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Thread: Re: best screen readers for browser testing
Number of posts in this thread: 4 (In chronological order)
From: Lee Davis
Date: Tue, Jun 18 2002 8:16AM
Subject: Re: best screen readers for browser testing
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Steffi
We are going through the same process.
My feeling is that, if you are interested *only* in web page accessibility
(as opposed to other electronic formats), that Home Page Reader is a
really useful tool.
Web designers can see their page as seen in IE, hear it spoken and see
a textual interpretation of the spoken text.
As far as I am aware, you only need to pay the full price for your first copy;
subsequent licences are much less, but you had better check that!
I guess we also need to have a copy of JAWS or similar available on our
network
too but this is harder for people to learn to use, I think
At 10:37 18/06/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>I am a webmistress and web designer who is investigating different screen
>readers to buy for the purpose of testing accessibility on our websites.
>Price is also a factor of course. I like IBM Home Page Reader but am worried
>that it is not that common. Should my company buy this $200 program just for
>testing websites or should they go for the more expensive Window-Eyes or
>JAWS since they are the most commonly used? Any suggestions would be greatly
>appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Lee
=======================================================================Lee Davis, IT Services, University of Exeter
Email: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Tel: +44-(0)1392-263960
Fax: +44-(0)1392-211630
WWW: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/
Post: Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QE, UK.
=======================================================================
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From: joyce@webjericho.com
Date: Tue, Jun 18 2002 10:49AM
Subject: Re: best screen readers for browser testing
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I am not a professional web developer, but I do some web design,
and I work with people with various disabilities, often using the
adaptive software out on the market.
It seems to me that if you design to any one particular program (be
it HomePage Reader, Jaws or another), you are
1. of necessity neglecting the other software of that same type
2. neglecting the issues faced by people with other disabilities
(and the software >they< use....tetraplegics using voice recognition
comes to mind) and
3. you are adding to the confusion. Adaptive software engineers
look at the same standards that you do (508 and w3c) and assume
that web developers who are interested in accessibility are doing
the same. If you are not, but rather designing to one or two
specific software programs (and only certain versions of those, at
that), you are in essence making those the standard.
I vote that we stick with the "real" standards, for the benefit of all!
>I am a webmistress and web designer who is investigating different screen
>readers to buy for the purpose of testing accessibility on our websites.
>Price is also a factor of course. I like IBM Home Page Reader but am worried
>that it is not that common. Should my company buy this $200 program just for
>testing websites or should they go for the more expensive Window-Eyes or
>JAWS since they are the most commonly used? Any suggestions would be greatly
>appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Lee
=======================================================================Lee Davis, IT Services, University of Exeter
Email: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Tel: +44-(0)1392-263960
Fax: +44-(0)1392-211630
WWW: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/
Post: Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QE, UK.
=======================================================================
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---------------------
Joyce Kennedy, A.T.P.
Jericho Consulting
96 Western Ave.
Auburn, ME 04210
phone: 207-795-0628
fax: 425-675-3049
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.webjericho.com
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From: Kevin Price
Date: Tue, Jun 18 2002 11:08AM
Subject: Re: best screen readers for browser testing
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I think it is okay to use Home Page Reader or JAWS if that is only one
piece of the evaluation. The W3C evaluation page
http://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/ specifically mentions Home Page Reader as an
option for evaluating a web page for accessibility.
As long as Home Page Reader is just one part of evaluation and not the only
part.
Kevin
At 01:45 PM 6/18/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>I am not a professional web developer, but I do some web design,
>and I work with people with various disabilities, often using the
>adaptive software out on the market.
>It seems to me that if you design to any one particular program (be
>it HomePage Reader, Jaws or another), you are
>1. of necessity neglecting the other software of that same type
>2. neglecting the issues faced by people with other disabilities
>(and the software >they< use....tetraplegics using voice recognition
>comes to mind) and
>3. you are adding to the confusion. Adaptive software engineers
>look at the same standards that you do (508 and w3c) and assume
>that web developers who are interested in accessibility are doing
>the same. If you are not, but rather designing to one or two
>specific software programs (and only certain versions of those, at
>that), you are in essence making those the standard.
>
>I vote that we stick with the "real" standards, for the benefit of all!
>
>
>
> >I am a webmistress and web designer who is investigating different screen
> >readers to buy for the purpose of testing accessibility on our websites.
> >Price is also a factor of course. I like IBM Home Page Reader but am worried
> >that it is not that common. Should my company buy this $200 program just for
> >testing websites or should they go for the more expensive Window-Eyes or
> >JAWS since they are the most commonly used? Any suggestions would be greatly
> >appreciated. Thanks in advance.
>
>Lee
>
>=======================================================================>Lee Davis, IT Services, University of Exeter
>Email: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>Tel: +44-(0)1392-263960
>Fax: +44-(0)1392-211630
>WWW: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/
>Post: Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QE, UK.
>=======================================================================>
>
>----
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
>visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
>
>
>---------------------
>Joyce Kennedy, A.T.P.
>Jericho Consulting
>96 Western Ave.
>Auburn, ME 04210
>phone: 207-795-0628
>fax: 425-675-3049
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>http://www.webjericho.com
>---------------------
>
>
>----
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
>visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
Kevin Price
Coordinator-Assistive Computing Resource Center (ACRC)
Academic Computing and Media
California State University, San Bernardino
5500 University Parkway / PL-002
San Bernardino, CA 92407-2397
909-880-5079 FAX 909-880-7075
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From: Leo Smith
Date: Wed, Jun 19 2002 11:37AM
Subject: Re: best screen readers for browser testing
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I think the last point made below is a very good one. As Web
developers/designers, we have endured a long wait for user agents
to become more standards compliant. If the NS4 engine had
become the industry standard, then we would be in a sorry state
today, codewise.
Leo.
> I am not a professional web developer, but I do some web design, and I
> work with people with various disabilities, often using the adaptive
> software out on the market. It seems to me that if you design to any
> one particular program (be it HomePage Reader, Jaws or another), you
> are 1. of necessity neglecting the other software of that same type 2.
> neglecting the issues faced by people with other disabilities (and
> the software >they< use....tetraplegics using voice recognition comes
> to mind) and 3. you are adding to the confusion. Adaptive software
> engineers look at the same standards that you do (508 and w3c) and
> assume that web developers who are interested in accessibility are
> doing the same. If you are not, but rather designing to one or two
> specific software programs (and only certain versions of those, at
> that), you are in essence making those the standard.
>
> I vote that we stick with the "real" standards, for the benefit of
> all!
>
>
Leo Smith
Web Designer/Developer
USM Office of Publications and Marketing
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4774
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