I got the following from the freedom scientific web site. Read on.
With best regards,
Amiyo Biswas
Cell: +91-9433464329
How good are Windows 8 accessibility features for the blind?
By Mardon Erbland
You can find many reviews about Windows 8 Consumer Preview. This one is
different because I set out to understand how Windows 8 performs for a blind
person who must use keyboard shortcuts to navigate. I am sighted but tested
the operating system thinking about my blind nephew.
My review focuses on navigation of the new OS using keyboard shortcuts and
no mouse. It is not aimed at partially-sighted or low-vision people who use
a mouse and may actually benefit from the larger icons. Neither do I
evaluate how screen readers such as JAWS will read the screen contents once
the correct location is reached. I suspect that the makers of JAWS and other
screen reader software will have lots work to do before their programs will
work well with Windows 8. I hope that isn't the case. But my guess is that
it will be.
I run Windows 8 Consumer Preview on a VMware Player x64 v4.0.1 virtual
machine. My hardware is a Gigabyte MoBo; i7 Hex core at 3.2GHz OC; 24GB DDR3
RAM; nVidia GTX580 512; host OS Win7 on 250GB Intel SSD; VM on 150GB
partition on an internal 2TB SATA300. Other internal drives are two RAID0
arrays each 2 x 1TB WD Caviar Black and two NEC 1920x1200 displays.
Editor: That's a helluva rig.
Boot Up Experience
When Windows 8 first boots, it goes into what Microsoft calls a "Lock
Screen". This Screen displays information such as the time of day but does
not allow for any user input. To advance to the Login Screen you press
"Tab". Once at this location you can type in your password.
Windows 8 is designed to encourage the use of a Microsoft Account and its
associated username and password for logging into your local PC. Hotmail
users will already have a Microsoft account. This is apparently done to
allow access to the many cloud-based features built into Windows 8. The
Login Screen also contains an icon for shutting down the computer. Navigate
to it by pressing Tab repeatedly. Once there, hit "enter" to get a menu for:
Sleep, Shut Down or Restart.
While at the Login Screen, repeatedly pressing Tab will cycle from the Login
Box to the Submit Button to the Ease of Access Icon to the Shut Down icon
then back to the Login Box. The Ease Of Access Button gives a Menu that can
be navigated with the up and down arrows. If no keys are pressed, the menu
selections advance on their own after a short time interval. The menu
contains: Narrator, Magnifier, On-Screen Keyboard, High Contrast, Sticky
Keys, and Filter Keys. The Escape key takes you back to the Login Screen.
Measuring Metro's Worth
After logging in, you go to what Microsoft calls the Metro User Interface.
I'll call it Metro for short. This displays a series of icons in table --
some might call "tile-like" -- format. Use the arrow keys to navigate.
Unfortunately, all the cells are not the same size. This makes the table
more difficult for a blind person to navigate.
There is no Start button in Windows 8. Metro replaces it. The Metro screen
contains many icons that can be used to launch programs and apps, which are
new to Windows 8. Their icons are dynamic, in that they show the status of
the apps and programs they represent. For example, the Weather icon shows
temperatures and weather conditions. The music app icon shows what is
playing, etc. I do not know how this dynamic approach will work with a
screen reader.
The Metro screen also contains an icon for your personal user account.
Pressing Tab will move you between the program and App icons in Metro and
your User Account. After first arriving at Metro, you can Tab once to go
your user account. Press Enter. This brings up a menu that contains three
options: Change Account Picture, Lock and Sign Out. The arrow keys can be
used to navigate this menu. Escape exits the menu.
While in Metro, the arrow keys can be used to navigate to the individual
icons. There are things such as Maps, Weather, People, Xbox, Messaging plus
any Programs that you have "Pinned to Start" (explained later). Once you
arrow to the program or app you want to launch, press Enter to launch it.
Navigating Apps
Not all programs are displayed on the Metro screen. To access all of the
apps and programs you must press Control+Tab while in Metro. This brings up
an apps screen containing icons for all apps and programs. It's much like
what would have been accessed via the Start Button in previous versions of
Windows. Use the arrow keys to navigate this screen. Standard features like
the Control Panel are accessed from this apps page. Press the Windows key to
go back to Metro.
