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

Sat Dec 24 23:11:02 UTC 2011

has anyone here tried firefoxx with the ad block add-on installed?  It's 
not available for any other browser so far as I know.  That should squash 
many of the ads before they put in an appearance on the screen if it works 
as advertised.On Sat, 24 Dec 2011, Steve Jacobson wrote:

> 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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> >> .com
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >>
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