Re: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

  • From: "Farfar Carlson" <dgcarlson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:43:04 -0700

Kimson,
You wrote: "The response was I use the mouse because I don't know how to use 
the keyboard to perform the functions I do with the mouse."

Of course. Visually pointing a mouse cursor arrow at an object and 
dragging/clicking requires very minimal memorization and manipulation skills. 
Not surprising that it's the preferred method amongst a very high percentage of 
computer users who can see anything on the screen at all.

Learning all the hot key combinations for these same tasks requires effort that 
sadly many people are just too lazy to learn. I, on the other hand was forced 
to learn them so regardless of how lazy I might have been, I learned them in 
order to continue to be non-redundant.

Most "power users" in the sighted community (e.g. I T folks) use either a 
combination of hotkey and mouse movements or very few mouse movements, because 
taking your fingers away from the keyboard to use a mouse or touchpad, and then 
returning them to the home row is inefficient  and time-consuming.

Dave
Composed on a Dell Latitude 630 in the general vicinity of my Audio Recording 
and Mixing Studios, San Francisco Bay Area.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: kimsan 
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 09:21
  Subject: RE: jfw for the blind or visually impaired


  I remember asking someone that the other day concerning using the mouse.

  The response was I use the mouse because I don't know how to use the keyboard 
to perform the functions I do with the mouse.

   

  From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Brandon Keith (Biggs)
  Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 8:46 AM
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: Re: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  I actually say the same to the sighted people, I can't believe they use a 
mouse even though it is much slower and less efficient.

  I asked my sighted family why they still use the mouse for most functions and 
they told me that it makes them more comfortable to just use one thing to 
maneuver around the screen. I'm not sure why that is, but breaking that habit 
should be what sighted or semi sighted students learn.

  Although I do think that anyone that needs to magnify above 20 font and who 
has their face closer than two feet away from a screen should learn Jaws 
because it will be at least 10 times faster than using their eyes.

  Thanks,

   

  Brandon Keith (Biggs)

   

  Check out
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  From: kimsan 

  Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 8:30 AM

  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

  Subject: RE: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  I am responding to this comment because it made me remember when one of the 
tech guys were here in my office and he was upgrading my XP to windows 7 and 
was observing me use the computer.

  He said, "I'm amazed how efficient you are with the computer and you are so 
quick at typing but using a keyboard must be frustrating, because you cannot 
perform all of the functions a mouse can."

  Thankyou.

   

  From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
angel238@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 4:44 AM
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: Re: jfw for the blind or visually impaired

   

  Using keyboard commands far surpasses the use of the mouse.  Challenge your 
students to a race with you.  Demonstrate with your own facile use of the 
keyboard the speed and proficiency with which you use Jaws.  This will soon 
convince them that they will more efficiently and effectively complete their 
assignments without the use of the mouse.  Being able to excel beyond their 
sighted peers in a skill their seeing peers take pride in mastering will raise 
his self esteem enough to want to throw away the mouse altogether and to fully 
embrace controlling the computer solely through use of the keyboard.  The best 
way to accomplish this if his sight is limited is through the use of a screen 
reader.  I did this with my own sighted children.  They understand my 
superiority regarding the speed with which I accomplish various computer tasks 
without either sight or through the use of the mouse.  An African friend told 
me a friend of his did the same thing in Africa when a sighted employer 
hesitated concerning hiring him.  Of course, he used manual typewriters.  But, 
he asked to type something.  The upshot was he typed better and more quickly 
than did the man seeking to employ him.   Needless to say he got the job.    

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

    From: Kimsan Song 

    To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

    Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 9:55 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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