Nonvisual Development FAQ
This is a set of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the
subject of software development by people who are blind or visually
impaired (blind programmers). The initial version is by Jamal Mazrui,
who may be reached at the address
mailto://jamal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Corrections, modifications, and new topics are solicited for inclusion
in the FAQ. Indicate the question and answer being addressed. Your
name and email address will be listed as a contributor unless you
specify otherwise.
The current version was posted on
May 18, 2010
at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/NonvisualDevelopmentFAQ.htm
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Contents
Where can I find introductory examples for programming in a particular
language?
Are screen reader configuration sets available for the Microsoft
Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE)?
Is a free version of Visual Studio available?
Are there tips for using Visual Studio with a screen reader?
Are other IDEs available for .NET development besides Visual Studio?
Is it possible to build .NET programs without Visual Studio?
What accessible text editors may be used for programming?
What tools are recommended for developing with the Java language?
What tools are recommended for developing with the Python language?
Is a simpler language available, e.g., one that does not involve
object oriented programming (OOP)?
Is there an IDE designed with screen reader support?
What screen readers may be customized for applications via scripting
languages?
Is there job training specifically for blind programmers?
What mailing lists exist for blind programmers?
What web sites have resources for blind programmers?
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Where can I find introductory examples for programming in a particular
language?
Blind programmers have contributed to a project intended for this
purpose. Specifications and samples of a "fruit basket program" are at
the web site
http://FruitBasket.QuantumMyst.com
A fruit basket program is intended as a simple but nontrivial
graphical user interface (GUI), exhibiting how a developer may employ
a particular programming language and platform, and how a user may
experience the result. The length and complexity of code may be
considered from a developer standpoint; the accessibility and
performance of the program may be considered from a user standpoint.
Basically, the user interface contains an edit box for entering a
fruit name (e.g, apple), a listbox for collecting the fruit (the
basket), and buttons to add or delete items. Obviously, such a program
is not inherently useful, but it does offer an informative example of
a development approach, with comparisons possible to other programs
meeting the same criteria. Fruit basket samples are available for many
development approaches.
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Are screen reader configuration sets available for the Microsoft
Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE)?
Blind programmers have developed a set of JAWS scripts for Visual
Studio (VS), which work with either VS 2005 or VS 2008. They do not
work with VS 2010, which uses Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)
controls rather than Windows Forms controls.
The executable installer for the scripts works with 64-bit Windows and
Windows 7, as well as earlier versions of Windows. It is available at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/msenv2005.exe
Pick your JAWS version in the installer dialog -- the default is the
latest version found on your computer. Otherwise, just press Enter to
accept all defaults of that dialog.
A zip archive is also available for a manual install at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/msenv2005.zip
Documentation for the scripts is in the file msenv2005.htm. It gives
steps for manual installation. It also includes a list of hotkeys and
a tutorial on developing a fruit basket program with C# and VS.
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Is a free version of Visual Studio available?
VS comes in various versions with increasing amounts of developer
tools and corresponding costs. The "Express Editions" may be freely
downloaded and used, even in commercial projects. Each Express Edition
is oriented to a particular language or platform: C#, Visual Basic,
Visual C++, or Visual Web Developer (for developing web sites with
ASP.NET). These are available at
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Windows/
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Are there tips for using Visual Studio with a screen reader?
A collection of tips has been gathered from blind programming lists,
called "Nonvisual Development with .NET," posted at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/ndn.htm
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Are other IDEs available for .NET development besides Visual Studio?
Sharp Develop is an open source, cross platform IDE for .NET
languages, available at
http://www.icsharpcode.net/opensource/sd/
Eclipse is an open source, cross-platform IDE for Java and other
languages, available at
http://eclipse.org
A plug in for C# development with Eclipse is called Emonic, available at
http://emonic.sourceforge.net/
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Is it possible to build .NET programs without Visual Studio?
