I'll start with an aside. One can use a Bluetooth keyboard with any of the iDevices like an iPad and never touch the screen. Pressing the right and left arrow keys start a feature called Quick nav. Once can navigate the touch items of the screen and press the up and down arrow at the same time to activate. I am a TVI and would never recommend a touch screen device without insisting on a Bluetooth keyboard. Though our list is specific to speech and braille access, the other features built into the IOS system are amazing. One can use an iPad with switches alone and not have to purchase anything but a Blu Tooth switch interface.
Back to on topic. There has, or should I say was, a long time close connection between GW and Microsoft. I never thought that GW had decided to give away WE. I am quite sure that during the time of the Office offer of We, Microsoft was paying a per install fee to GW. There has been a floating rumor for quite some time that Microsoft would begin including a greatly improved screen reader in their future releases of Windows. Since their introduction, I have felt that the access features in Windows have been the poor child put there so that Microsoft could point to them and say, "see, we have accessibility." Given the access features from Apple and now from Google, It is difficult to believe that Microsoft will not see that quality accessibility must be a part of future iterations of Windows. Why would I want to use a PC when a Mac will provide quite reasonable access without the cost of third party software? I have been a devout user of GW products since the first release of VocalEyes. I knew by voice the members of the support staff. At the same time, why should access to information require me to purchase or to ask an agency to purchase me accessibility? I would far rather spend or see money spent on training me to use the built-in access tool of the platform I need to do my work. Change is always disconcerting. That is more the case when a tool on which one relies suddenly appears to have dropped into limbo. The Big Brother Holding Company of screen readers is making a large marketing error when they don't at least state their intension about a product they purchased. Did anyone wonder why it was necessary to quickly make JAWS the screen reader component of Fusion? If Big Brother owns WE, why not just continue to use it and give time to carefully replace it? Okay, enough of a rant, Rick Rick Richard Ely, Ed.D. En-Vision Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Home Phone: (413) 727-3038 Cell 413) 774-0743 "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." Buckminster Fuller _______________________________________________ Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. For membership options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/archive%40mail-archive.com. For subscription options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com List archives can be found at http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com
