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Re: Accessibility Myths 2011 part 2 published

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From: J. B-Vincent
Date: Jan 12, 2012 11:00AM

Will: The key to access for many people with learning disabilities (LD) is simultaneous presentation of text and audio--if only audio is used, it won't be any better than if only text is used. Text-to-speech programs for people with LD often have other visual aids, such as highlighting each word as it is spoken.

In addition, one of the main differences between speech output programs for blind people and those for people with LD is that the latter is primarily reading what's visible, while the former is reading underlying code. This means that JAWS is conveying all kinds of information (e.g., text equivalents) that would be annoying or even confusing to a sighted user with LD.

So in theory it would be possible to create a speech output program that benefits both people with LD and blind vision people, but it would have to be highly customizable.

--Jane Vincent, Assistive Technology Lead, University of Michigan

--- On Thu, 1/12/12, Will Grignon < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

From: Will Grignon < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Accessibility Myths 2011 part 2 published
To: "'Jonathan Hassell'" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >, "'WebAIM Discussion List'" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012, 9:38 AM

I am blind and I use JAWS.  I was wondering whether people with dyslexia can use JAWS - i.e., rely on the audio output from JAWS rather than try to navigate and interface with the visual screen.  If so, could people with other disabilities (cognitive and otherwise) benefit from using a screenreader - e.g., turn off the screen, avoid all the challenges posed by text and flickering images, and rely on the screen reader audio input?

If so, wouldn't it be simpler, more efficient, and cost effective to perfect screen reading technology that people with many kinds of disabilities could use and come up with standards for optimal screen reader website accessibility, instead of trying to develop separate adaptive technologies for each kind of disability or trying to configure websites to accommodate a growing list of disabilities and their respective accessibility requirements? 

In addition, people without disabilities could use and benefit much more from a wider application of screen reader functionality - i.e., they already use hands-free and voice-control operability in their cars, why not expand this kind of interface (e.g. a kind of JAWS-Dragon-J-Say configuration) to home and office?

I apologize in advance if my comments display a modicum of blind-centric insensitivity.

Will Grignon
727.290.6454