RE: Punctuation in JAWS
- From: "Lisle, Ted (CHFS DMS)" <Ted.Lisle@xxxxxx>
- To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 09:27:04 -0400
I'd have to spend some time in Configuration Manager to find it, but I
think there is a setting for indicating indented text. If there is,
it's fairly obvious I've never used it. Anyone else remember that?
Exclamations can be a problem. They are occasionally marked by a change
of inflection, but it's subtle.
Ted
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Adrian Spratt
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 10:14 PM
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Punctuation in JAWS
Hi, Bobby.
I had to look up "WBT" to find out that it means Web-based training, so
I take it you're developing Web-based training materials.
So my next question is whether you're proposing to minimize the
punctuation in these materials to spare JAWS users distraction and
clutter. If so, you raise a good point.
As other listers have said, we can set punctuation to different levels,
from "none" for fast reading to "all" when a document needs
proofreading. For most courses, a JAWS user isn't interested in editing,
so the likely setting is "none" or my own preference, "some"
punctuation.
Although other listers have replied that they don't need to be told
punctuation during ordinary reading sessions, there are times an
inability to pick it up can be confusing. This goes to how JAWS intones
punctuation. It pauses at commas and slightly longer at periods, and it
takes on an interrogative tone at question marks. However, different
synthesizers handle other punctuation marks differently. For example, I
believe FS recently inserted a pause after semicolons for Eloquence.
However, my synthesizer, Dectalk Express, does not pause there, which
often causes me confusion. My synthesizer also does not change
intonation at exclamation marks.
When human beings (as opposed to JAWS) narrate text, they send signals
to account for ambiguous punctuation, but JAWS can't do that. So a
materials developer like you, sensitive to this concern, might stay
alert for such situations.
An example of JAWS failing to convey the author's meaning is a sentence
ending in an exclamation mark. People often use this punctuation to show
that the intent is ironic. A JAWS user may well miss this signal and
take the statement at face value.
Quotations can be another area of confusion. Sometimes I need to know
which part of a passage is the author's own text and which part is in
quotation marks. Assuming I'm in none or some punctuation mode, I will
need to stop "say all" and go word by word or even character by
character through the passage. This can be time-consuming, but I'm
unaware of a better alternative, other than switching between
punctuation modes. However, an area that can be almost impossible to
figure out is when quotations are not marked by quotes, but set off as
indented text. Here, the signal is strictly visual. A materials
developer who can address this problem would be doing JAWS users a big
favor.
Of course, a JAWS user who works with braille instead of a voice doesn't
face these difficulties.
As they say here, HTH!
________________________________
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Garcia, Bobby
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 1:08 PM
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Punctuation in JAWS
Hey, gang! I'm developing some WBTs that are being tested for
accessibility using JAWS. What I noticed is that JAWS reads punctuation
and I'm curious to get some different views on this.
Take, for example, the following statement: I never apologize (I'm
sorry, that's just the way I am).
Jaws will read: I never apologize open parens I'm sorry...
My question is, does this take away/add to the user's experience? Is it
a hindrance to hear that, is it superfluous, or do any users benefit
from visualizing the parens? I mean, I know I can always tailor my
content to avoid using excessive punctuation but I'd still like to know
how different people feel about this.
Bobby Garcia
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