry this may not have been of much direct help, but maybe it will
prompt others to come up with real working strategies.
Cheers,
Brendan.
--
BRENDAN MAGILL
Business, Employment &
Disability Consultancy
8 York Place
Worcester
WR1 3DR
England
Phone: +44 (0)1905 28286
Fax: +44 (0)870 127 7856
Web: www.magill.co.uk
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