Very well written! On Sep 2, 2010, at 11:18 AM, erik burggraaf wrote: > Guys, I tried to keep the below as polite and forthright as possible, but it > degenerates in places and reading and rereading, I don't really see the > benefit of removing some of the language that might be considered offensive > or abridging my comments. I really feel this needs to be said, not for the > purpose of offending, but for the purpose of taking what I feel is the right > stance. > > Hi Mark, this is bad... Very very bad. There are glaring inaccuracies in > this release. I sincerely hope you did not send it to any public forums > other than gw micro customer base. I've quoted what I want to draw your > attention to in my comments, but left the entire article below for people to > read in it's entirety. > > Article 6: You wrote, > "what incentive would Apple have to make their screen reader work with > Microsoft Office and what incentive would Microsoft have to make their screen > reader work with iTunes?" > This Demonstrates a lack of understanding on how the other side works. > Windows is not mac OS, and mac OS is not windows. On the mac side, you have > a screen reader, but you also have a fully accessible operating system. The > libraries and API's used to build programs generate accessible programs, > which are then read and interpreted by an accessible operating system, which > then sends information to voiceover... or a talk box... or a TTY machine... > Or whatever. For now, Microsoft has chosen to make office for mac > inaccessible at great pains to themselves. Apple and adobe have a love hate > relationship, and so adobe products on the mac are hit and miss for > accessibility users and non alike. As the system develops though, It will > eventually become impossible to build a program on the mac platform that is > inaccessible to apples universal access design. As such, all software > written for macs will eventually be accessible, whether you are blind, deaf, > dyslexic, paraplegic, or have any other disability. We may have to chase > every version of ITunes on the windows side, but eventually office for mac > will be accessible whether ms likes it or not, unless they simply choose to > scrap office for mac development before things get to that stage. We still > have a ways to go. >> >> > Article Seven: you wrote, > "In addition, GW Micro is the only screen reader manufacturer to host and > moderate an email discussion list. This list is a great resource that allows > our customers to discuss technical issues and questions with GW Micro’s > technical support team as well others in the Window-Eyes community." > This is incorrect. NVDA developers run their own user support group exactly > like GW Micro's. The lead developer of the Espeak software was also a > regular contributor when I was there, and There should be a brlty developer > on there by now. Apples accessibility team also monitors the macvisionaries > user group. While they don't usually participate, hundreds of feature > requests that get bandied about the group are implemented with every new > release. I know for a fact that they are watching that group because they > have posted publicly there on occasion, and the fact that they are usually > quiet doesn't mean they are ignoring their customer base. I believe duxbury > systems moderates it's own groups, and I'm sure there are others. > > Article 9: This made me furious when I read it because it demonstrates an > appalling amount of sheer ignorance. The statements are categorically false, > and should be retracted immediately before they generate well deserved ill > feelings against the company you represent. I'd like to say, I have been an > apple user for 2 and a half years. before that I was a very happy > window-eyes user, and though I seldom actually use the product these days, I > still keep up my sma, and my switch to apple was entirely driven by > dissatisfaction with windows, and in no way reflects any dissatisfaction with > window-eyes or GWMicro. I still continue to enjoy supporting and training on > window-eyes and I'm confident recommending it to clients. I'm still pretty > mad though. You wrote: >> "GW Micro believes that having a free screen reader as part of the operating >> system does a disservice to Blind computer users." >> > That's an extremely shaky position to be in, and I'll topple you in a second. > For now, I want to say that if it wasn't for governemnt funding, I wouldn't > have window-eyes. I bought it well before the days of the payment plan. > Last Christmas, I bought a brand new operating system from apple including a > fully functional screen reader for $35 Canadian. A new window-eyes upgrade > and a copy of win7 would have cost me just over $300 Canadian, $195 for the > upgrade from WE6 to 7, and $120 for a copy of win7 home premium. not that I > think the window-eyes upgrade was not good value for money, but if one > doesn't have $300 to spend, then they just don't have. it. If Ontario's > rather dubious funding system were to vanish