Category: the Rant Board
Hi. Maybe the tittle was not clear enough. Well lets say, I send an e-mail asking for the following:
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hi. Well the program is excellent since I can download files over 3 or 4 different networks, at the same time, and it can be more easy to find the files
you want without switching constantly
between programs! as far as I can tell the program is clean from spyware. But one of the things I would like to know is if you could do the program layout
a bit more accesible. Because there are several blind users out there (like me) that are searching such wonderful programs but have to work a bit to make
them accesible... oh, and also can I stop getting all those adverticements?
but anyway great job!
Juan
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today, I recieved the following answer:
Juan,
Thank you for the compliments and taking the time to write. Be sure to tell your friends about TrustyFiles!
Yes, we have no spyware and no bundled software. We hope to have a pay version out with no advertising within a month.
But this, was the worst part you could receive..., why should people ask such... dump questions? perhaps they are ignorant and well ignore that blind makes us just phisically limited, not mental limited!
How do you use TrustyFiles if you can't see it?
Err, I cannot "see" it, but I can read it with something called screen reader, which you should know of about like 4 years! hello>
Well fortunately they asked me:
How can we make the software more accessible to you? We're a tiny company but I'll see what we can do
to accommodate you.
Marc
What do you think about this?
ya. its amazing how stupid ppl can be when it comes to comps. haha. it irritates me too. but unfortunately. um ya.. i think you know the rest haha.
well I might know but if I don't have a clue lol. Well these people seem or, this individual seems like missconcepting the blindness since he said "how can you use it if you cannot see it?"" and they still think they are smarter because they can see. If he continues making me this questions again I won't have another alternative and say directly, go and learn, what is people, and what is blindness! because as far as I can tell "they think i cannot do anything due to the fact that i cannot see. Well and if that person is here... which is a 0.1% provability blind people is phisicaly limited, not mentally retarded. Same with the low vision kids at my school.
I think it's important to remember that what may seem like a stupid question to you, may not seem so to another. Now to us, how can you use the computer if you can't see it, will seem like a dumb question, but if you've never encountered blind people, why should you know about screen readers? Let's look at this another way. I don't have a clue how someone who doesn't have the use of their arms can use a computer. I assume there are adaptations available, but I don't know what they are. I don't think it would be a stupid question for me to ask someone who used such devices how it was done. Or maybe you think that everyone should automatically be aware of every type of access technology, even if they've never been exposed to it. One final thing. Telling someone who knows nothing about screen readers that they should make their products more accessible is pointless. They don't know what makes software accessible and what problems a screen reader user faces. If you're going to write to someone like that, you need to give them concrete examples of what they can do to make their products better. Remember that we as blind people are a small minority, so most software designers have no idea of our needs.
welll i just told them that they could change the layout of the program to a more text-based one
well "according to post 4 I did something totally wrong and I should have never done that.... or am I wrong?
No, I wasn't saying what you did was wrong. There's certainly nothing wrong with writing a software company and letting them know what you think of their products. It's through user feedback that software evolves. What I took issue with was your saying that they had asked a stupid question. It was not a stupid question, because clearly the software designers had no experience with the blind community. I also took issue with you saying that the answer would be to make the program more text based. What does this even mean? If you made something purely text based, a screen reader would probably have an even worse time with it. You might do well to learn a bit about how windows works and how programs are designed before offering suggestions on accessibility.
well... and were can I find all these kinds of learnings...
Also with the rise of the canned email customer service response most companies use today, The fact that they took the time to respond to you at all, in my opinion, they deserve some respect. They are probably a small company just starting out, and with blind people being a minority there's no reason that screen readers should be a thing of common knowledge. I know we all get tired of answering the same questions over and over again, but to the people asking them its the first time. Also, you were the one who wrote to them about accessibility. When you start a dialog, you should be ready to field those questions and not just expect the company to know how to make things accessible, because its not as easy as you might think.
yeah, i know but i did not blame at them. I just told them that out there were screen readers. I also told them mine was jaws for windows, (the most popular one). And the rest is making the layout just a little more text based. But since this brings more complications to them... well... I think I just would disregard it. But Ididn't blame at them for that. I tryed to explain to them that there are screen readers that enable blind people to use the computer. But the question is quite... I don't know what word wuould be good to explain it, but well.
If you are interested in learning more about how windows works, and what makes programs accessible, a couple of good sources are: the jaws scripting manual, and the jaws scripting tutorials that Jim Sanowbarger did on main menu. These were done a while ago, so you will have to scroll through the archives quite a ways to find them. Even if you are not interested in jaws scripting, these are could sources of information about windows.
I totally agree with LawLord here. We can't expect sighted people to know how we do things and I think them asking is a good thing, not a stupid thing. If we put a sighted person down just for asking us something we'd really be in trouble.
There are accessibility guide lines out there
on msn they have guidelines for making programs accessible, it mainly means either implement the msaa interface for a program or use the standard Windows controls, avoid using Java or an Acitve-X control or at least offer a more standard Windows alternative, also make sure the tab order is implemented so that one can tab between controls (e.g. group boxes need to have the tab order implemented).
For web-based application (which I am assuming we are talking here) make sure html label are properly placed on the controls or fieleds, offer a puerly html based page, if possible, without activeX or animation.
The w3c has guidelines on accessibility at www.w3c.com. Also making accessible software also usually means better software because all labels have to be placed correctly and that makes the product more stable and more accessible to a lot of other disabled people and even often by other automated software products.
Thanks
-B
folks, thank you all for your help
I would never fly off the handle if somebody asked a genuine question like how I use a computer. Really, most sighted folk just don't see blind people every day using computers or anything. We're easy to ignore if people don't want to see us. Now, I might think questions like how I find my mouth when I eat are odd or stupid, but I still doubt I'd give attitude.
Yeah, people constantly ask me about how my BN and stuff work. I get used to it. But I agree, some companies are just dumb about blindies and computers. But hey, Lou, atl east you got an answer! Lol!
Caitlin