screen reader survey update

Even when this is born in mind the results of the two surveys make interesting reading. JAWS is still the leading screen reader by a long way but compared to last year the free screen readers such as NVDA show a steep rise in use although often not as the primary screen reader. Also around half of the latest survey considered the free screen readers to be a viable alternative to JAWS. It is taking time to chip away at an established near monopoly but these surveys hint that change is on the way.

For anyone interested in assistive technology or accessiblity issues it is worth reading both the original survey and the latest results.

Peter Cheer

Assistive Technology Trainer

Kenya Society for the Blind

Nairobi

Peter,

Thank you for including the link - very interesting survey.

I've been asked to assist a visually impaired gentleman in making upgrades to his personal workstation.  He is currently using ZoomText Magnifier/Reader in combination with Kurzweil 1000 and a very large monitor. They function well (no crashes) but give a less than elegant user experience.

Given his endorsement of the products, I was surprised at their absence from the survey.

Do you have any experience with either ZoomText or Kurzweil 1000, or know how they compare to JAWS? 

-ENO

ENO I have heard of but not used Kurzweil 1000. The impression I get is that the do not have a strong user base outside North America.

As an AT trainer my job is to train clients / students on what ever software package will best fit their needs and people with low vision can benefit from magnification software, in particular if they have experience of using a computer as a sighted person. All magnification software shares one problem, that at high levels of magnification it is very easy to get lost unless you have a good mental picture of the whole screen layout. People who are used to Zoom Text rate it quite highly against the competition.

I met Ugo Vailauri the Technical R&D Officer of Computer Aid International last week and heard that they are seeking funding to develop an open source MS Windows magnification program. They expect development to start next year.

Peter Cheer
Assistive Technology Trainer
Kenya Society for the Blind

petercheer:

All magnification software shares one problem, that at high levels of magnification it is very easy to get lost unless you have a good mental picture of the whole screen layout.

 

Peter,

Yes, that's exactly what I'm experiencing.  In addition, since it's essentially "tricking" the video subsystem, it fails to wrap text and forces the user to constantly scroll the background back and forth.

Windows 7 (and possibly Vista - don't know or care) has a few features that didn't exist in Windows XP and might provide a free solution for some people. 

I find that if I magnify the entire screen image via Windows 7, it preserves more of the screen layout than does Zoom Text. But pop-up boxes and forms often extend beyond the borders of the screen.  One might be able to change settings in an application but not be able to reach the "OK" button.

A related complication comes from use of the popular 16:9 wide-screen monitors. With the limited vertical space filled with jumbo-sized icons and task bars and such, there's little room available for actual content. 

BTW, he's currently using a 65" Sharp Aquos television as his monitor. The connection was pretty simple using the HDMI interface. But sitting four feet away from it for a few hours and watching foot-high text jump around the screen is both frustrating and uncomfortable.

While screen magnifiers are amazing in what they can do, and the cursor-controlled background scrolling in Zoom Text is remarkably smooth, it's an inherently clumsy process and I'd like to find a way to eliminate it.

When I next visit my client, I'm going to take a Canon projector and shoot a 4:3 image onto his wall. I'll let you know how it works out.

-ENO

ENO

You are ahead of me, I have used a projector with some clients, it is not a long term solution but can help to give them the 'big picture'  that screen magnification loses. I have not used this but some trainers when introducing the computer screen for the first time use a tactile graphic of the screen so that clients can feel their way towards getting the mental picture that they need.

There is no single right solution, or approach that suits everybody, Alssistive Technology is a very personal thing, what works for some people can be hopeless for others.

Peter Cheer

Assistive Technology Trainer

Kenya Society for the Blind