tomorrow, the number of blind > people using mac here would go up 500 times in the next year. >> "The relatively small size of the screen reader market does not allow >> Microsoft or Apple to invest the amount of resources that accessibility >> truly deserves." >> > This is so non-visionary, it would be hilarious if it wasn't so inflammatory > . Accessibility is not about blind people. We do this all the damn time and > it's the most selfish stupid thing I've ever heard. I'm saddened to hear it > spewing out of my screen reader from a company I respect. OK, you serve > blind people, and blind people are a small market, especially blind people > who work or go to school or whatever. I mean, most people who are blind have > macular degeneration which sets in between the ages of 60 and 70. They still > want to use computers,, but their needs are not extravagant. In a world > where 1 per sent of the total population is blind, I'm the freak of nature > who was just born with RP. The odds against are astronomically high. So, > whenever this subject comes up, it always saddens me to hear people natter > about how small the blind community is and all the trials and tribulations > involved in providing accessibility. Hello world, is anybody listening? I'm > going to say something really profound here. You won't want to miss this. > The world, does not, revolve, around, blind people. There are, other people, > who need, accessibility, besides, you john blind person. There are deaf > people out there. Milionds of normal looking people on the street that you > walk by every day have learning disabilities. There are people with > musculature and fine motor problems., people who don't have all of their > limbs, or maybe they only have two fingers on one hand. The number of > disabilities that inhibit access and the number of potential users that > benefit from a universally accessible design is limitless. It's not about > building a screen reader so that apple can sell more computers to blind > people, although they are doing a phenomenal job of that. It's about > building a computer that can be used by anyone, regardless of their > disability. When you look at it that way, the economics make more sense. GW > micro builds stuff for blind people, and that's great. They do a good job of > building stuff for blind people. But apple is building stuff for everyone, > regardless of disability, and they are doing a good job at it. > >> "Without a major change in Microsoft or Apple’s infrastructure, they would >> be ill-prepared to develop a strong and evolving screen reader as well as >> provide the type of support that is often required by screen reader users." >> > Wrong again. Or at least, if a change was needed, it happened in apple, and > the signs started showing 5 or 6 years ago. That means the actual change you > speak of probably took place many years before that. Window-eyes is a very > good product. Certainly better than it's closest windows counterpart, but my > friend, voiceover is getting to be at least as good as window-eyes, and if > the position of GWMicro is truly that apple will never build a full featured > competitive screen reader then you had better get your head out of your > collective asses or the wave is going to sweep this company away. Voiceover > offers access to the web which is at least as robust as window-eyes or it's > competitor except for adobe flash which is mostly adobe's fault. Voiceover > offers read-write braille support via usb and bluetooth for at least 25 > braille displays. Voiceover has a non-proprietary full featured scripting > model using apple script which is a part of mac OS. Voiceover even has truly > useful features that window-eyes does not yet have. For example, window-eyes > does not provide full access or as far as I know, any access at all to the > multi-touch trackpad on windows PC's. You can not use jesters in window-eyes > to control your pc, a feature which many blind mac users have come to rely on > once past the learning curve. > As far as the support goes, I can take my computer into any apple store or > apple reseller and they will sit down in front of me and fix my problem. If > they don't know what the solution is, they will look it up. There are a lot > of people supporting apple. Apple hires individuals based on a huge array of > factors, and they generally manage to finddgood people. It is possible to > have a bad tech support experience with apple, but it's also possible to have > the same with GW, or in deed any company. Support is a hard job. When > things aren't going your way it can be extremely stressful for both the > support person and the one being supported. It's important to be careful > about how you criticize some one else's support or decry your own. Although > I really think GW has very good support overall, I would hesitate to pick out > any one company and say, "that one has the best support". Still, I get face > to face, one on one attention for my problems and questions from apple. I > can have training