Hello.
Some of the things I'm about to write regarding the subject of antivirus
accessibility may be controversial to some and may possibly ruffle some
feathers. This is not my intent. I'd just like to offer a slightly
different perspective on this extremely important issue.
I think that, with respect, people who wonder what antivirus programs
are compatible with Window-eyes are asking the wrong question. The
question we should all be asking, whether we're blind or sighted, is
what antivirus or security solution is highly rated, according to
independent lab tests. I realize the problem with this question is that,
sometimes, what some may consider to be a good antivirus solution might
not be compatible with our screen reader of choice. When we find out
that specific solutions we might otherwise have considered don't work
well with our screen reader, we choose one which is more accessible.
Lest you think I'm looking down on all of you, please know that I did
the exact same thing for years.
In 1998, I began using what was, at that time, a current version of
Norton Antivirus on my Windows 98 machine. The program was well-known,
was shipped with my computer with a free, one year subscription and was,
from what I remember, 100% accessible.
Eventually, the program's level of accessibility began to change and I
discovered AVG 7.5. It, too, was 100% accessible and was probably the
only antivirus program to allow the user to change and redefine shortcut
keys for its various functions, similar to the functionality of
Window-eyes. It was amazing and it seemed like it was almost made for
visually impaired screen reader users. I should note that I never once
considered whether the program was actually effective in keeping my
computer secure. As naive as this may sound, I'll admit that it never
occurred to me to actually read objective reviews to see if AVG could do
an even half-decent job in protecting my system. It was free, super
accessible and had the word antivirus in its name. What more could I
possibly want?
As I'm sure many of you will remember, version 8 of AVG came along and,
while the program was still mostly accessible, the interface changed,
keyboard shortcut reassignment was gone and, over time, accessibility
became a bit more problematic, although the program was certainly usable
enough. Bear in mind that I haven't used it in several years and, if
accessibility has improved, I'll be the first to celebrate that fact.
So, like so many of us, I decided to find another program with the word
antivirus in its title with at least reasonable screen reader
accessibility. I found Avast 4.x and it wasn't bad. Like many blind
people, I happily used it. Until 5.0 came around and the program was not
accessible, though I know they've since been working on this and things
have likely changed.
So, I uninstalled Avast and found what I believed was the ideal solution
with Microsoft Security Essentials. It was free, seemed light on
resources and was 100% accessible. My problem, so I thought, was solved.
Over time, I began to read that MSE wasn't doing as well in dealing with
viruses but I figured, hey, I'm a cautious user. I take a lot of
precautions: I update software regularly, adjusted security settings on
my router, am careful about opening attachments to the point of
paranoia, use a script blocker on most pages ... in other words, I was
hardly what you would call reckless and used my computer as responsibly
as I knew how. Of course, I knew even then that there was always a
chance my PC could get hit by malware, no matter how careful I was, but
I believed I was reasonably safe. Until I was hit by crippling malware
which forced me to reformat my hard drive and reinstall everything,
rebuilding everything from the ground up.
I realize that there are many people who have found an accessible or at
least usable antivirus solution who have never been hit by malware. I'm
sure there are many happy users of MSE or Windows Defender who happily
use their computer who may never be crippled by a virus. I also realize
that corporations who deploy many different security solutions, who
employ security experts who know a hundred times more than I'll ever
hope to know, still get hit by malware. When it comes to computer
security, there are no guarantees, no matter how much you know or what
you do to protect yourself. My point is that, for years, I was content
to place accessibility as a higher priority over safety and security and
that simply isn't a mistake I'm willing to make again. For word
processing, I use Microsoft Word, not only because it's quite
accessible, but because it simply is one of the best word processors out
there for what I need. Those who use Window-eyes use it because, for
what they need, it's the best solution for them.
I would encourage anyone considering their security needs to read
reviews of which programs performed well with independent tests and then
download a demo version of the program they choose; I believe most
security programs offer a 30 or 60 day trial. If it doesn't perform well
with your preferred screen reader, I would do a few things.
First, write to the developer of the program with a clear description of
the accessibility issues you're experiencing, with as much detail as you
can provide. Let them know that you're considering purchasing the
software but that you're unwilling to do so until the issues you're
describing are addressed. If they don't respond, contact them publicly
on Twitter. In addition, contact your screen reader developer to see if
they can construct apps or set files to try and work around what you're
experiencing. Computer security is too serious of an issue to make
decisions about based on how well the program works with a screen
reader, rather than making the decision based on how well the software
actually secures the precious data on your computer. I love good
conversation as much as the next person but, if I'm trying to find a
good physician, I'll choose one based on how skilled he is as a doctor,
rather than on how articulate or eloquent he may be. If he's highly
skilled and a good conversationalist, that's fabulous but I prize skill
and knowledge over how much we might have in common to chat about.
I would also respectfully ask the staff at VFO Group to consider working
with the developers of security software to see if alliances can be
formed, with the goal of making these important software packages more
accessible. Screen reader manufacturers forge similar alliances with
companies like Microsoft for the same reasons. These alliances are what
allows programs like Window-eyes to maintain compatibility and fabulous
accessibility with programs such as Word, Excel and the operating system
itself. When screen reader manufacturers say that they're ready to work
with Windows 10 or Word 2016 out of the gate, it's partly due to these
necessary relationships they form with companies like Microsoft. I'm not
criticizing such partnerships. Nobody denies that screen readers are
useless if they don't offer great support for products like Outlook,
Word and even Windows 10 itself. I'm asking that VFO take this concept
further and reach out to developers of security programs, to form
similar partnerships. Having access to Microsoft Word is great. However,
that accessibility means nothing if the security solutions designed to
protect my Word documents isn't accessible.
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
On 10/20/2016 12:51 PM, Tony C via Talk wrote:
> AVG has a free one that is useable with WE. I will caution you
> however that none of the free one's are all that great. I use the paid
> version of AVG, it's like $39 a year. Well worth it considering it can
> cost around $200 to take it to the PC shop because of a virus.
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Drew Clark via Talk
> Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 5:40 PM
> To: Window-Eyes Discussion List
> Subject: antivirus with window eyes
>
> Hi,
>
> sorry if this has been asked before but,
>
> what is the recommended free antivirus for window eyes? i am using
> windows 7 here so no built-in antivirus. i want an accessible antivirus
> and free. thanks
>
>
>
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