WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Something's amiss with the latest survey

for

From: Moore,Michael (HHSC)
Date: Aug 28, 2015 1:18PM

First let me be clear. I have been a fan of WebAIM, Karl Groves, TPG and this list for a while myself. But I have to respectfully disagree with my esteemed colleague regarding the value of the results as device to demonstrate the diversity of the screen reader user community.

One alternative explanation for the increase in the number of users reporting ZoomText as a primary screen reader may simply be the wider dissemination of the survey. Through my work I have consistently encountered what seemed to be a larger number of people using ZoomText as a screen reader than was indicated by previous surveys. Given that my data was anecdotal rather than scientific I felt that it could simply be a product of my unique work environment that brought me in contact with a greater number of visually impaired users with lower levels of technical skills than the average accessibility specialist.

As for the growth of Window Eyes - the Microsoft program is bound to have an impact. Particularly when you consider the number of enterprise customers who can now fulfill reasonable accommodation requests with a commercial, Microsoft endorsed (implicit), screen reading product.

Mike Moore
Accessibility Coordinator
Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Civil Rights Office