from the apple store if I want, and for less than what GW > would charge. I can't even get GW's training courses here, much as I'd love > to have them. In order to bring the courses here, I have to find 5 to 10 > people who want the course and have the money to pay for it, find a venue to > host it, and so on. I've read the review of window-eyes training courses. > It made me drool, but I don't think it's accurate at all to say that a > mainstream provider can't give blind customers the attention they need. >> "Without competition from screen reader manufacturers like GW Micro there >> will be no incentive for Apple or Microsoft to include a feature-rich and >> powerful screen reader into their operating system." >> > Well I think we've put pay to the fully functioning nonsense. Competition > isn't bad. I'm for sure grateful I had a choice between jaws and window-eyes > back in the day. It's saved me a lot of frustration. I'm for sure grateful > I had a choice between mac and windows, cause even though I work a job, I'm > not exactly the most wealthy guy in the world, and I have to watch it. I'm > glad the vinux project is doing so well, and I love looking forward to the > new release of NVDA every year. It would be really tough for any one to come > in and compete with apple though. How do you beat some one in the market > when they offer a universally accessible operating system? I guess there is > vinux, but it's a tough sell. Now you are talking around in circles, because > first you say that there's no way a mainstream company can build and support > a full functioning screen reader, and Then you say that competition from > companies like GW Micro is driving microsoft and apple accessibility.. This > is ridiculous. You can not have it both ways. In fact, my info is that full > accessibility was tried by MS back around the turn of the century, and it got > squashed by the NFB, who incidentally, did a huge hack job on Voiceover when > Leopard came out and was forced to print retractions, after users > demonstrated numerous statements made by the organization to be completely > false. Wherefore, no one was interested in mac OS 10 until apple made it > interesting, and now it's competitive after many years of work and revision. > Where were GWMicro and Freedom Scientific back in OS10.1? Serving the 90% > windows community and being paid rather well for doing so, while apple took > the initiative and built something. So both of these statements trip over > eachother and fall flat on their faces. >> >> GWMicro has so many good things to offer blind users, and I'm sorry that no >> one else showed up for the show down; However, If you publish something like >> this to a wider community, then what you have to offer is going to get lost >> amid all the inaccurate, contradictory and inflammatory statements about >> other companies and the blind community. This is not the way, and I very >> much hope you will reconsider. >> >> > Regards, > > Erik Burggraaf > Check out my first ever podcast tutorial, Learn braille using the braille box. > Visit http://www.erik-burggraaf.com and click podcasts to read more and > subscribe. > > On 2010-09-01, at 2:28 PM, [email protected] wrote: > >> >> Earlier this summer, the Information Access Committee invited GW Micro, >> Freedom Scientific, Serotek, NVDA and Apple to participate in the Future of >> Screen Readers discussion panel at the 2010 ACB convention in Phoenix >> Arizona. When the time came for the discussion panel, GW Micro was the only >> screen reader manufacturer that showed up to participate. In fairness, >> Serotek and NVDA attempted to participate via Skype but were unable to do so >> because of Internet connectivity issues in the hotel conference area. As >> for the others, Freedom Scientific declined to participate and Apple did not >> even acknoweldge the invitation sent by the Information Access Committee. >> GW Micro would like to take this opportunity to publicly respond to the 10 >> questions asked of each participant and you can find the ten discussion >> panel questions along with our responses below: >> >> 1. Each of your companies has a different business model for marketing and >> selling your screen reader. Based on this model, describe how your product >> is expected to impact the overall market for screen readers. >> >> GW Micro’s business model is driven by the needs of our customers and screen >> reader users all over the world. Our goal is to make current versions of >> the Windows operating system and all Windows-based applications fully >> accessible. >> >> This is accomplished by three methods. First, we try to make Window-Eyes as >> flexible as possible so that the operating system and user applications will >> be completely accessible and usable “out of the box” without having to >> perform any screen reader customization or scripting. Second, we offer >> users the ability to create set files which can be used to customize and >> enhance the speaking environment of an application that might not be