[gui-talk] Different plan of attack

Tue Jan 26 03:47:37 UTC 2010

Well, like all of us, screen reader developers do not have unlimited 
resources.  They are unable to work on everything, it is 
impossible.  Secondly, at least in the u.s. one of their major 
customers are rehab agencies for the blind, and these entities have 
as their primary interest employment of blind person.

Dave

At 10:46 PM 1/24/2010, you wrote:
>To my concern regarding this issue, a blind person has the full 
>right to entertain his or herself. I don't see why the screen reader 
>manufacturers are doing that. The screen reader manufacturers should 
>also consider the blind people to use the computer for entertainment 
>just like sighted people do. Just to point, when someone is bored or 
>he or she is tired of work, all he or she does is look for 
>entertainment. Life is not only working and doing jobs; life is also 
>entertainment and fun, and I can't see why a blind person cannot be 
>having the same advantages as a sighted one. For once, computers 
>cannot be used only for employment, education or the like, but also 
>they are used for fun and entertainment. We blind people have the 
>right to do the same things too!
>Screen reader manufacturers should be able to think like this. 
>(Well, that is how I think and so other people may or may not 
>agree.) But I don't understand why a Screen Reader manufacturer 
>would not make Flash or internet games accessible for the blind, 
>which is totally "dumb" from my point of view. We should be able to 
>express these feelings to any manufacturer.
>
>
>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: Wayne Merritt <wcmerritt at gmail.com
>>To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List <gui-talk at nfbnet.org
>>Date sent: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:13:12 -0500
>>Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Different plan of attack
>
>>Despite your strong desire to make this work, I'm afraid that you
>will
>>run into the thinking from the screen reader manufacturers of how
>this
>>fits into an employment/job/career focus with their various
>screen
>>readers. Among FS, GW Micro, Serotek, and NVDA, Serotek has been
>the
>>only ones thus far that have embraced the "active digital
>lifestyle"
>>and have gone beyond the traditional employment arena into
>>entertainment and other genres of screen reader use. Even with
>Windows
>>Media Center, which among other things allows the common user to
>>record and play live TV shows, FS has stated at blindness
>conventions
>>that there are no plans to make this accessible since it doesn't
>>really tie into getting and keeping jobs, and the like. Though
>people
>>have made this particular application work with JAWS or Narator,
>it's
>>not a high priority with FS. IMO, you may have better luck
>pitching
>>this gaming idea to Serotek than you might with the other screen
>>reader manufacturers, provided you can sell the idea of blind
>people
>>participating in a gaming site. I know that blind people like
>gaming,
>>and there have been some acessible gaming sites such as All
>inPlay
>>that have popped up in recent years, but I don't know of many
>that
>>have saught to jump into gaming from arenas such as the Game Show
>>network. This could be because it's not accessible, but there may
>be
>>another hurtle to jump over in that regard. I don't have any
>ideas for
>>you, just wanted to throw out some food for thought. Perhaps if
>>Serotek started going in that direction, then the other screen
>reader
>>vendors would start paying attention, or at least takenote.
>
>>Good luck,
>>Wayne
>
>>On 1/22/10, kenlawrence124 at aol.com <kenlawrence124 at aol.com>
>wrote:
>
>>>Hi List members.  Cross posting this question to get different
>feedback on
>>>this topic.  I've been sending messages of complaint to GSN
>formerly Game
>>>Show network saying that I'm not able to play the games on the
>site and
>>>therefore don't have the same chance to win the Oodles points
>sighted
>>>people
>>>can win to cash in for prizes.  I can only answer the daily
>questions and
>>>therefore win 50/100 oodles at a time.  It would take me a
>thousand days
>>>straight just to win enough oodles to cash in for some prizes
>and  that is
>>>if I
>>>get all questions right.  I can't even enter the chat during
>GSN live and
>>>the only way I can play a game connected to the channel is to
>enter  the GSN
>>>live games every day.  They say they can't program the site they
>say since
>>>flash is the standard on game sites they are obviously sticking
>with  it.
>>>It's funny how they say in replies thanks for being a part of
>the GSN
>>>community.  I sure feel like a second class citizen.  AOL did
>the  right
>>>thing so
>>>why can't the people at GSN?  even when the National  federation
>of the
>>>blind and gw Micro or Freedom scientific are brought to their
>attention
>>>nothing
>>>changes.  I will not accept the fact that I will never  ever be
>able to win
>>>all that money on bingo blitz, Yeah I can't even enter those
>drawings.  So
>>>rather than keep harping to deaf ears, the thought I had in
>mind is what
>>>can we do to help make GSN accessible from the screen readers
>point  of
>>>view?
>>>  Rather than making the site accessible, what can we do to make
>the screen
>>>reader accessible to the site.  One of the advantages of using
>flash is
>>>that it is smaller in terms of drive space.  A version of the
>Adobe flash
>>>player is less than two MB, Whereas the windows media player or
>the  real
>>>player are close to or even over 20 MB.  Flash does provide
>better  quality
>>>audio
>>>and video in a smaller player.  So I'd like the opinion of
>Jaws,
>>>Window-eyes, and NVDA users how we can make the screen readers
>work on the
>>>GSN site
>>>and play the games there.  We can lick the recent CD baby issue
>as  well as
>>>the Pandora issue too.  of course part of my problem is dial up
>connection,
>>>and I'm working on going broadband so that will be taken care of
>soon.  So
>>>the question is, if GSN, CD baby,or Pandora won't make the sites
>work with
>>>a screen reader, what can we do to make it work the other way
>around?  how
>>>can we develop screen reading software to work with their
>sites?  This is
>>>going to take people with site to do it, but I think  especially
>with an
>>>Open source Screen reader like NVDA we can do it.  If  they
>won't make sites
>>>accessible, let's try it the other way around.  Many  of my
>friends and the
>>>members of the computer talk club of NJ are worried that  the
>developers of
>>>assistive technology won't be able to keep up and in a couple
>years we'll
>>>no
>>>longer have any access to anything on the Internet.  More  and
>more sites
>>>are going this direction and I think it's up to us to change
>it.  What can
>>>we
>>>do about this issue?  I would ask that some of you  take a look
>at that
>>>site _www.gsn.com_ (http://www.gsn.com/)  and if  you are
>already
>>>registered,
>>>take a look at the wonder wheel and other games  especially the
>versions of
>>>games that aren't generally visual like  Jeopardy.  There is no
>reason why
>>>that isn't accessible when the show  clearly is.  They had blind
>players on
>>>it.  Family Feud too and why is  the version of Deal or no Deal
>not
>>>accessible.  Clearly the show is.   Tell me how a blind player
>couldn't go
>>>on that
>>>show Huh?  Let's tackle this  one together.  Thanks Ken.