Once you are on the apps screen and have navigated with the arrow keys to a
program of interest, you can press Enter to launch the app or program. You
can also press Space to get another menu. When this second menu opens, you
will get several choices that can be navigated with the right and left arrow
keys. The options available depend on the program but may include "Pin or
Unpin from Start", "Pin or Unpin from Taskbar", "Open new Window", "Open
File Location", etc. Pinning a program to Start places it in the Metro
screen. Press the Windows key to return to Metro.
Pressing Alt+Tab lets you switch between open apps or programs. Pressing
Alt+F4 seems to close individual windows just as it does in previous
versions of Windows. When programs such as Windows Explorer are launched,
they open on the Desktop and the short-cut keys seem to work like in old
versions of Windows. While at the Desktop, you can navigate the taskbar as
previously with a combination of Tab and arrow key movements. The Desktop is
the one part of Windows 8 that is very similar to previous versions of
Windows.
Multimedia Mayhem
Windows Media Player is still accessible via the Apps page but it is no
longer the default player for video or music. The defaults are the new Video
App and Music App. As far as I can tell neither app is accessible via
keyboard short-cuts. The problem with this is that if you accidently open a
video or music from Windows Explorer by hitting Enter there is no way to
stop the music or video from playing by using keyboard shortcuts.
When a DVD is inserted, it begins playing automatically in Windows Media
Center. Once the movie is playing, the Right Click Key can be pressed in
order to bring up a set of Action Menus. Use the right and left arrow keys
to move within this menu. From here you can do such things as: play or eject
the disc and go to the title menu or root menu of the disc. I have not been
able to figure out how to pause the video using keyboard shortcuts from
within Windows Media Center. It can be done with a mouse by simply moving
it, and a new menu appears allowing the user to control the speed of the
video and to pause it. I don't know how to get to that menu without a mouse.
I suspect that Windows Media Center operates the same in Windows 8 as in
Windows 7. The problem is that the default program for playing DVDs is now
Windows Media Center and not Windows Media Player, and I cannot find a way
by using keyboard short-cuts to open the DVD in WMP.
Not Good Enough Yet
In summary, it's obvious that Microsoft designed this OS with a primary
focus on touch-screen compatibility. Metro, the introduction of apps and
Windows Store, more use of the Windows Key with less use of the Escape key
and substantial integration with the cloud and cloud services like Facebook
and Flickr are all new features. The Lock Screen is also new.
The good news is that Windows 8 will probably make a great OS for Tablets.
The bad news is that it is probably going to be a real headache for blind
people who are currently using a screen reader like JAWS with Windows 7 and
no mouse. Many (if not most) of the apps I've tested do not implement
keyboard short-cuts effectively. Many do not use them at all.
Navigation of the actual operating system using keyboard shortcuts is not
too bad. It's the next level down where the problems begin. The apps and
programs are a long way from being keyboard shortcut and screen reader
friendly. It will probably take a long time, a lot of effort and substantial
collaboration with software developers to make Windows 8 apps and programs
work with screen readers.
For sighted users, the transition may not be so bad. People averse to change
will certainly hate Windows 8 but otherwise it may be an okay OS for a
desktop or notebook. The move to replace the Start Button with the apps page
may seem like a big change at first but it's really not that different once
you get used to using the apps page instead.
That said, the feel of the Metro UI is a big change that is obviously driven
by a desire to make this OS integrated with the cloud and work on tablets
and phones. In that regard, it will have no benefit for blind users since
there is not yet any tablet or phone that is accessible to the totally blind
community.
===
Windows 8 with JAWS
http://doccenter.freedomscientific.com/doccenter2/doccenter/rs25c51746a0cc/windows8/02_Windows8.htm
NOTE: For those of you participating in the live Webinar, the following link
will open the documentation in a new browser window.
The Start screen
When you press the WINDOWS Key, the Start screen opens. This replaces the
Start menu from prior versions of Windows. Each program is represented by a
tile.
Navigation of the tiles of the Start Screen is supported. As you navigate
with the ARROW keys, you will hear the name of the tile gaining focus, the
row and column of the tile, and expanded state of the tile. Expanded means
that the tile takes up twice the space as a standard tile. This is necessary
because columns may be skipped when navigating when a tile is twice the
width of a standard tile. If you navigate to another group of tiles, JAWS
plays a sound to indicate when you have switched groups. You can also simply
begin typing the name of the application you want to quickly move to it.
