[Nfb-web] Software Screen Readers and 508 Compliance

[Burke, Dan (DSS)]

I would give Gary more than two cents for his comments -n maybe as much
as two bits.  

Compliance with 508  is a fairly objective thing.  But recommendations
from various users will not be, as Gary points out, either among JAWS
users or users of other screen readers.  so it would be a bad idea to
try to make pages compliant with a single product or the widely
disparate skill levels of its users - the standards are not developed
that way.

To illustrate:  Recently in a statewide meeting here in Montana, a blind
person asked the VR people to add a feature to their pages that he said
many blind and low vision people use - a printer friendly button.  Their
pages are compliant with 508 and are easily navigated with JAWS
certainly, and if you know a little about how to use it.

Turns out in a later conversation that he was using some screen
magnification software, which either doesn't take advantage of proper
coding or else he isn't very proficient with it.  In any case, it's the
first time I'd heard of anybody using the printer friendly button,
though it makes perfect sense on many noncompliant pages.  But still, I
wouldn't want the state's web developers chasing every off-the-wall
suggestion from members of the community.

Dan



Daniel J. Burke
Assistant Director/Coordinator
Disability Services for Students
Emma B. Lommasson 154
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812

www.umt.edu/dss/

406.243.2243 voice/text
406.243.4424 direct line
406.243.5330 fax


-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Wunder, Gary
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 9:11 AM
To: NFB Webmaster's List
Subject: Re: [Nfb-web] Software Screen Readers and 508 Compliance

I think the problem in determining whether or not something is compliant
depends on what level of expertise you expect of the blind screen reader
user. There are pages which are not usable by my wife that I can use
with little difficulty. Far too many screen reader users do not know how
to look around the screen with something other than the PC cursor, don't
know how to search for edit boxes, combo boxes or checkboxes. So
accessibility to these people comes down to this: "Will my screen reader
tell me what I want to know with little or no prompting from me." If
this is the standard, many sites fail. For more advanced users, many
sites are usable if not enjoyable.

My two cents.

Gary

  

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of arielion
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 7:03 AM
To: nfb-web at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-web] Software Screen Readers and 508 Compliance

Can anyone speak to their experiences with software screen readers
and recommendations for Section 508 compliance (e.g., JAWS)?  Thanks.
Paul
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