Part of the problem with technology in the blindness community is that
it is not readily available to try out. software is because you can
do demos and that sort of thing, but hardware is really hard to
actually get your hands on. That's one thing I really like about the
mac. The freedom to be able to go to any store where macs are sold
and just turn on voice over and try it. I remember when I first got
my braille note, I was relying on the marketing and the fact that
people were saying it was the best. I didn't have an opportunity to
try it first, and as a result when I first saw it I really felt like
it didn't live up to the hipe. This was when they first came out and
they might have changed since then. And I'm not trying to get into a
debate on access technology and which is better, I just think the main
thing wrong with access tech is that its unavailable. People have to
plunk down thousands of dollars sight unseen. I know there are
conventions and things, but I've never been to one and I'm sure lots
of people haven't as well.
I'm not sure the point of my message has gotten across and I've gone
way off topic, but hopefully I've made some sort of sense here.
Holly
On Apr 16, 2007, at 1:17 PM, Josh de Lioncourt wrote:
On Apr 16, 2007, at 10:38 AM, Joshue O Connor wrote:
I agree with John, there are many users who would consider going
over to
the Mac if VO was more JAWS like or at least to convince them - VO
would
probably have to do what JFW does and then some. Aside from its
direct
interaction with the OS its limitations with web browsing/application
support would deter people. However many JFW and other screen reader
users I know would be very interested in switching to VO and possibly
will in the future, but the consensus seems to be, whether true or
not,
is that VO is not quite there yet. Though I know users who prefer the
'feel' of VO to JFW. We will wait to see what Leopard delivers and
take
it from there.
Actually, I've found that this is a mentality of JFW users in
general. Window-Eyes, though a superior screen reader in my
opinion, is definitely the underdog, mainly because JFW users are
often unwilling to even try Window-Eyes. They believe that JFW is
the better screen reader, and that WE is awful, and nothing you can
say will convince many of them. WE and VO both suffer from a
massive amount of false information being propigated through the VI
community, which is particularly dentrimental in a minority group
that relies as much as the VI one does on word-of-mouth. I think
the Access World article publishedon VO could be fairly summarized
as saying, "It's not Jaws, therefore it sucks." That was one of the
most horrible pieces of so-called journalism I've ever read where
regards access technology.
The reason for this mentality is up for debate, but in the end it
doesn't really matter. I used to be a huge advocate for Jaws, and
then I found other sollutions that, when fairly judged against it,
stood up better in the overall picture, and also in the areas for
which I needed my screen reader to perform well.
I think making VO more "Jaws-like" would defeat its usefulness in
many respects. Yes, there are some commands that I'd like to see
introduced in VO that are included in Windows screen readers at
present. But VO is a very strong tool as it is now, if one takes
the time to learn to use it properly.
And, I should probably also point out that this sort of thinking is
not exclusive to Jaws users. On the contrary, this seems to be a
relatively common problem in the VI community. I remember 15 years
ago or so, many blind people swearing by their Braille'n'Speaks,
even though there were far better devices out there. The BnS had
been well marketed and word-of-mouth spread that it was the best
there was, when in fact several other, better, products existed.
Convincing a BnS user to try something else was like pulling
teeth...I know, because I used a lot of the other types of
products. I've always been one to try everything I can get my hands
on, and make an informed decision. Over the years I've used, just
to name a few, JFW, WE, VO, outSpoken for Windows, outSpoken for
Mac, outSpoken 98, Eureka A4, Aria, Braille Note, Braille'n'Speak,
Braille Lite, Braille Note, KeyNote, Type'n'Speak, Pocket Braille,
and dozens of others, all to quite an extent. Most blind people
say, "What should I use?" and then get whatever they are told is the
best, without any real knowledge of whether it really is right for
them.
Stepping off my soapbox now. *grin*