Unlike menus, the rows and columns of the Start screen do not wrap. This
means when you get to the edge of a row or column the focus will not cycle
back around to the beginning of the row or column. Press INSERT+TAB and JAWS
will announce coordinates of the row and column where the cursor is
currently located.
Finding a list of all programs
Perform the following steps to find the list of all available programs
installed on your computer.
Press the WINDOWS Key to open the Start screen.
Press CTRL+TAB to switch to the list of all programs.
Use the arrow keys to navigate through the list of items.
The list is divided into groups. The first group is the list of Windows 8
apps followed by standard Desktop apps. JAWS announces each group as you
move between them.
Begin typing letters to quickly narrow down the list of items.
Searching for programs and settings
Just like with Windows 7, you can still use a powerful search feature to
quickly find programs, files, settings, and more.
Press the WINDOWS Key to open the Start screen and begin typing to start the
search. If you hear the item you are looking for, press ENTER to open it or
scroll down to find other top matches. Alternatively, press TAB to move to a
list of categories that contain items that match your search. Press ENTER on
any of the items in the category list to display those matches.
For example, perform the following steps to find the Windows Notepad
application using the search feature.
Press the WINDOWS Key to open the Start screen.
Type the first few letters of the word "Notepad" (without the quotes) and
when you hear JAWS say "Notepad" press ENTER to activate the item and start
the Notepad application.
Perform the above steps again but this time type the first three letters of
"Notepad" and instead of pressing ENTER, press the TAB Key to move to the
list of categories that match the letters you typed.
As you scroll through the list JAWS will announce the category name along
with the number of items in the category. Press ENTER on any of the
categories to display a list of all the items.
Press ESCAPE at any point to close the search screen.
Accessing the Charms bar
Press WINDOWS+C to move focus to the Windows 8 Charms bar. This is a new
feature of Windows 8 that allows you quick access to common features such as
Devices, Settings, Search, and Share. Press the arrow keys or TAB to cycle
through the items and press SPACEBAR to activate an item.
NOTE: The Settings group in the Charms bar contains options for the system
volume as well as shutdown options. Press WINDOWS+I as a shortcut to move
directly to the settings group in the Charms bar.
Windows shutdown options
The shutdown options can be found in the Settings group of the Charms bar
but an easier way to access them is to move to the Desktop and press ALT+F4.
The standard shutdown dialog box will appear with the options available for
your particular computer.
Internet Explorer
Windows 8 currently has two versions of Internet Explorer. By default when
Internet Explorer is launched from the Start screen or from a metro app, it
opens in a form that is optimized for mobile devices. This version is
slimmed down and does not have a menu bar or many other functions such as
the favorites list. It is recommended that you run the Internet Explorer
from the Desktop which behaves like all previous versions and includes a
menu bar. Perform the following steps to configure Windows to always open
Internet Explorer from the Desktop.
Press WINDOWS+R to open the Run dialog box.
Type "www.google.com" without the quotes and press ENTER to open Internet
Explorer for the Desktop.
Press ALT+T to open the Tools menu and activate the Internet Options item in
the menu.
Press CTRL+TAB to move to the Programs page of the Internet Options dialog
box.
Your cursor will be on the "Choose how you open links" combo box. Scroll
down to the "Always in Internet Explorer on the Desktop" option.
Press TAB to the "Open Internet Explorer tiles on the Desktop" check box and
press SPACEBAR to check it.
Press ENTER to close the Internet Options dialog box and save your changes.
Internet Explorer for the Desktop will now open when ever you activate links
or icons from the Start screen, Desktop, or from within other applications.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: "AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issuesconcerning
the disabled." <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2014 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: [AI] wanted assistance creating shortcut in window's 8.1
-----Original message-----
From: Jeegar
Sent: 21/09/2014, 1:11 AM
To: [email protected]; AccessIndia: a list for discussing
accessibility and issues concerning
the disabled.; Voice Vision.
Subject: [AI] wanted assistance creating shortcut in window's 8.1
hi friends,
i am trying to learn creating shortcut on desktop in window 8.1, but
unable to do so,
please any expert guide me in this regard.
is there any step by step method?
waiting for assistance!
--
contact me
cell num."09924796432"
Skype ID jeegar.pithva
editional Email ID
[email protected]
[email protected]
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/jeegar.pithva.
☺
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the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its
veracity;
2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails
sent through this mailing list..
Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of
mobile phones / Tabs on:
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person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity;
2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent
through this mailing list..
