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Thread: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
Number of posts in this thread: 10 (In chronological order)
From: Webb, KerryA
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 8:53AM
Subject: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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I've been doing a series of presentations to our Web Managers in
preparation for the adoption of WCAG 2.0 as our standard, and I'm using
WebAnywhere (http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/wa.php) as a way of
introducing them to the concept of a screen reader.
I suspect it's a good approximation of the experience, but can anyone
advise whether this is so?
Thanks
Kerry
--
Kerry Webb
ACT Government
Canberra, Australia
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From: Birkir Rúnar Gunnarsson
Date: Wed, Sep 08 2010 11:04PM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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Hi
I cannot speak to this particular solution (I can go look at it), but
why not use your very own NVDA (www.nvda-project.org) to demonstrate.
I am not 100% sure but I do belive it has a virtual viewer so the
audience can see what is being spoken by the screen reader and where
its focus is. Also it is more relistic and you can show off tricks
such as using e to jump between edit fields, bo to jump between
buttons and so on.
The benefits of good web page design is not just readability but, at
least equally, quick and intelligent navigation, utilizing the html
elements on a page to find the material you want fast, be it an edit
field, check box or heading.
In general, I'd like developers and users to see a screen readers that
user are actually using rather than something that is more a specific
solution or demonstration only tool (nothing against the particular
tool you mention since I have not even tested it, but I assume it is
not widely used since I haven't even heard about it).
There is also a decent video on the webaim.com site (under
introduction / blind users( that demosntrates the use of a screen
reader in a fairly precise package, if you want to go the prpackaged
route. :)
I can send you the exact url on or off list if you want.
Just my two cents worth, or at least penny's worth. :)
-Birkir
On 9/8/10, Webb, KerryA < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> I've been doing a series of presentations to our Web Managers in
> preparation for the adoption of WCAG 2.0 as our standard, and I'm using
> WebAnywhere (http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/wa.php) as a way of
> introducing them to the concept of a screen reader.
>
> I suspect it's a good approximation of the experience, but can anyone
> advise whether this is so?
>
> Thanks
>
> Kerry
> --
> Kerry Webb
> ACT Government
> Canberra, Australia
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If
> you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all
> copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You
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> other person.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
From: Webb, KerryA
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 9:23AM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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Birkir replied:
> Hi
>
> I cannot speak to this particular solution (I can go look at it), but
> why not use your very own NVDA (www.nvda-project.org) to demonstrate.
Simple answer, Birkir: we're in a locked-down situation. A Web-based
tool is easier to use as a demonstration, rather than going through the
interminable bureaucratic process to get permission to download it.
But I appreciate the suggestion.
thanks
Kerry
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From: Tania
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 12:21PM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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web anywhere doesn't really work the same way as a real screenreader. NVDA
is a better choice.
regards,
tania
----- Original Message -----
From: "Webb, KerryA" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
To: "WebAIM Discussion List" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 6:53 AM
Subject: [WebAIM] Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
>
> I've been doing a series of presentations to our Web Managers in
> preparation for the adoption of WCAG 2.0 as our standard, and I'm using
> WebAnywhere (http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/wa.php) as a way of
> introducing them to the concept of a screen reader.
>
> I suspect it's a good approximation of the experience, but can anyone
> advise whether this is so?
>
> Thanks
>
> Kerry
> --
> Kerry Webb
> ACT Government
> Canberra, Australia
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged.
> If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete
> all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately.
> You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents
> to any other person.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
From: Webb, KerryA
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 2:28PM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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>
From: Birkir Rúnar Gunnarsson
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 11:51AM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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Have you looked at
www.satogo.com ?
That is a screen reader that is fairly widely used, at least in the
U.S. and you can run it from a web page.
(it is the mobile version of System Access from Serotek .. www.serotek.com).
It is free and you can fire it up from anywhere through satogo.com
without installing it on the computer itself.
On 9/9/10, Webb, KerryA < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>>
From: Tania
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 8:00PM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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1
The speech quality of webanywhere is equivalent to jaws. However, it does
not have the same range of functionality of a screenreader.
2
Are you allowed to stick a pen drive into a USB drive and run an application
from there? If you do, then you can use the portable version of NVDA. It
does not install anything on the client's computer as it is run from the pen
drive.
Just download NVDA file and send it to the pen drive. Unpack the file from
within the pen drive. To activate, click NVDA.exe and it will start speaking
after a while. It works a bit slower than the installed version.
Regards
Tania
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
>>
From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Thu, Sep 09 2010 6:11AM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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Kerry,
How useful WebAnywhere will be for your demonstration will depend on
exactly what you want to demonstrate. It's been a while since I last
looked at WebAnywhere. At that time, it seemed to provide at least
basic functionality.
For example, if all you want to do is demonstrate that a screen reader
can read a basic HTML page and interact with elements like links, it
should be adequate to the situation. If you are wanting to demonstrate
how a screen reader interacts with a rich internet application or how
someone using a screen reader interacts with a page (the user
experience.,) it may not be adequate.
SATOGo might be better, if you can use it. However, again I don't know
what changes have been made to the functionality of WebAnywhere since I
last looked at it.
A couple other things I have found useful for presentations are the use
of videos and personas. I have found that sometimes when I demonstrate
a screen reader, people fixate on the screen reader. With videos of
real users or personas of users that also have disabilities, it seems
more people start to focus on the positive of accessibility and
negatives of accessibility to the end user. Of course, I also
understand it can be difficult to access these kinds of resources
depending on how well secured the environment is.
You most definitely have my best wishes for complete success in your
presentations!
From: Webb, KerryA
Date: Fri, Sep 10 2010 10:39AM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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>
> 1
>
> The speech quality of webanywhere is equivalent to jaws. However, it
does
> not have the same range of functionality of a screenreader.
>
Thank you.
> 2
>
> Are you allowed to stick a pen drive into a USB drive and run an
> application
> from there? If you do, then you can use the portable version of NVDA.
It
> does not install anything on the client's computer as it is run from
the
> pen
> drive.
>
No - our IT Security people thought of that possibility and blocked it
B-)
Kerry
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From: Webb, KerryA
Date: Fri, Sep 10 2010 10:43AM
Subject: Re: Is WebAnywhere a good simulation?
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>
> Kerry,
>
> How useful WebAnywhere will be for your demonstration will depend on
> exactly what you want to demonstrate. It's been a while since I last
> looked at WebAnywhere. At that time, it seemed to provide at least
> basic functionality.
>
> For example, if all you want to do is demonstrate that a screen reader
> can read a basic HTML page and interact with elements like links, it
> should be adequate to the situation. If you are wanting to
demonstrate
> how a screen reader interacts with a rich internet application or how
> someone using a screen reader interacts with a page (the user
> experience.,) it may not be adequate.
>
It's really an awareness thing, so I need to show (very generally) what
the experience it.
Just a bit of background. All Oz governments have signed on to WACG 2.0
level A compliance - applicable now for new content and applicable in
December 2010 for existing content. Although all of our people +should+
be across WCAG, many are not and are not aware of screen readers etc.
I'm just starting to inform them.
Thanks for all the responses.
Kerry
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