fully >> accessible out of the box. The task of creating set files in Window-Eyes >> can be easily accomplished using an intuitive user interface. Lastly, we >> allow you to customize the operating system and applications based on a >> user’s specific needs. This is done by providing the most powerful >> scripting abilities of any screen reader currently available. Unlike the >> competition, Window-Eyes scripting uses the industry standard approach of >> COM Automation which allows state-of-the-art programming languages to >> harness the full power of Window-Eyes and create a seamless computing >> experience for the end-user. More than 200 Window-Eyes scripts are already >> available for use and can be downloaded for free directly from Script >> Central (www.gwmicro.com/sc). >> >> With over 90% of computers running a Windows operating system and the >> increasing popularity of Windows 7, we expect that there will continue to be >> strong demand for a stable, secure and flexible Windows-based screen reading >> solution in the marketplace. In addition, we expect that Window-Eyes will >> continue to grow in popularity as more people learn about the powerful >> scripting capabilities as well as the screen reader’s unmatched stability. >> It is also important to mention that GW Micro was the first and still the >> only screen reader manufacturer to offer a payment plan. We believe that >> the Window-Eyes payment plan has had a dramatic impact on the screen reader >> market by making a powerful screen reader like Window-Eyes affordable to >> people on fixed incomes as well as others who find themselves in a difficult >> financial situation. >> >> 2. The role of computing has shifted dramatically in the past few years >> with much computing being done either remotely—through some kind of >> cloud-based virtual operating system—or virtual machines via products such >> as VMware. Going forward, tell us about your strategy to support remote and >> virtual computing with your screen reader. >> >> GW Micro worked diligently to be the first screen reader to support remote >> computing. This was accomplished by working very closely with Citrix and >> Microsoft to make sure their remote access technologies would be accessible >> with Window-Eyes. This allowed screen reader users access to remote >> computers using software like Remote Desktop for the first time in screen >> reader history. GW Micro has also spent considerable time and effort to >> make sure that both fat and thin client computing is fully supported. In >> addition, GW Micro continues to expand Window-Eyes support for virtual >> computing platforms including VMWare, Virtual PC, Virtual Box and Parallels. >> Moving forward, our strategy will be to continue to work very closely with >> leading technology firms that provide remote and virtual computing solutions >> to ensure that these products continue to be fully accessible with >> Window-Eyes. >> >> 3. As you know, braille is absolutely vital to many aspects of the lives >> that we live as people who are blind or visually impaired including >> education, employment, and literacy. How do you imagine support for braille >> can be improved in your product? >> >> GW Micro understands the importance of Braille and Braille literacy in the >> Blind and visually impaired community. In addition, Braille is essential >> for a computer user who is Deaf-Blind and GW Micro is proud to report that >> many of the leading advocates in the Deaf-Blind community prefer Window-Eyes >> as their screen reader of choice. This is in part because of our attention >> to detail found in the Window-Eyes Braille support with features like Quick >> Message and Speech Box mode. Another benefit of our Braille support is that >> Window-Eyes Braille output can be customized and presented in three >> different ways or modes: Structured, Line and Speech Box. These three >> modes give the user the flexibility to control how Window-Eyes will present >> information on the Braille display based on their individual Braille reading >> preferences. For example, in Line mode, all of the text and controls of a >> dialog box will be displayed on the same line of Braille instead of >> displaying each text item and control on a separate line. By displaying all >> of the information found in the dialog on one line of Braille, the user can >> access all of the information very quickly without the need to continually >> scroll down line by line. >> >> Moving forward, we are very optimistic about the future of Braille and >> Window-Eyes Braille support. Because of the advanced scripting abilities >> of Window-Eyes, Braille display manufacturers like Handy Tech have created >> powerful scripts allowing users to make better use of their Braille >> displays. In addition, innovative features being introduced in Braille >> displays like Active Tactile Control (ATC) will allow users to interact with >> their applications in more efficient ways without having to move your >> fingers away from the Braille display. >> >> GW Micro