Hello David, Scott, and Others,
David, I'm not in a position to evaluate low vision use of the Mac,
and you're correct, there isn't a way in the existing Universal Access
preferences for adjusting the Display to do more than switch to white-
on-black, use grayscale, or adjust contrast. Tim Kilburn accurately
summarized that in his reply. However, one of the interesting posts
in the archives came from a low vision user and switcher named Matt
Mueller who, among other things, recommended a freeware program from
Blacktree named Nocturne:
http://docs.blacktree.com/nocturne/nocturne
Here's a brief excerpt pasted in from Nocturne's web page:
<begin quote>
Nocturne is a simple app for switching a computer to night vision
mode. It does, however, add a few things:
Features
•
Color correction in inverted and monochrome modes - you can correct
hues when inverted and won't lose a channel when using tinted
monochrome.
•
Window shadow toggling - if glowing windows aren't your thing.
•
Background removal - hide the desktop picture so you don't see an
inverted version.
<end quote>
In your initial post, you mention that you browsed the list archives.
May I suggest that you may find it more effective to examine the list
archives at the secondary mail archive site:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries%40googlegroups.com/
I find this superior to using the Google Groups archives, both for the
simplicity and power of the search syntax for locating posts, and for
the support of access key combinations that work across browser
platforms that allow you to quickly do things like read up and down
discussion thread posts. You can search by author, date range, use
Boolean arguments and wild cards, and also now get the results sorted
in date order. (This last feature is one that I requested a couple of
months ago, and I see the Mail Archive FAQ on search syntax has now
been updated to include the "sort:newest" and "sort:oldest" option.)
I won't spend more time on the search facility, except to point you to
Matt's post (which I was able to find using this facility). It's a
commentary on the usability of magnification features under VoiceOver
and other low vision features, and provides a different perspective of
a user's switch to VoiceOver from the one that Scott gives:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries%40googlegroups.com/msg00710.html
(Re: Zoom Text on Mac)
Scott, you comment on the frustration of the linear way of using
screen readers. What's interesting is that David and other new
potential Mac users are being drawn to examine the Mac from the
experience of using the touch screens on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and
iPad. That system definitely allows users o break away from a purely
linear usage, as does the whole notion of "group mode" in web
navigation and the Mac's concept of interacting in only those sections
you want to examine in detail. What's interesting is the fact that
these two operating systems, iOS 4 on the iDevices with the touch
screen based experience, and Mac OS X on the Mac computers, are
beginning to merge in usage and functions. This is most recently seen
with the introduction of the Magic Trackpad for the Mac, which allows
the gesture based navigation on the iDevices to be brought to the Mac
computer. We've already heard comments from recent switchers, like
Geoff, about finding that Magic Trackpad use increases his efficiency
over the standard VoiceOver shortcuts. On the iPhone, iPod Touch, and
iPad side, we've seen support for Bluetooth keyboards and Braille
devices add keyboard input and navigation to the functionality of the
touch screen and gesture based devices.
One of the reasons that I adopted both the iPod Touch and the iPad
when these were released was that I wanted to keep up with the new
functionality that was being introduced with these devices (and also,
hopefully provide useful feedback that would assist in their
development). I didn't envision getting a new computer any time soon,
and generally just keep using my old ones (e.g., the 12" PowerBook G4
that was my first Mac, that dates back to the start of this original
list over 5 years ago is still in operation; it just can't do any of
the cool, Intel-based functions. My current MacBook is of 2008
vintage, and I expect equal longevity). So for me, the way to keep up
with the new trackpad and gesture features was also through the iPad
and iPod Touch. I didn't realize at the time that Apple would
introduce devices like the Magic TrackPad that would bring the older
machines into the fold.
While I agree with Scott's comment that the Macs are in no way
"magical", I suspect that if he tried the new device interfaces that
he might find some of the increased efficiency and features he is
bemoaning. This isn't to say that this configuration works equally
well for all purposes and individuals. It's simply a statement that
the potential for this different mode of operation might bring him
desirable features.
As for David's decision, I do see the color customization limitations
as a possible deal breaker. I agree that there hasn't been as much
effort put into improving some low-vision features on the Mac. The
feedback and requests from blind users is simply far larger, I
suspect, and so most efforts have gone to making these fixes.
However, it may be that third party freeware such as Nocturne may
provide what he needs.
HTH. Cheers,
Esther
On Oct 8, 2010, at 05:51, Scott Ford wrote:
Hello David,
I have traveled the same road as you. I still have some vision,
however my vision is in the more advanced stages than you. I
must use a screen reader in order to effectively navigate my
computer. I am also an Adaptive Technology specialist. This thread
has been incredibly fascinating to read. I purchased my Mac book
pro nearly two years ago, even at that time I was a voice over user
and Jaws user. I found the switch from magnification to voice an
incredibly hard switch. The most frustrating part is the linear way
that one must use a computer while working with a screen reader.
This slows productivity down so much. On a totally different point
I unfortunately find that I must still frequently complete work in
windows. The positive to this is that I can run bootcamp. The down
side is it is really annoying to switch back and forth. I have
fusion, however the quirky keyboard configuration and the Jaws ilm
configuration is not very optimal. I did find the post about the
application for Mac color configuration very intriguing. I must
agree with you david, in your analysis, I feel that you are spot
on. The most exciting aspect is that the technology is only going
to become better, the machines are going to get faster. Finally
whether you get a Mac today or a Mac tomorrow it is just another
computer, unlike common lore Macs are no more magical than a PC.
Sincerely,
Scott to Oct 8, 2010, at 6:59 AM, David Goodwin wrote:
Hi Ricardo and Nic,
Thank you both for your recent posts. I had been considering how
best to respond to some of the comments made elsewhere in this
thread, but I think you guys have just about covered things for me
<smile>.
All that I am trying to do is determine the combination of tools
that will make using a desktop computer as easy and efficient as
possible. At the moment my residual vision is such that it should
be regarded as one of the 'tools' available to me (and will
continue to be so for some time). And no, this is not me in some
kind of denial about the state of my vision (as some others have
hinted at). It is simply the way that things are for me.
On something as small as an iPhone my residual sight has little to
offer, so VoiceOver is my only real choice. However, things are
less clear-cut on a desktop. A screen reader on its own would not
be the most efficient option for me at this time. So, I need to
decide whether having VoiceOver available as an option, along with
the more important (to me) screen magnification and colour
inversion, offers any advantages over my current set-up on a PC.
Having now seen the colour inversion feature in operation, the
decision is not as clear as I had anticipated. Looking at my screen
right now, everything is displayed in colours that are optimized
for my sight problems. This would not be the case if I were typing
this on a Mac.
David
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