First a comment following on from Jackie. My sister has an Apple
IBook now but she's still not got used to where a fraction of the
things are and what it'll do. She's thinking of going to an Apple
shop where they do some one-to-one teaching. She hasn't the problems
we would have getting used to the operating system and the way things
are done on the Mac, and this only points up the preparedness to do
some learning. Many if not most people are conservative when it comes
to change.
Following on from that, MS Windows users of screen readers have to get
a grip on the fact that, a), it isn't a PC they are using; b) it
isn't JFW or HAL or for that matter Window-Eyes. W-E users might in
fact have less hassle from the standpoint of using the mouse at times
to navigate some features of the Mac and the way it does things.
I think anyone looking seriously at buying a Mac has to treat it as a
serious learning project.
As for ITunes, I keep hearing varying stories about it's usability on
the Mac as I do subscribe to a list that very often discusses Macs.
It does seem to be though that the ITunes development team aren't
plugged into what might be the new commitment on Apple's part to
'universal access'. You cannot help but get the impression that many
Apple developers sort of hold their noses when it comes to access
issues and the implementation of them. Not that the attitude problem
is a Mac phenomenon alone.
From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
Jackie Cairns
If only this had been possible four or five years ago when I was doing
journalism at college. The newsroom was full of Macs and the one PC
with
Windows 98 that I used to monopolise. Interestingly, all the students
used
to jump in my seat the minute I moved so they could use the PC instead
of
their Macs because they hated them, and they were all fully sighted.
I
think they all used a PC at home and just couldn't get to grips with
the
Mac. So this big queue would form to get on my machine, and I
couldn't
venture anywhere without someone literally hot-footing it to my desk.
All
good fun.
Jackie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Graham Page" <gpage@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 11:34 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Time to do the Apple Switch? Leopard's New
VoiceOver features
well Gordon it will be interesting to see how you go with this and
to see
how others go as well. I would not be surprised to find more info
appearing
on ACB Radio's Main Menu or blindcooltec at some point when those
with
some
experience of the mac get hands on it. Altimately we will see
whether the
hype reflects the real situation and whether once again, the Mac can
be
described as anything like accessible and how far this accessibility
goes.
Regards
Graham
Graham Page
Home Phone: 0207 265 9493
Mobile: 07753 607980
Fax: 0870 706 2773
Email: gpage@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MSN: gabriel_mcbird@xxxxxxxxxxx
Skype: gabriel_mcbird
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon Keen" <gordon.keen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 11:16 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Time to do the Apple Switch? Leopard's New
VoiceOver features
Hi Ray
I can confirm that the mac-book works very happily as a dual boot
machine
and I have been running it for about three or four months using hal
as the
screen reader.
Next week end I shall be upgrading to leopard and weaning myself off
the
dreaded microsludge.
Regards
Gordon
From glorious Devon, England
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf
Of
Ray's Home
Sent: 29 October 2007 10:44
To: Access-Uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Time to do the Apple Switch? Leopard's New
VoiceOver
features
Hope you find this interesting, as I do. A few comments after news
of
Leopard's new Voice Over features.
VoiceOver info.
Universal Access
Alex - A New Voice Give yourself a new voice. Meet Alex - a new
English male voice that uses advanced,
patented Apple technologies to deliver natural breathing and
intonation, even at
fast speaking rates.
Plug-and-Play Refreshable Braille Display Support Quickly set up
popular, refreshable Braille displays. VoiceOver detects and
configures
as soon as you plug them in. No additional software or setup is
required.
Braille Output During OS Installation For the first time ever on a
desktop computer, you can use a Braille display while
installing or upgrading your operating system.
The Braille Panel See a virtual Braille display - a visual
representation of VoiceOver Braille output
onscreen along with an English text translation.
Customisable Braille Display Input Keys Customise a Braille display
more easily than ever before. Just choose a VoiceOver
command, then press and hold the input keys. A tone sounds to let
you
know the command has been assigned successfully.
Contracted and Non-Contracted Braille Output Braille in standard
contracted format or non-contracted "computer Braille".
VoiceOver automatically converts contracted Braille under the cursor
so it's easier
to edit, then contracts it again when the cursor moves.
NumPad Commander Control VoiceOver using only the numeric keypad
just
like JAWS and Windows-Eyes.
This makes it easier for screen reader users to switch from a PC to
a
Mac and provides easy access to your favourite VoiceOver commands.
Portable VoiceOver Preferences Instantly reconfigure your VoiceOver
preferences. Just plug in a flash drive containing
your preferences and Leopard instantly reconfigures to work and act
just like your Mac - without leaving a trace when you leave.
Faster Web and Page Navigation Quickly navigate long documents or
web
pages. Jump to key elements like headers,
tables and links and by text attributes like underlining, bold,
italics and colour - even text phrases.
Hot Spots Monitor up to ten different areas onscreen and be alerted
when there's a change.
Then jump directly to any hot spot to investigate or take action.
Drag-and-Drop Support Use drag-and-drop actions by keyboard only, in
accessible applications.
Integrated Interactive Tutorial Learn VoiceOver unassisted in a safe
environment. A built-in tutorial lets you practice
as you learn.
Misspelled Word Detection Hear when a word is misspelled while
reading
text. Choose a tone or a spoken description.
Positional Audio Effects Benefit from many new sound effects in
VoiceOver. Audio cues provide an improved
sense of location.
Highlight by Word or Sentence Set the VoiceOver cursor to highlight
each word or sentence being read as it is spoken.
New VoiceOver Utility Customise VoiceOver more easily. A new
VoiceOver
Utility layout includes many new
options and preferences for customising VoiceOver.
Improved Application Accessibility Do more with VoiceOver. Bundled
Leopard applications and utilities have been enhanced
for improved accessibility.
(Ray back again)
I'm thinking now seriously of doing the switch, and possibly going
for
a dual boot equiped Apple, so not leaving Windows behind entirely.
This seems to work better than many might think it does.
Given Vista's fearsome reputation so far, and some prety draconian
measures around DRM to boot, I wonder seriously if the Apple
shouldn't
be given a serious look. Not that I know for certain the Apple will
be imune from the media industry's inroads on what we can do. (No,
I'm not an ilegal sharer or anything, but I do use my PC for a lot
of
audio work these days.)
Those thoughts apart, hope the above was of interest.
Cheers,,
From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
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