[blindlaw] Accessibility of Document Management Software

[Gerard Sadlier]

Hi, thanks very much, will let the list know when I know more.
G

On 2/8/12, Susan Kelly <Susan.Kelly at pima.gov> wrote:
> My office (county public defender) just started using JustWare,
> manufactured by New Dawn Technologies, a couple of months ago.  It has
> been a nightmare even for those not needing accessibility programs
> because by its very nature, it requires a minimum of 3 to 5 extra steps
> to do anything in the e-file.  I use JAWS & MAGic, and a co-worker who
> is paralyzed uses Dragon; because of the need to determine how the
> programs would respond with our AT software, we were not even trained
> with the rest of the office as to the use of JustWare.  The trainings
> for the others took over two weeks of 3-hour daily sessions, and
> continuing refreshers to deal with problems that seem to be encountered
> on a nearly daily basis.  To be fair, I do not think that our office
> purchased the entire package, and our network itself has likely caused
> many of the program errors that the rest of the office is enduring.
>
> When our office was originally searching for a program, my direct
> supervisor made sure to question all product reps as to the
> accessibility of their programs, including whether it had been tested
> with specific accessibility software, whether it could be adapted in
> terms of visual layout, etc.  Not one company had any idea about what
> she was referring to, and when pushed, simply stated that because the
> programs were internet based, they "must" be accessible.
>
> On the bright side, we are slowly finding commands and work-arounds that
> should eventually allow me to use JustWare.  It is very frustrating, and
> some of the problems seem to revolve around the "mixed media" (for lack
> of a better description) nature of the program.  It is internet-based,
> but many of the pages are more like a Word document, while others are
> like a virtual internet document.  This means that certain commands will
> work in one area of the program, not others, and there is no clear way
> to determine which is which other than working through them and
> memorizing the peculiarities of each.  Moreover, what works one hour may
> not work the next - and there are certain sections (like the Case Notes)
> which will not permit me any access (other than visual, which is almost
> impossible) to edit.  Rather, I have to type my notes in Word, and then
> copy them over to the appropriate section.  Long story short, it is
> painfully slow and inefficient.  We are compiling a "cheat sheet" of
> JAWS navigation commands that work with each section, so if your office
> ends up with this monster, I will be happy to send it a copy.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Gerard Sadlier
> Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2012 8:53 AM
> To: blindlaw
> Cc: BCAB Discussion List
> Subject: [blindlaw] Accessibility of Document Management Software
>
> DEar all,
>
> My firm uses an electronic document management system. I have a
> meeting with them next week to discuss accessibility issues and to
> test it out.
>
> I wondered:
> 1 What experiences listers have had with such systems,
> 2 Any accessibility issues which have come up,
> 3 Any solutions that listers have employed and
> 4 Any questions which I should ask.
>
> As many of you may know, I use jaws.
>
> Best Ger
>
>
>
> --
> Best wishes
>
> Gerard Sadlier
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindlaw mailing list
> blindlaw at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindlaw:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/susan.kelly%40pima
> .gov
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindlaw mailing list
> blindlaw at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindlaw:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/gerard.sadlier%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Best wishes

Gerard Sadlier