is constantly striving to make sure any and all Braille displays >> are supported by Window-Eyes. GW Micro and many other leaders in assistive >> technology have chosen to support the OpenBraille initiative. The focus of >> this initiative is to develop a universal standard which will allow for any >> Braille display to work with any screen reader automatically. Regretfully, >> not all screen reader manufacturers support this initiative which is >> negatively impacting the affordability and compatibility of Braille displays >> and screen readers. For more information, please feel free to review the >> two insightful blog posts made by Doug Geoffray, the lead developer of >> Window-Eyes, on the Braille driver signing issue found at >> http://www.gwmicro.com/blog/index.php/all/?title=a-thought-on-braille-driver-signing >> and >> http://www.gwmicro.com/blog/index.php/all/?title=more-thoughts-on-braille-driver-signing&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. >> In addition, if you would like to sign the petition to voice your >> opposition to the “Secure and Compatible Braille Display Initiative” which >> in our opinion will only serve to harm the Braille reading community as a >> whole, please visit: http://www.petitiononline.com/brl4all/. >> >> 4. The future role of the World Wide Web is often described as that of a >> highly interactive, media-rich desktop. As we move into the era where this >> role becomes more and more evident with the gradual implementation of such >> technologies as AJAX and those collectively known as HTML5, what challenges >> do you foresee your screen reader facing? What opportunities do you imagine >> these interfaces to bring? >> >> GW Micro feels that the opportunities presented by emerging web technologies >> such as ARIA and HTML5 will be truly amazing as long as web authors are >> given the necessary strategies and tools needed to make their web content >> accessible in an efficient manner. GW Micro will continue to work closely >> with companies and organizations that create web and accessibility standards >> as we strive to make the web as accessible as possible. >> >> The biggest challenge that we currently face is making the transition from >> reading simple static web pages to web pages and web applications that are >> much more complex and dynamic. This challenge cannot be overcome by adding >> a few lines of code or writing a few simple scripts. Instead, GW Micro will >> invest a significant amount of time and resources to completely re-write the >> Window-Eyes Browse Mode giving users the power and flexibility needed to >> access the web content of both today and tomorrow. GW Micro plans to >> include our new web support in the next major release of Window-Eyes, >> version 8. >> >> 5. With rapid changes, often dramatic at times, in operating systems, >> browsers, and other technologies, screen reader users express frustration >> that they are unable to take advantage of the technologies used by their >> sighted peers for months—if not years. In addition, the interaction model >> for each screen reader may differ significantly. What collaborative steps >> can you take to reduce the lag and different interaction modalities for >> increased benefit to users? >> >> In the past, it was not uncommon for screen reader users to have to wait >> several months before a new operating system or application would become >> accessible. GW Micro was not satisfied with this paradigm so we took the >> necessary steps to make sure that major applications and operating systems >> are supported on day one. This is accomplished by working very closely with >> the application developers during design time to ensure that their >> applications are fully accessible with a screen reader. >> >> GW Micro has a strong reputation for working closely with key application >> developers in an effort to provide full access to applications at the time >> they are made available to the public. The list of software companies that >> GW Micro has collaborated with over the years includes Microsoft, Apple, >> IBM, Adobe, Citrix and many others. >> >> Microsoft is at the top of the list because we strive to provide full access >> to every version of Windows before or as soon as it is released to the >> public. In fact, Microsoft contracted with GW Micro to write the Display >> Chain Manager (DCM) which set the precedent for collaboration between a >> screen reader manufacturer and a commercial technology giant like Microsoft. >> Window-Eyes was the first screen reader to support Windows Vista because >> during a two week porting lab at Microsoft, GW Micro was the only screen >> reader manufacturer to send our software engineers for the entire two week >> period. Because of our extra efforts, Microsoft decided to use Window-Eyes >> to demonstrate the accessibility of Windows Vista prior to the official >> release of the operating system. Window-Eyes was also the first screen >> reader to support Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010 because