>> It’s clear to me about this article 2 things. > 1. This is a windows user > 2. They haven’t done there homework. > Note: I am not the author of this article! > >> Introduction >> The modern era has brought many advantages for those who are blind or >> visually impaired. One of the most important tools a blind user uses with >> modern computing devices is a screen reader. Traditionally, screen readers >> have been very expensive third-party programs that were very difficult to >> obtain depending on one’s financial status. However, several free yet >> capable screen readers have emerged in the last 20 years. The two that we >> will be discussing are Apple’s VoiceOver for macOS and the Nonvisual Desktop >> Access or NVDA for Windows. Both are powerful screen readers in their own >> right, but they have their strengths and weaknesses which I will discuss in >> more detail. Hopefully by the end of this article, you will have a better >> understanding of each product and its individual strengths/weaknesses. >> >> NVDA >> Nonvisual Desktop Access or NVDA for short is a free and open source screen >> reader for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The organization behind >> the project is an Australian company called NV Access (www.nvaccess.org >> <http://www.nvaccess.org/>). It has been around since 2006 and primarily >> competes with the JAWS for Windows screen reader produced by Freedom >> Scientific or Vispero as they are now known by. It offers many of the same >> features that JAWS offers and should be suitable for 99% of screen reader >> users. The philosophy behind NVDA is extremely compelling. It is offered >> free of charge to anyone in the world, meaning there is no longer a >> financial barrier for blind people to work, learn, or do anything else on a >> computer. NV Access does rely on donations, either from individuals or >> grants from large companies, so if you can donate, it is very much worth it >> to help this amazing project continue long into the future. The obvious >> benefit is that a blind person can compete on a level playing field with >> sighted peers at no more cost than anyone else. Updates to NVDA are also >> free, and NV Access releases 3-4 updates per year that fix bugs and add new >> features. >> >> Since NVDA is open source <https://geeksmodo.com/open-source-blindness/>, >> anyone is free to review the source code and propose changes. While anyone >> can propose a change and submit code, it’s still reviewed and approved by NV >> Access before it is included in anything anyone can download. This ensures >> the security of the software from unauthorised changes and means that the >> final product available from https://www.nvaccess.org/ >> <https://www.nvaccess.org/> is just as secure and well vetted as the closed >> source from another company. Thousands of people from all over the world >> constantly contribute to the project which benefits everyone in the end. >> NVDA is a screen reader made for the blind by the blind. NV Access is >> overseen by a board of directors (of whom at least 33% must be blind or >> vision impaired, according to their constitution >> <https://www.nvaccess.org/about-nv-access/>. >> >> VoiceOver >> VoiceOver <https://support.apple.com/en-ke/guide/voiceover/welcome/mac> is >> Apple’s built-in and the only screen reader for the Mac. It has been around >> since 2005, although the last significant update was in 2011 with Mac OS X >> Lion. VoiceOver works well with Apple’s built-in apps and used to be very >> reliable. Since it is built into the system, anyone can walk up to a Mac >> running a modern version of macOS and get it talking by pressing Command+F5. >> Apple should be commended for building a very capable screen reader into the >> system and showing the rest of the world that it is possible to build very >> robust accessibility features into mainstream products. >> >> As previously mentioned, however, VoiceOver is not as reliable as it could >> or should be. Apple has not made significant changes in nearly a decade, and >> bugs are rarely if ever fixed. Issues have piled up over the years and the >> experience, while still good, is far from satisfactory depending on the >> tasks you wish to do. The latest trend appears to be introducing bugs that >> make certain things unusable. For example, there is a bug in macOS Big Sur >> where VoiceOver crashes when opening the Disk Utility application in macOS >> Recovery mode >> <https://www.applevis.com/bugs/mac/voiceover-crashes-when-attempting-use-disk-utility-recovery-mode>. >> This is absolutely unacceptable and would be fixed promptly if it was >> impacting sighted users, yet someone somewhere decided it was okay to >> release with this broken feature for blind users. This goes against Apple’s >> commitment to accessibility >> <https://geeksmodo.com/apples-accessibility-consistency/> and the high >> standard of quality many would associate with the company. >> >> Because VoiceOver is part of the system, you must wait for Apple to update >> the system to see if anything has been added or fixed. Since Apple’s >> operating systems are not open source, this means Apple is the only one that >> can maintain the screen reader. The fact they are not is very sad, as >> VoiceOver has the potential to do many great things if the appropriate >> resources were dedicated to it. Perhaps the reason for this neglect is the >> extreme popularity of Apple’s mobile iOS devices, as VoiceOver on that >> platform is constantly refined. We may never know, as Apple is very >> tight-lipped and secretive when it comes to their future developments. >> Unlike the open communication and collaboration model with NV Access, Apple >> does not communicate with the disability community. Again, this is most >> likely due to the secretive nature of the company, but things would probably >> be much better if Apple employees were willing and/or able to speak openly >> about accessibility with the users they serve. >> >> Conclusion >> I have done my best to outline the major differences between NVDA on Windows >> and VoiceOver on the Mac. While both products are good, I personally lean in >> favor of NVDA. Microsoft Windows is by far the most popular system in the >> world, and NVDA is a great tool in the toolbox. Its open source nature is a >> major plus and means the innovation and ability to keep up with the ever >> increasing changes in Windows is almost certain. In contrast, Apple’s >> neglect has turned me personally away from the Mac. I do not recommend >> people invest in Macs anymore either, as it has been clear for many years >> that Apple’s focus is on iOS. While it’s sad these events have transpired, >> we must never forget or disrespect the work Apple has done. Apple >> <https://www.apple.com/accessibility/> is a pioneer in the realm of >> mainstream accessibility, and now everyone else including Microsoft >> <https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility> is trying to catch up. This >> is a very good thing as it pushes the entire industry forward and ultimately >> means access for blind users is only getting better and better as the years >> March on. >> >> > > Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all the > options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files sound > good? Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here > [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > Let’s master editing audio together!
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