Absolutely agreed. I have forwarded your email to [email protected]. I'd suggest everybody else who cares about this topic also does that--but write something in your own words too.
-Shaf On 9/20/13, Annie Skov Nielsen <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Jonathan. > > I agree with you. I have some things to add. > > I am using braille very much on my IPhone, because I am a braille user, I am > not using speech very much. > > to me it is also a problem, that there are no ways you can go to the next > line with the left hand, and many keyboard commands such as VoiceOver > search, has not been added to braille displays yet. This should have been > fixed. We could do so much with our braille displays if apple would use the > posibilities which our braille displays have. > > Best regards Annie. > Den Sep 20, 2013 kl. 10:10 AM skrev Jonathan Mosen <[email protected]>: > >> Hi everyone, since I believe this is such a vital issue, and given that it >> is 100% on-topic for this list, I would like to paste below an entry I >> just posted to my blog. I hope you enjoy it and that you'll give it some >> thought. >> >> People from all walks of life, not just blind people, can get extremely >> partisan about their technology preferences. Anything their team does is >> unquestionably wonderful, while anything another company does is rubbish, >> simply by virtue of the fact that it’s the other guys who did it. If you >> criticise the company such people support, you’ve committed heresy. >> As blind people, I don’t believe we have the luxury of being so childish. >> Unemployment is high. Misconceptions abound regarding how capable we can >> be in the workplace, and in society as a whole. We need to be open to all >> solutions, and where possible, use the best mix of technology we can to be >> as productive, functional and self-reliant as we can. >> To be clear, I have enormous admiration for the way Apple has changed the >> game in assistive technology. When they released VoiceOver in 2009, I was >> concerned that Apple might do just enough to get people off its back >> regarding the inaccessibility of the iPhone. But that has not been the >> case. With every release, Apple has added tangible enhancements such as >> alternative forms of input, innovative ways for us to use the camera, and >> so much more. So Apple’s commitment to accessibility is real, its ongoing, >> and it has earned enormous praise and respect. >> Is there a “but” coming? Yes, there is, actually., because being grateful >> for a product doesn’t mean we don’t have rights as paying consumers to >> point out where a product falls short. But more than that, if Apple’s >> innovations risk killing off a category of product, and the literacy of >> our kids is threatened, we have a moral obligation to speak up >> constructively and ask Apple to engage with us as a community about fixing >> the issue. >> The Internet is buzzing with reports of bugs in iOS 7. I’m not unduly >> concerned about most of these, because I believe the majority of them will >> come out in the wash. iOS 7 was a massive refactoring of the OS. I hope >> that there’ll be fixes released steadily across the coming year. >> However, I am deeply troubled by Apple’s ongoing apparent failure to >> understand what constitutes Braille support of an appropriate quality. >> We’re not talking bugs in this case, we’re talking a fundamental user >> interface failure – a feature not fully fit for purpose. >> Since Braille was introduced in iOS, it has supported contracted Braille >> in English markets. This is a means by which space is saved, and speed >> increased, by using a series of symbols and abbreviations. When one reads >> contracted Braille in iOS, it works quite well. When one rights it, it is >> the worst implementation of contracted input I’ve ever used on any >> device. >> Since its inception, if you input a letter in contracted Braille which >> would be the abbreviation for a word if surrounded by spaces, iOS expands >> the word it represents if you pause for a short time before inputting the >> next character. For example, write “p” and it will quickly be expanded to >> the word “people”. If you are proofing a document you’ve brailled and wish >> to insert a letter in the middle of a word, you must preface the letter >> with a letter sign, dots 5-6, to prevent it from being expanded. This is >> not in accordance with the Braille code and is simply wrong. >> Apple must surely know about this poor implementation. It’s been talked >> about in many forums, including an excellent presentation by Judy Dixon at >> the CSUN Technology Conference on Persons with Disabilities. I, and I’m >> sure others, have also raised it. >> It’s also evident that Apple knows about the issues, because to its >> credit, it appears to at least have made an effort to try and fix the >> problem in iOS 7. It now offers an “Automatic Braille Translation” toggle. >> This feature is so below par compared with most of the design of all other >> VoiceOver features, that it must surely be the case that Apple is getting >> no advice, or poor advice, from anyone actually using Braille in their >> daily life. >> When you toggle “Automatic Braille Translation” off, you can take as long >> as you wish when inputting characters, and they’re not back-translated. >> Isn’t that what we want? Well yes, it would appear to be a step in the >> right direction. Except when you use it, you find that Braille is not >> readable on the display until you either press the space bar, or dots >> 4-5-cord. Why Apple believes this is acceptable, I have no idea. Can you >> imagine a sighted person finding it acceptable in any other scenario other >> than password entry, to not be able to look at what they’re entering until >> they press “Space”? >> But it’s worse than that. If you backspace over what you’ve typed, you run >> into back-translation issues similar to those experienced when automatic >> translation is set to on. >> Additionally, having to press dots 4-5-cord after inserting a letter in >> the middle of a word is counterintuitive, and again, an implementation far >> more primitive than anything else that offers contracted input. Apple >> seems to have implemented a pretty crude buffer, that is simply dumped >> when you type one of two commands to empty it. That is not a solution. >> The Braille implementation in iOS does not meet the “it’s intuitive and it >> just works” test that has been the hallmark of Apple products including >> VoiceOver. >> Now if it were just about us as Braille reading adults, I wouldn’t bother >> writing this post. It would get on my nerves, but I’d continue to work >> around it and just put it down to a bizarre, less than optimal >> implementation. I’m not writing this for me. I’m not asking blind people, >> and the world’s consumer organisations, to come together on this for me or >> people like me. I’m writing this for the kids. It’s the kids who matter. >> If you’re a Braille user, you’ll have seen the implementation of Nemeth in >> iOS 7. It’s there because Apple’s going after the education market, >> particularly in the US. Good for Apple. I can see enormous benefit in a >> kid being given an iPad and a Braille display for use at home and in >> school. Don’t underestimate how mainstream tech can be a great way to help >> blind kids blend in with sighted kids. Parents feel more empowered, >> because the iPad is technology they know and understand, so when the child >> gets in trouble at home, they can help out. Classroom teachers in >> mainstream schools know what an iPad is as well and feel similarly >> empowered. >> But all of these benefits have to be secondary considerations to the one >> that matters above all else, – equipping our kids with good Braille >> literacy skills. Braille is their ticket to higher education. Braille >> offers a greater chance of gainful employment. Braille is absolutely >> critical, and Braille is not to be trifled with. Half-baked Braille >> solutions are not appropriate for our kids when there’s a crisis in >> getting Braille instruction to them already. >> We should not expect our kids to have to learn to work-around Apple’s poor >> implementation, we should expect Apple to fix its Braille. >> For the last 20 years or so, blind kids have increasingly used proprietary >> notetaker technology. I’ve no problem whatsoever with technology moving >> on, and a category of product becoming obsolete. I love the idea of >> investing in a good Braille display that will last you for years, and >> upgrading the technology that drives the display on a more regular basis. >> But that technology has to do the Braille properly. >> There are cost savings to be made by cash-strapped agencies who purchase >> equipment for blind children, and that’s also why I’m writing this post. I >> can see bean-counters concluding that the combination of an iPad and a >> Braille display is a good solution for kids now. Many of these purchasers >> are not Braille users themselves, and I believe we have a duty of care to >> our kids to spread the word that Apple is not there yet. It is trying, and >> should be applauded for doing so, but still, it’s not there. >> You will remember the huge backlash caused by the initial release of Apple >> Maps in iOS 6. In terms of fitness for purpose, Apple Maps was far >> superior at release than Braille is now. The only difference is that >> Braille affects a tiny fraction of Apple’s user-base, not hundreds of >> millions of people. >> Lest anyone think I’m whining without a solution, I actually know a lot >> about this subject, having worked as a product manager with a range of >> products that use contracted Braille. I have a good feel for where Apple >> has got it wrong and what it might do to fix it, while not of course being >> familiar with the VoiceOver code. But I am absolutely confident that it’s >> fixable. Let’s not forget, Apple invented a way for blind people to make >> effective use of touch screens. Apple gave us unimagined access to taking >> photos. It is certainly not beyond Apple to look at best practice and >> figure this one out, because unlike some of the other things it’s done, >> the solutions already exist. >> If this poor-quality support had been offered to us by an assistive >> technology company, we’d have jumped all over it long before now. But >> given that Apple develops screen readers, that makes it both a mainstream >> technology company, and an assistive technology company. We should hold it >> to no less a standard. >> Having outlined the problem, here’s what I think needs to happen. >> Typically, I’d suggest that Apple needs to engage with the community with >> a view to fixing these issues for the sake of our kids, but that’s not >> really been its style. It is secretive by nature. In that case then, it >> needs to buy the expertise to make Braille truly viable in the education >> market. >> As Braille readers, we need to politely articulate the problems to Apple, >> and let Apple know we consider it important that they are fixed. >> Consumer organisations should do what they’ve done so many times before, >> and focus on their unity when it comes to Braille issues. A >> broad-coalition of consumers, educators and parents needs to ensure this >> issue is not allowed to drop. >> And finally, no one in charge of any purse strings should consider it an >> appropriate solution to give a kid an iPad in the classroom if they’re a >> Braille user. If purchasers want to move away from the blindness >> notetaker, and I get that, a laptop and Braille display is a far better >> solution in terms of Braille reliability and consistency. >> I’ll be the first to cheer loudly, and sing Apple’s praises, if it fixes >> its Braille. And I’ll continue to praise all it has done right, which I >> often do in media interviews and blindness tech forums. But please, for >> the sake of the kids, lets do what we need to do to advocate for good >> quality Braille on Apple devices. We have a duty to the next generation to >> do no less. >> I’ve done what I can as an individual to make Apple aware of these >> failings, but clearly, we need to do more to help it gain an appreciation >> of why this is so important. >> Jonathan Mosen >> Mosen Consulting >> Blindness technology eBooks, tutorials and training >> http://Mosen.org >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >> Google Group. >> >> Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. >> >> Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> >> Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > > Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. > > Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > > Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing > [email protected]. > > Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing > [email protected]. > > More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing [email protected]. Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