we worked directly >> with the Office team to ensure full accessibility. >> >> Our collaborative efforts with Adobe and Macromedia led to Window-Eyes being >> the first screen reader to support both PDF files and Flash content. In >> addition, Window-Eyes was the first screen reader to support Citrix and >> Terminal services because GW Micro was the first screen reader manufacturer >> to work with Citrix and Microsoft to make these tools accessible. >> >> Moving forward, GW Micro’s strategy will be to continue to work side by side >> with leading software developers so that accessibility incorporated into the >> design and development of future operating systems and applications. >> >> 6. Imagine that you are participating on a panel 5 years from now. What do >> you hope you can tell us about the screen reader space and the role of your >> screen reader in it? >> >> While companies like Microsoft and Apple will continue to integrate >> accessibility into their operating systems, we feel that GW Micro and other >> screen reader manufacturers will still have an important role to play in the >> market. This holds true because competition has been proven to drive >> creativity and innovation. Without competition from companies like GW >> Micro, Microsoft and Apple will have no incentive to make their screen >> readers work with competing technologies. For example, what incentive would >> Apple have to make their screen reader work with Microsoft Office and what >> incentive would Microsoft have to make their screen reader work with iTunes? >> >> Many people are optimistically waiting for a utopia where all applications >> and technologies are accessible from day one because commercial technology >> vendors will build accessibility into their products. While this might >> sound like an ideal solution to the accessibility issues we face today, >> history has shown us that technology evolves too quickly for this to be >> possible in all cases. Because of this, screen reader pioneers like GW >> Micro will still play a very important role in developing the most >> innovative solutions to solve the accessibility problems inherent in >> commercial technologies. >> >> GW Micro has been a pioneer in the screen reader industry for over 20 years >> and its founders, Doug Geoffray and Dan Weirich have been developing >> assistive technology for Blind and visually impaired computer users since >> the early 80’s. We have the experience and knowledge required to develop a >> powerful screen reader and properly support our customers. If Apple and >> Microsoft are the only companies left offering a screen reader in the >> future, you can rest assured that screen readers will only be capable of >> what an Apple or Microsoft want them to instead of what screen reader users >> actually need them to do. In contrast, GW Micro will continue to pioneer >> innovative and customer driven solutions and add to our “list of firsts” as >> new operating systems and applications are developed. >> >> 7. Training and support are essential for most screen reader users. What >> innovative steps can you take in the future to ensure that your users have >> the best training and support available? What are some challenges are you >> likely to face? >> >> GW Micro has a unique training model that is not matched by any of our >> competitors. GW Micro offers two types of Window-Eyes training: >> individualized one-on-one phone training as well as hands-on group training. >> >> >> Our phone training is the perfect training option for someone who would like >> personalized training that can be setup around their schedule and at an >> affordable cost. You can read more about our phone training by visiting: >> http://www.gwmicro.com/Training/Phone_Training/. >> >> GW Micro also travels around the country conducting hands-on Window-Eyes >> training classes that cover basic and intermediate Window-Eyes skills. >> These classes have been extremely successful and were recently reviewed and >> recognized by the American Foundation for the Blind’s AccessWorld online >> publication. You can read the glowing review written by Deborah Kendrick by >> visiting: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw110305. >> >> With the introduction of Window-Eyes scripting, GW Micro has launched >> hands-on Window-Eyes scripting training classes as well. These classes give >> individuals an opportunity to learn how to download, configure and use >> Window-Eyes scripts as well as how to start writing your own Window-Eyes >> scripts. GW Micro offers both a Beginner/Intermediate scripting class as >> well as an Advanced scripting class. You can read more about our script >> training by visiting: http://www.gwmicro.com/Training/Script_Training/. >> >> GW Micro has a reputation for offering superior technical support and this >> is accomplished by having a dedicated group of technical support >> representatives and engineers to help our customers troubleshoot and resolve >> any problems that they may encounter. Unlike other