Re: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

  • From: "The Elf" <inthaneelf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:29:57 -0700

actually ask them to talk to me

if your students use the mouse they will be killed by using jaws, since jaws 
takes over both how items are displayed and drastically limits the mouse and 
how it can be used on screen. 

by insisting they use jaws they are disrupting there learning, not assisting it!

who are these ... nun to smart folks anyway? 

I'll send you contact info off list

arg! the density of some people. 

elf
Moderator, Blind Access Help
Owner: Alacorn Computer Enterprises
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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Kimsan Song 
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 6:55 PM
  Subject: RE: jfw for the blind or visually impaired


  Adrian:

  That has been a large discussion between my coworker and myself every time 
these evaluations come up.

  The students are struggling to accept the vision lost they are experiencing 
and the use of a cane, large print, screen readers, anything that will "make 
them feel different" the student will not embrace, which I can attest too.

  Seeing as I am not in any position to tell the powers that be what to teach 
or how to accommodate the students with which screen reader or magnification 
program, I just do as I am told.

  I am going through one heck of a time right now teaching jaws to the students 
because they are always reaching for the mouse of which I had to disconnect 
after a while and having to remind the students the pros of using a screen 
reader.

  Let me relay this back to the topic of the mailing list so the mods will not 
hatch me, seeing as I am blind I was wondering for someone who has relatively 
good vision, not 20-20 but how would using jaws be like? compared to someone 
who is completely blind?

  Adrian, thankyou for your comments.

  Take care.

   


   

   

   

  From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Adrian Spratt
  Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 5:44 PM
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: RE: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  Kimsan,

   

  I believe that on the one hand, ideology plays a large part in decisions of 
this kind, and on the other, that psychology either does or ought to. whether 
one likes it or not, children and adults don't like being associated with 
anything connoting blindness. The white cane is the perfect example. I imagine 
resistance to JAWS comes from a similar place. In the same vein, my experience 
tells me that adults and children will also avoid magnification devices if they 
think they can get away without them.

   

  I get a sense that as a JAWS user, I tend to get a lot more information than 
very low vision people who struggle with magnification devices. Screenreaders 
are by no means perfect, and I for one hate reading fiction with JAWS, 
especially if it contains a lot of dialog. But I can zip through academic and 
popular articles, so long as they're in accessible form.

   

  I'm suggesting that whatever the practical arguments for a screenreader or 
other adaptive aid, it could be damaging to students of any age to introduce 
them to these aids until they can accept the necessity. Some will do so right 
away, others will resist. To my mind, nothing interferes more with education 
than resistance to the methods imposed.

   

  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

  From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Kimsan Song
  Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:30 PM
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: RE: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  Mike:

   

  Thankyou for your input.

   

  I am aware of the several magnification programs that exist but it seems as 
if the powers that be are pushing for jaws training with my visually impaired 
students and I think jaws will not be a good idea because the students are 
mouse users using 28 pt font.

   

  I just finished explaining to someone off list that I am just suppose to 
teach jaws to my middle and high schoolers and if I even bring up screen 
magnification programs or any other screen reader, it would just be shot down.

   

  Back to the original inquory, it seems as if jaws is for the blind (which I 
knew so don't laugh at me) I just get confused when the teachers for the blind 
are having me teach jaws to students who depend and work with the mouse.

   

  Thankyou.

   

  From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
mike grove
  Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 4:40 PM
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: Re: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  there are a number of different kinds of software for visually impaired use. 
jaws is by far the best screen reader i have found for an individual that can 
nolonger read the print inspite of size. there are some products that magnify 
the screen. One in particular is zoom text. i am now blind, but for the last 
thirty years i could see enough to still read larger print. Now that i can't, i 
have switched to jaws. those are just a few of the options. i am sure that 
there are more. i hope this was of some help for u.

   

  ----- Original Message -----

   

  From: Kimsan Song

   

  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

   

  Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 6:18 PM

   

  Subject: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  Hello:

   

  I wanted to post this here seeing as this mailing list gets lots of traffick.

   

  My question is concerning the use of jaws and is the "screen" reader mainly 
used for completely blind individuals or partially sighted individuals?

   

  I am not a teacher for the blind, so it is interesting to me when a person is 
told due to his or her "lack of vision" jaws will be reccomended. So, the 
question raised here is where would a persons vision need to be at in order to 
use jaws? If someone can read 20 point font or higher would jaws be necessary?

   

  Any feedback would be appreciated.

   

  Take care.

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