[macvoiceover] Re: getting windows out of your head:
- From: Josh de Lioncourt <overlord@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 09:37:18 -0800
To elaborate on David's points…
One of the traps that new and potential VO users fall into, and also
something that I and others have been trying to make the blindness
organizations understand, is that the Mac OS is an entirely different
world. You are limiting yourself if you think strictly in terms of
what Windows screen readers do, and in most cases, how the WIndows
screen readers approach accessibility is not the correct way for Mac.
Even in terms of WIndows, it is often not the correct way, but that's
a debate for another list.
As an analogy, it's a bit like trying to power a jet plane by way of
automobile gasoline. The gas is not appropriate for a jet plane.
Likewise, access solutions under Windows may not be the best way to
power accessibility on the Mac.
Apple's paradigm, which largely puts the responsibility on the third-
party developers, is a better solution, and it is already working. We
have access to Open Office. Do Windows users? No. Mac developers
like Icon Factory, VMWare, and others are aware of accessibility and
are actively working toward improving it in their products. A
precious few software developers for Windows are aware or care about
accesibility of their products.
On the whole, a higher percentage of Mac apps are more accessible out
of the box than Windows ones. We've gotten tremendously positive
feedback from contacting third-party developers and explaining the
access issues we face, largely because Apple has made it so easy and
seamless to integrate proper access into their apps.
I think Jaws and Window-Eyes scripts have their benefits, but also
have massive shortfalls. Many visually impaired users have no idea
how to really use much of their software. When their scripts break,
they panic and cannot function, even with apps that are usable without
the scripts.
Could more direct scripting of VO be useful? Sure. Is it crucial?
No. Why? Because we can script most, if not all, of the programs we
are trying to gain access to directly, without having to go through VO.
Josh de Lioncourt
Mac-cessibility: http://www.Lioncourt.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lioncourt
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