Hi :) Sorry i didn't forward this to the right list earlier! Have you had any luck solving the problems? I'm not sure if you are subscribed to the right lists so i have made sure you are being CC'd so that you get the responses. Apols and regards from Tom :)
>________________________________ > From: les <hlhow...@pacbell.net> >To: Wes Will <ww...@siu.edu> >Cc: LibreOffice User Support Mailing List <users@global.libreoffice.org> >Sent: Wednesday, 20 February 2013, 17:03 >Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Accessibility issues - BLIND USER > >Hi, Wes, > There is an Braille institute in LA, just off the 101 near Universal >City as I recall. They should be able to shed some light on these >issues. > Here is their EMAIL address: > l...@brailleinstitute.org > > > Or you can contact a local institute near where you live and they might >be able to help. > > There are other options in California, but I just know a bit because my >wife had a vision impaired friend. > > As my own vision is failing and I have a friend whose vision is also >failing, this topic will become more and more important to me as well. >Screen readers suck on even their best days, but given the >alternatives.... > >Good luck. > >LesH >On Wed, 2013-02-20 at 01:33 -0600, Wes Will wrote: >> Greetings. Just signed up for the list. Have NOT had the time yet to >> get to the archives and dig for prior messages to this list regarding >> blind users, so if this is already old news, please forgive me and drop >> a link to the pertinent archives. >> >> I will assuredly be delving for this topic as soon as it is possible. >> I'll likely wait for daylight, it is presently 0100 hours here (U.S. >> CST) and it has been a long day. >> >> The problem is that I have been talking LibreOffice up to the heavens to >> a blind friend. He is stuck in a WinBlows environment, has the >> latest-version-but-one of the JAWS screen reader, and has been scorched >> by M$ Turd one too many times. It -does- read through his screen >> reader, but their "ribbon" foolishness has made the thing completely and >> utterly useless to him. Simple things that he has always been able to >> do with a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-O for opening a new document for >> instance) no longer work. One keyboard command might do one thing if a >> certain 'ribbon component' is active, and a completely different thing >> if another is active. He needs a reliable productivity suite, and I >> think LibreOffice -ought- to be perfect for him. >> >> Except that it ISN'T. He installed it, and was greeted with SILENCE >> from his screen reader. Keyboard commands, like that Ctrl-O, work fine. >> It just won't read the screen to him. Nightmare time for a totally >> blind person who just wants it to talk to him like all the other >> applications he uses. >> >> So I start looking, and I find that there is a REQUIRED additional JAVA >> API that must be installed. Roadblock ONE. It's on an Oracle site, >> which ISN'T all that 'blind friendly' and requires license acceptance >> via a bloody MOUSE CLICK on the web page. "MOUSE" and "BLIND" do NOT go >> together. I can get him by that, eventually, by downloading it myself >> (done) and sending it to him, but then it goes to roadblock TWO. The >> API installer is NOT 'blind friendly' either, requiring that he unzip >> the package, find the correct file for his OS, start it, and then answer >> (BY MOUSE-CLICKS AGAIN!!) several pages of information. I cannot walk >> him through this, as I do NOT use Microsoft ANYTHING. I cannot simply >> do it for him - he is in California and I am in Illinois. There is a >> 3000 kilometer gap between his keyboard and my hand. >> >> Is there ANY WAY that the correct API can be embedded into the >> LibreOffice package, or put there as an option in the install process? >> >> I.E. start the LibreOffice install; somewhere near the beginning be >> presented with "Add Accessibility Java Extension API to LibreOffice;" >> select "Accept Oracle License Agreement;" Continue installation WITH the >> added Java API automatically being unpacked and installed in the proper >> place. >> >> Or even a previously-accessibility-extended-install version of the >> LibreOffice suite installer. >> >> Can anyone get me past these roadblocks? I'm at a loss here, I DO think >> that FOSS software will work well for him, but getting it to actually >> WORK in the screen reader environment is already a messy, complicated >> thing for a BLIND MAN. >> >> Are there work-arounds or things that can be done to accomplish this? >> >> Another thing I noticed in the documentation for accessibility: The >> JAWS screen reader Version listed as being compatible with the (JAVA >> Accessibility API-Enabled) LibreOffice suite was SEVEN... They are up >> to version FOURTEEN, and he is using TWELVE. Has anyone checked these >> out for compatibility? Again, I cannot, since it is a Win-Only >> application. If I can get my friend in California past this whole mess, >> I will gladly have him test it out for compatibility and report back >> here so the documentation can be updated. >> >> Ideas? Links to information? Go suck an egg? What should I do here? >> >> -- >> Wes Will >> > > > > >-- >For unsubscribe instructions e-mail to: users+h...@global.libreoffice.org >Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/ >Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette >List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ >All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted > > > > -- For unsubscribe instructions e-mail to: users+h...@global.libreoffice.org Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/ Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted