Those troublesome track changes and comments

This is one challenge that I am constantly having to deal with: when anyone sends me documents with changes and track changes. Some access technology may be better able to read it than others but no matter what, it is extremely painful for me.

Sometimes I miss out on finding the comments and track changes and at other times I am fine with it. It all depends on which access technology or screen reading technology I am using. I am not going to mention specific names of screen reading technology here but suffice it to say that some pieces of software are better than others.

I am not sure if there is any other way to deal with these, short of coming up with some sort of editor to do it. Maybe I am dreaming but this is the way that the rest of the world is going so I have to find a way to deal with this.
This has become more important for me now as I move forward with my law studies. Especially so when my professors send me their comments and track changes in Word documents. Wish me luck.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my challenge with track changes and comments in Word documents. Come by and visit me anytime at www.donnajodhan.com and there you will find exciting audio mysteries written and produced by me.

The problem with skimming

In the normal scheme of things, I am unable to skim over materials as most sighted persons do. As someone who is blind, I have to develop my own methods of skimming, skipping, and searching. At first glance this could be viewed as a very daunting task, but once I understand what I need to do then the rest falls into place relatively easily.

So how do I do this? Well, I have to focus very hard on what I am looking for. Headings, titles, sections, and so on. I use and depend on the use of key words to help me find what I am looking for. Once I recognize that I could never be able to skim and skip as quickly as someone with sight then this is more than half the battle won.

It would be almost impossible for a blind person to be able to skip over things or even skim. The eye travels so much more quickly over screens of material than does someone who is doing this via screen readers and those using large print magnification. I have always been able somehow to survive these tasks and now with attending Law School, it is even more important for me to choose carefully what I need to look and/or search for.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by my website at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

How I read books

As a blind person, I am unable to read books in the normal way.  That is, for the most part, I am unable to read a printed book.  So, how do I read books?  There are a few ways for me to deal with this and I'll give you some of the more used methods that I and others like me use.

 

1. I can listen to books on CDs and cassette.  Several books known as talking books have been put on to CDs and cassettes and we can use our CD or cassette players to do so. 

 

2. We can use the tedious method of scanning a book and then doing the following.
Download the scanned text to our computer and then use our screen reading software to read it.  This method is long and tedious and we may not always be able to scan it accurately.  We may often need sighted assistance to help us scan it accurately.

 

3. We can download books from the Internet to our computers and then use our screen reading software to read it or we may even download it to other devices that are equipped with speech software that can read the text to us.

 

Can we use the Kindle software to help us read books?  This device is not totally accessible to us.  That is, it does not yet have adequate speech software that would enable us to navigate and read e books.

 

We can also use the regular land line or even our cells to read such things as newspapers and magazines.  Several newspapers and magazines companies provide phone service just for this purpose.  Anyone can use their phone to access information. 

 

So, this is how a blind person does it and if you have any questions then please do not hesitate to visit www.acb.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Navigating without a mouse

In the main scheme of things, the sighted world normally uses a mouse whenever they navigate a website but it's not quite the same for me as a blind person.  You see, I am unable to point to icons and images because I am unable to see them on the screen.  I am unable to drag the mouse to open menus and click on icons and images, and I am unable to use my mouse to communicate on websites.

 

So you may be asking, how does a blind person navigate around a website?  If they are unable to see the screen, then how can they navigate around a website let alone communicate with others through the Internet?  We do it without a mouse and we use software known as access technology to help us navigate and communicate on the Internet.

 

Let's first take a look at what I mean by access technology.  Access technology is the name given to software that has been developed to help blind and sight impaired persons communicate with a computer screen.  How does it work?  It speaks everything that is on the screen to the user.  The user can manipulate the software to speak by character, by word, by sentence, by paragraph, by page, and by screen.

 

The user can have words spelled, have punctuations spoken, and can program their software to suit their preferences with regard to how things are to be spoken.  This software is also referred to as a screen reader. Screen reader software has been around since at least the mid to late 70s and companies such as IBM, Apple, and Microsoft have been heavily involved in the development of access technology.  

 

Others have also played a huge role as well and at the present time, some of the more popular screen reading software are:  Jaws, Windoweyes, and Hal.  Several other developers out there are constantly coming up with improvements to enhance screen reading software.  That is, to make them more powerful and better able to communicate with changing technology.

 

So, how does it all work?  A blind person uses the tab key in various combinations with the shift, alt, insert, and Ctrl keys to emulate mouse movements.  They also use the enter key on occasion as well.  They use these combinations to navigate through websites such as going from link to link, navigating through fields in a form, or for going from page to page. 

 

How does a blind person navigate from link to link?  They can do it in any of the following ways:  By using their tab key, or by using the up or down arrow keys.  They can also use another way to do this as follows:  By pressing a combination of two keys that would allow the screen reading software to bring up a list of links on the page.  Each screen reading software has its own unique combination of keys to do this.
 
How can they tell that they have already visited a link?  Most screen readers are programmed to tell the user this.  So for example; after they have visited a particular link on the page the screen reader tags it and the next time the user tabs or arrows up or down, the word "visited"is spoken when the user reaches the link in question.  So for example:  If the user has already visited the contact us link and is now browsing the rest of the page, as soon as they either tab or arrow up or down to the contact us link, the screen reader will speak the words "contact us visited."

 

Can screen reader software navigate graphics, images, and icons?  Only if the graphic, image, or icon has been specially labelled by the website developer.  That is, if the developer has programmed their code to identify the graphic, image,or icon as such with an accompanying description. In other words, in order for the screen reader to be able to identify a graphic, image, or icon, it has to be properly coded with an appropriate description.

 

What happens if a graphic, image, or icon has not been properly labelled?  In general, the screen reader either ignores it or gives a meaningful message to indicate that it is unable to read it.

 

How does a blind person navigate between the address bar and the main body of the web page?  By either using a pre assigned F key or some other key designated by the screen reading software. 

 

Can a sighted person learn how to use a screen reader?  Definitely so.  With a little training and some patience, it is not too difficult.

 

Of course there is a lot more that I can tell you but this is a good start and if you would like to learn more, then please visit www.nfb.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Explaining it to the Sighted World

It is never a wise assumption when it comes to assuming that the sighted world will understand when we tell them that we are unable to access websites because they are inaccessible.  We need to be more explicit in order to get them to understand and that's just fine with me.  I'd like to take a few moments to paint the picture for a sighted person.

 

When a sighted person visits a website, they can use their eyes to choose which link they wish to click on in order to get where they are going.  In most instances, these links are represented by images, icons, and pictures.  They use a mouse to click on their desired choice.

 

When a blind person visits a website, they use a screen reader that enables them to find the links and content that they are looking for but when the links and/or content is depicted in the form of images, icons, or pictures, the screen reader is unable to decipher what it is.  A screen reader is software that speaks what is on a screen; it is unable to speak or describe something that does not have text to describe it.

 

In other words, think of it like this:

If you place a picture in front of a blind person, they will not know what it is unless you tell them what it is.  In like manner, if there is no text to describe what the picture, image, or icon is on a website, then the screen reader will not be able to tell the blind person what it is and what it means. 

 

The technology does not exist whereby there is software that can accurately describe the meaning of images, icons, or pictures.  A screen reader will only speak what it is able to decipher and this does not include images, icons, and pictures.

 

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words; but no two persons can ever describe a picture in the same way.  If textual descriptions are used to describe icons, images, and pictures, it would make life so much easier for a magnitude of

persons that include:  The Blind and vision impaired, those who are unable to read print, those with learning disabilities, and those whose first language is not English. 

 

It is relatively easy and cost effective to provide textual descriptions to icons, images, and pictures.  Blind persons cannot use a mouse to click on images, icons, and pictures, because they are unable to see where to point and click.  It is a lot cheaper to provide textual descriptions than it is to carry out time consuming research to find ways to make it possible for a screen reader to read pictures, images, and icons.

 

In like manner, it is relatively easy to design a form that can be accessed by a blind person online.  If however the form needs to be downloaded and printed in order to be completed, then a blind person will have to ask for sighted assistance to do so.  They will not be able to complete and sign a printed form because they are unable to see to read and sign.

 

These are just a few explanations that are most common to help the sighted world understand more clearly.

 

If you would like to learn more about how blind persons access the Internet, then visit www.w3c.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and spread the message to others about how blind persons go about accessing the Internet.

Downloading Software Could be a Problem

For me, downloading software is a mixed bag.  I need to be on the alert when downloading software but this should not be just for me alone.  My challenge is as follows:  If my screen reading software does not speak what is happening on the screen as the software is being downloaded, then I am not going to be comfortable and if it requires me to click on an image or icon in order to download, then this too is a challenge. 

 

I will say that things have improved when it comes to being able to download software but every now and then I run into problems when I need to download something and then the screen freezes and I am totally unaware of it until I realize that too much time has gone by without my screen reading software informing me of what is going on. 

 

The ideal situation for me is to be able to hear what is going on as software is being downloaded and what is happening when software is being installed.  Hopefully with time, this is going to get better for those of us who are unable to see the screen and have to depend on our screen reading software to tell us what is going on.

 

If you would like to learn more about different types of screen reading software, then you may want to visit www.flying-blind.com and subscribe to their newsletters.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and explain to others about some of the challenges that blind persons face when downloading software.

When My Computer Crashed

A few weeks ago the living nightmare happened!  Yes, my computer crashed and like almost everyone else, I literally went into spin cycle.  It is hard enough for the mainstream person at the best of times but when you are blind and are unable to see the screen; you have no idea what has just happened.

 

Chances are that I would guess correctly but as to exactly what has happened!  No way of telling when your screen reading software does not speak and you are unable to see the screen.  Good thing that my technician was available and when he came over to my office he told me the dreaded words:  "Your hard drive has crashed."  For me, the hardest thing to deal with is not being able to see what's on the screen and there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it because when there is a major crash then everything goes down.  How I wish that someone would come up with some type of device that we can use to read a screen.  Some type of wand that we can move across the screen to tell us what is going on.  Can't blame me for wishing can you?

 

Maybe some day this will come to pass but in the meantime if you would like to see what types of technology is out there for blind persons plus more, then you can visit www.blindbargains.com.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

How I Read Printed Material

As someone who is unable to read printed materials, I have to depend on sighted assistance as well as develop some very interesting strategies in order to get my printed matter read to me. In an ideal world, it would be great if I were able to read all of my material in an electronic format or, failing this, either in Braille or on cassette. However, this is not an ideal world and this is why I often have to depend on other methods.

For starters, if I need to complete an online form on a website, it is preferable to either complete the form online or download it in either Word or text format and then be able to read and complete it. If I am able to complete the form online but not able to download and save it, then that is a problem for me. So many websites allow the user to complete and print the form but for me this is no good. I should be able to complete and download and save in either Word or text format.

If someone emails me documents, then the ideal way for me to read it is to receive it in either text or Word formats. If they send me a PDF format, then I will have problems being able to read it because PDF formats are a huge challenge for those of us who use screen reader technology to read electronic mail. In the case of printed materials, I continue to use two distinct methods. The first is to use my scanner and the second is to depend on sighted assistance.

In the case of the first, scanners often have difficulty being absolutely accurate. If the print is not crisp, or if the contrast between the color of the print and the paper on which it is written is not distinct, then the scanner has difficulty deciphering the text. Some scanners have difficulty deciphering fancy text. That is, fancy fonts. Some credit card and bank statements, utility bills, and manuals are also often difficult to read using a scanner. Images and graphics are also a challenge.

So there you have it; this is how I deal with printed materials. For those of you who are searching for a way to have your printed materials read to you, or if you know of someone who is having difficulty getting their printed materials read to them, I have a url for you to visit: check out www.readthistome.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help blind persons to become more independent at being able to read their own printed materials.

Why I Prefer Mailing Lists

As social networking websites continue to grow, it continues to be a challenge for persons without sufficient sight to find ways to socialize on the Internet. I for one find it a frustration to do so, and I use a fairly easy way of doing it. I use mailing lists to communicate with others. Why? Because it is simpler, less frustrating, and I do not have to put up with having to deal with CAPTCHA security which, for the most part, does not allow a blind person the ability to enter the required codes.

(It is an acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.")

You see, more and more websites are using the CAPTCHA technology in order to prevent spammers from cluttering their in boxes and from sending spam emails but, in doing this, they are shutting out those who are unable to use their CAPTCHA process.

You go to a particular website and you are asked to go through a security process. You are given a code to enter but you need to retrieve the code as presented to you by CAPTCHA on the website. When you are presented with the code visually, you then need to re-enter the code as you see it and only then are you given the necessary username and password in order to continue on. For a blind person, this is impossible because of two things:

First, the blind person is unable to see the code. Second, access technology -- what a blind person uses in order to communicate with the Internet -- is unable to read the code. Blind persons use screen readers and self-voicing browsers to communicate with the Internet and these are unable to read graphics and images.

So, where does this leave blind persons? In a great big hole! What we need is for developers to find ways to make CAPTCHA technology more accessible to blind persons. The following link is to a blog where the writer talks about social networks, CAPTCHA technology, and how blind persons view it all.

Visit http://www.marcozehe.de/2009/04/07/why-are-web-forums-so-unpopular-with-the-blindness-community/

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and make developers more aware of the problem that CAPTCHA technology is presently causing for those with vision problems.

The Problem With PDF Content

So many content designers just do not understand. They continue to put all of their efforts into designing pretty PDF content, but at the end of the day it is totally inaccessible to blind and visually-impaired persons. Why you ask? Very simple. PDF content is made up of an image that cannot be deciphered by screen readers. In other words, PDF files are image-based instead of textual-based, and blind and visually-impaired persons use screen readers to surf the Internet.

More and more online forms are being designed in PDF format and as a result of this blind and visually-impaired persons are being deprived of their right to privacy and confidentiality. If a form is in PDF format it means that blind and visually-impaired persons need to depend on sighted assistance to help them complete it. It is frustrating, scary, and a downright violation of our right to confidentiality and privacy. There is a way for all of this to be dealt with and it starts with the content developer using the appropriate tags to format the PDF content so that it is made accessible and usable.

What most content developers still fail to understand is this: If they take the additional time to tag their PDF content appropriately, they will not only be making it accessible to blind and visually-impaired persons, they will also be making it accessible and usable to the print disabled, the technically shy, and to those who are not technically savvy. Before you start to wonder who all of these people are, please allow me to define these populations.

The print disabled - those who are unable to read because of either physical, mental, or visual challenges.

The technically shy or those not technically savvy - those who have difficulty coping with modern technology and who work better with more simple environments. In short, the millions of aging baby boomers who did not grow up with the Internet at their fingertips.

I personally find PDF content to be frustrating. It is a useless and time-consuming obstacle for me to deal with, and a downright insult to my right to privacy and confidentiality.

Here is a URL that you can visit in order to learn why PDF content does not benefit the blind and visually-impaired.

Visit http://www.rnib.org.uk/wacblog/pdf/why-pdfs-suck/

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and start educating the rest of the world as to why PDF content does not benefit blind and visually-impaired persons.