companies, you are >> always going to speak to a real person when you call us for support. In >> addition, GW Micro is the only screen reader manufacturer to host and >> moderate an email discussion list. This list is a great resource that >> allows our customers to discuss technical issues and questions with GW >> Micro’s technical support team as well others in the Window-Eyes community. >> >> Moving forward, GW Micro would like to continue to use and deploy new >> solutions that take advantage of remote computing and emerging web >> technologies so we can continue to improve and enhance the support and >> training we provide. For example, GW Micro is actively using social media >> outlets including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr to increase our >> outreach and exposure to the community. In addition, GW Micro gives >> everyone the ability to review and rate scripts at Script Central >> (www.gwmicro.com/sc), participate in forums dedicated to accessibility >> (www.gwmicro.com/forum) as well as to contribute to online documentation >> (www.gwmicro.com/wiki). >> >> At GW Micro, we don’t just provide assistive technology solutions; we are an >> active member of the Blind and visually impaired community. GW Micro hopes >> to pass along our knowledge and expertise to a new generation of assistive >> technology trainers, consultants and end-users. We are optimistic that our >> model for training and support will lead to a growing and prosperous >> community of Window-Eyes users all over the world. >> >> 8. What are the top three things you would tell developers who develop >> software, websites, and interactive environments? >> >> First, we would recommend software developers introduce accessibility at >> design time using existing standards instead of creating new standards or >> trying to retro fit accessibility into the application or website after the >> fact. This should reduce development costs and greatly enhance the >> accessibility of the application. Second, we would encourage software >> developers to work directly with accessibility leaders such as GW Micro. >> This can lead to more commercial software being fully accessible “out of the >> box” with screen readers. Lastly, we would tell developers that they should >> have Blind and visually impaired users test their software for accessibility >> and usability before releasing the product. We believe that this strategy >> would help software companies better understand the unique perspective of >> Blind and visually impaired computer users and encourage them to fix >> accessibility issues found in their software before it is released. >> >> 9. By introducing a screen reader as an integral part of the operating >> system available for every user and at no additional cost, Apple has changed >> the dynamics of the screen reader industry. What changes need to occur for >> Microsoft to bring about a similar model for Windows? What reasons are >> there for not taking such a step? >> >> GW Micro believes that having a free screen reader as part of the operating >> system does a disservice to Blind computer users. How many people dropped >> their dedicated screen reader in favor of Microsoft Narrator when it first >> came out in Windows or now that it has been around for more than a decade? >> The relatively small size of the screen reader market does not allow >> Microsoft or Apple to invest the amount of resources that accessibility >> truly deserves. Without a major change in Microsoft or Apple’s >> infrastructure, they would be ill-prepared to develop a strong and evolving >> screen reader as well as provide the type of support that is often required >> by screen reader users. Without competition from screen reader >> manufacturers like GW Micro there will be no incentive for Apple or >> Microsoft to include a feature-rich and powerful screen reader into their >> operating system. >> >> 10. As a developer of a screen reader, what to you is the most frustrating >> aspect of being in this market? >> >> GW Micro’s biggest frustration is not being able to make all of our >> customers’ applications and the web pages they browse fully accessible. >> With the growing use of accessibility standards by software developers in >> conjunction with the powerful scripting capabilities and increased >> flexibility of Window-Eyes, we are optimistic that we will eventually be >> able to reach our goal of making all of our customers’ applications and >> favorite web pages fully accessible. >> >> >> If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender >> only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is >> related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to >> [email protected] >> so the entire list will receive it. >> >> GW-Info messages are archived at >> http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at >> http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv >> . >> > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
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