[gui-talk] [gua-talk] Google Search Settings Page No Longer Accessible

Sat Dec 24 15:35:50 UTC 2011

By necessity, we will probably see a more uniform interface to web pages with our screen readers.  However, one 
reason there are separate cursors is to give us some power that sighted people don't need.  For example, for me with 
Window-Eyes, I simply press "H" to jump to the next heading a couple of times and quickly get to my search results.  I 
know there is something similar in JFW.  Part of the problem is that we do look at web pages differently.  Unfortunately, 
technology is changing so quickly that we don't get the change to learn what works best before it changes, either as 
consumers or as screen reader developers.  

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:51:51 -0500, Frendly_Nadia wrote:

>Very good point Rose I do have to agree with that great statment I
>would not disagree a bit

>On 12/16/11, Rose Combs <rosecombs at q.com> wrote:
>> My question is why should we have to keep changing modes, using different
>> cursors to accomplish something that a sighted person can do with a mouse in
>> a nanosecond.
>>
>> I had used the Accessible Google page at work for years, and now suddenly it
>> is gone and now when I do a search I have so much garbage to get through
>> before I find my results that it is hardly worth it.  I just want my simple
>> search and simple results pages, especially at work where I am generally
>> searching for medical equipment or medications, cancer trials etc.  I don't
>> want ads, I don't want to have to wade through over half a page of junk to
>> find 10 results that because I don't know how to spell what I am looking
>> for, why else would I be looking, discover that what I got were people's
>> you-tube pages or blogs when what I want is a manufacturer site or a drug
>> store site.
>>
>> For that alone I am upset with Google for doing away with the accessible
>> page.  At home I don't care usually but at work I need to be fast and true,
>> I don't have time to look through junk, not with the production standers
>> they push out, I cannot spend 15 minutes or more looking for something and
>> with Accessible Google, I never did, less than two or three usually.
>>
>> I still use it, but if I found something with as much going for it that was
>> a simple interface I'd be using it for work at least.
>>
>> Why the heck did they take it away is what I want to know.
>>
>>
>>
>> Rose Combs
>> rosecombs at Q.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 2:30 PM
>> To: Discussion of the Graphical User Interface, GUI Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Google Search Settings Page No Longer Accessible
>>
>> Mike,
>>
>> Thank you for the reminder about hos these work.  With Window-Eyes and
>> Internet Explorer 8, I turned browse mode off and then on after pressing
>> ENTER on Options, and they then appeared.  I also found the "slider" that
>> changes the number of results shown.  I routed the Window-Eyes mouse pointer
>> to the slider and then pressed right arrow until I got to the number I
>> wanted and then clicked on it to make the change.  The predictive search can
>> also be turned off on this page.
>>
>> This is the kind of thing that makes our lives complicated.  This is
>> certainly less convenient, and I find myself really wondering what has been
>> gained.  Besides screen readers, I don't think these sliders can be
>> manipulated from the keyboard, although I need to investigate that more.
>> Yet, because of how they work, it probably would not be that hard to develop
>> Window-Eyes apps or JFW scripts to make this easier to handle.  If these are
>> new controls that are pretty common, expecting our screen readers to handle
>> them is not unreasonable.  If they are controls specific only to certain
>> Google pages, then it seems less reasonable in that screen readers can't
>> keep up with every control anyone can think of even if scripting is
>> possible.  This is definitely a gray area in some ways, and I would also
>> like to hear more what Google has to say about these before making the kinds
>> of claims some are making here.  Whether we like it or not, some of the
>> problem is that the web has changed faster than screen readers can keep up
>> but there have been efforts to make new constructs accessible.  We just
>> don't know for certain at this point what is involved here.  Those having
>> trouble with the search page should go to this page, find the predictive
>> search slider, route the mouse or "JAWS cursor" to it and click on OFF.  I
>> found that I had to clidk on the Save button with the mouse rather than the
>> SPACE BAR as well, but possibly ENTER would have worked.  I don't know for
>> sure.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Steve Jacobson
>>
>> On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:47:10 -0800, Mike Freeman wrote:
>>
>>>I did some experimentation this morning and, as I suspected, things aren't
>> quite as simple and cut-and-
>> dried as most on this list are painting them. In particular, those who are
>> fulminating against Google
>> should pay close attention to the below as it illustrates perfectly why
>> caution is in order and why
>> venting one's spleen because something is supposedly not accessible may, in
>> fact, be either operator
>> error or the inability of one's screen-reading technology to handle a
>> perfectly legitimate web
>> construct.
>>
>>>Using JAWS 12 and IE7 from my work computer, I saw what seemed to me a
>> "normal" Google search page.
>> Below the "Search" and "I'm Feeling Lucky" buttons was an "Options" link.
>> JAWS 12 showed it as a link.
>> As Steve says below, clicking on the link seems to accomplish nothing.
>> However, this is not the case. If
>> one arrows down after hitting the "Options" link, one finds that the page
>> has expanded to include a
>> bunch of new links including one to go to SPreferences and thence to earch
>> Settings where there are
>> constructs to set all the parameters we're used to.
>>
>>>I haven't checked this at home with JAWS 13 and IE8 yet but I know that
>> this "Options" construct below
>> the search says "Has pop-up" which presumably means that clicking on it
>> (hitting ENTER) expands the page
>> as described above. I'll test this later today when I'm home.
>>
>>>So before blaming everyone and everything, it's always a good idea to ask
>> lots of questions and
>> experiment a bit and always be ready to be adaptable and acknowledge that
>> something new (but not
>> necessarily inaccessible) is going on.
>>
>>>Incidentally, anyone who has searched Microsoft's security pages for
>> product bulletins will have
>> encountered this "pop-up" construct as it's been around all 2011.
>>
>>>Mike Freeman
>>
>>
>>>On Dec 14, 2011, at 12:09, "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>> I'm a bit confused here.  I see that there are differences on the search
>> page of Google and that
>> there
>>>> is no "screen reader" link, but I am not noticing any real differences in
>> the search.  Am I missing
>>>> something?
>>>>
>>>> I am not able to find a link to get to the search options, though.  There
>> is an "options" link that
>> for
>>>> me does not seem to do anything.  From what I have read, I understand
>> that there are changes there
>> that
>>>> are not good but am wondering how people are getting there.
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>>
>>>> Steve Jacobson
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:02:28 -0800, hawkeye wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have had sighted assistance on this.  This is no line to check for
>>>>> screenreaders.  There once was but there isn't now.  Been to the start
>> up
>>>>> page, been to the homesite, there is no line for screenreaders.
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On
>>>>> Behalf Of Gerald Levy
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:29 PM
>>>>> To: Discussion of the Graphical User Interface, GUI Talk Mailing List
>>>>> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Google Search Settings Page No Longer Accessible
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> This is all well and good if all you want to do is turn off Google
>> Instant.
>>>>> But what if you want to change the number of search results per page
>> from
>>>>> the default of 10 to 20 or 50?  Or specify that each search result opens
>> in
>>>>> a new browser window?  Apparently, there is no longer any way to
>> accomplish
>>>>> this.
>>>>
>>>>> Gerald
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Jude DaShiell" <jdashiel at shellworld.net>
>>>>> To: "Discussion of the Graphical User Interface, GUI Talk Mailing List"
>>>>> <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 5:10 PM
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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