On 2 Nov 2006, at 14:36:22, Barney Carroll wrote:
Not sure if this is exactly the place to ask, but I am very eager
to get any authoritative (and by now, 'authoritative' can be
qualified by anybody who's so much as seen one) information on
screen readers.
Despite the fact I haven't been able to find anyone who has ever
used a screen reader,
Have you asked any blind people? There's probably some charitable
organisation local to you that would be able to put you in touch with
people with various degrees of visual impairment, using assorted
assistive technologies to various levels of competence, who would be
willing to participate in a properly-constructed program of user
testing.
Only I can never know if I have achieved it, because I can't test
it; nor can I find anybody else to test for me, or even pin-point
known problems.
You can download trial versions of all the major screen-reading
applications. (Learning to use them in the same way as a visually
impaired user is a different challenge, hence the importance of user
testing.)
I think the myth surrounding screen readers is an incredibly bad
thing because it fills the community with superstition. A great
many otherwise intelligent, adventurous and imaginative potential
innovators in the world of web design are completely crippled by
this thing that they have no experience of whatsoever - it may as
well be imaginary.
My blind friend Andy would kick you in the balls for describing an
awareness of the difficulties he faces as "superstition" or
"imaginary". He wears heavy boots, too.
w3c's accessibility guidelines are highly revered, and for the most
part there is good cause for this - and as I've said I am a
supporter of the notion of standardisation - but when talking about
the precepts of design for the blind, I become very cynical because
this stuff is pure idle theory from sighted people.
Not so. There is plenty of good information out there based on the
actual experiences of blind and partially sighted people. Also note
that the W3C's accessibility guidelines are not exclusively concerned
with visual impairment.
I would love any links to articles/archived polemic/research
studies/the appropriate list... If anybody here has actual
experience of a screen reader, I would be overjoyed to hear from them.
Download and use one (or preferably several). And read, mark, learn
and inwardly digest the book "Web Accessibility: Web Standards and
Regulatory Compliance" (Thatcher et al., pub. Friends of Ed 2006).
Likewise, if this is wholly irrelevant to this list then please
tell me. :)
I think any discussion of accessibility is valuable when intended to
improve awareness of the issues involved :-)
Regards,
Nick.
--
Nick Fitzsimons
http://www.nickfitz.co.uk/
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