C#, Visual Basic, and JScript .NET command-line compilers are part of
the .NET Framework 2.0 Software Development Kit (SDK), which is freely
available at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa731542.aspx
Later versions of the .NET Framework include these command-line
compilers in the distribution of the Framework, itself. Usually, a
shortcut is put on the Windows Start Menu for opening a command prompt
with PATH and other environment variables set so that these tools are
found when run. You could also search your hard disk for the C#
compiler, csc.exe, and then add its directory to your search path.
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What accessible text editors may be used for programming?
Boxer
http://TextEditor.com
EdSharp
http://EmpowermentZone.com/edsetup.exe
NoteTab Pro
http://NoteTab.com
TextPad
http://TextPad.com
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What tools are recommended for developing with the Java language?
Install the Java Development Kit (JDK) from
http://JavaSoft.com
Also there is the Java Access Bridge (JAB), which should be installed
for each Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on your computer. A direct
download URL for the JAB is
http://www.renovation-software.com/files/tgsdk/accessbridge-2_0_1.exe
Eclipse is an accessible IDE especially tailored for Java development.
It is available from
http://eclipse.org
Also there is the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT), a Java package that
produces accessible GUIs on Windows and Linux.
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What tools are recommended for developing with the Python language?
Install Python from
http://python.org
Install the wxPython package for creating accessible GUIs from
http://wxPython.org
For Windows development, install the Python for Windows extensions at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/
Also install py2exe, a package for building stand-alone executables from
http://py2exe.org
In Python, code indentation is syntactically required rather than
stylistically optional. The EdSharp editor includes features that help
screen reader users manage indentation efficiently, available at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/edsetup.exe
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Is a simpler language available, e.g., one that does not involve
object oriented programming (OOP)?
AutoIt is a Visual Basic-like language that is freely available from
http://AutoItScript.com
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Is there an IDE designed with screen reader support?
Sodbeans is being developed at
http://sodbeans.sourceforge.net/
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What screen readers may be customized for applications via scripting
languages?
HAL
http://YourDolphin.com
JAWS
http://FreedomScientific.com
Nonvisual Desktop Access
http://www.nvda-project.org/
Window-Eyes
http://GWMicro.com
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Is there job training specifically for blind programmers?
Lion's World Services For the Blind has a curriculum called Enterprise
Solutions Programming -- a 10-month course which prepares clients to
work in a wide range of programming environments including .NET and
others. Exams for Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)
are offered through the program.
http://www.lwsb.org/enterprise_solutions_programming.asp
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What mailing lists exist for blind programmers?
Blind Geeks -- Where Blind People Learn Programming
http://BlindGeeks.org
BlindWebbers -- List for blind and visually impaired web authors
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/blindwebbers/
dev-accessibility -- Accessibility of Mozilla products to those with
disabilities
https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-accessibility
GW-Scripting -- Discussion list for information regarding the
development and use of Window-Eyes scripts
http://www.gwmicro.com/Support/Email_Lists/
Java Accessibility
http://archives.java.sun.com/cgi-bin/wa?A0=java-access
JAWSScripts -- For scripting and configuring JAWS
//www.freelists.org/list/jawsscripts
LibLouis and LibLouisXML -- List for the discussion and development of
the liblouis and liblouisxml braille translation, back-translation,
and formatting software
//www.freelists.org/list/liblouis-liblouisxml
NVDA Developers -- List for development of the Nonvisual Desktop
Access screen reader
http://www.nvda-project.org/wiki/Community
Open A11y of the Linux Foundation
http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/accessibility/email
program-l -- Discussion group for visually impaired computer programmers
//www.freelists.org/list/program-l
ProgrammingBlind -- Programming while blind
//www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
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What web sites have resources for blind programmers?
AbilitiesSoft -- Developing software for people with disabilities
http://www.AbilitiesSoft.com/
Blind Geeks -- Where Blind People Learn Programming
http://BlindGeeks.org
Inthane's Grab Bag -- Blind programming assistance
http://GrabBag.AlacornComputer.com
NonvisualDevelopment -- promoting software development without visual
dependencies
http://NonvisualDevelopment.org
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