[blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

[Susan Kelly]

>From past experience with the Windows magnification, from before I had to move on to more powerful magnification and JAWS  / Voice Over for computer use, I personally would not rely on the Windows magnification for anything.  A major problem is that it tends to cut off otherwise viewable portions of the screen, and permit the user to manipulate the image to allow the entire screen to be seen.  This may not be a problem if the user is only magnify small portions of the screen, rather than the entire view, but I suspect that any of us who also need speech would not be able to benefit from anything less than total screen magnification.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michal Nowicki via blindlaw
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2014 8:14 PM
To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

Hi, Anita,

I'm sorry to hear that you have not been able to access Blackboard with ZoomText.  I am somewhat surprised that you are experiencing this problem, given that I successfully used Blackboard with JAWS in my undergrad years and always thought it was fully compatible with assistive technology.

Since I am a screen reader user, I can't give you any ZoomText-related tips.
However, Windows does have a built-in screen magnifier.  I don't know how it compares to ZoomText (though I suspect it to be much more basic since it is a free product), but if it does what you need it to do, perhaps you can useit to access Blackboard without accessibility barriers at least until the issue with ZoomText compatibility is resolved.  Good luck.

Michal

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Anita Keith-Foust via blindlaw
Sent: Monday, December 8, 2014 7:36 PM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

Dear All:

 

Has anyone had problems with Blackboard and ZoomText or ZoomText with Speech?

 

I have had problems for years and the Blackboard technical support team has not tried to rectify it. They just say that Blackboard is compatible with JAWS.

 

I have contacted the CEO and Blackboard's legal department because I finally had to draw the line. I was enrolled in the PowerScore Online LSAT course, but had to withdraw because of compatibility issues. Also, because Blackboard is used by a large amount of colleges and universities, this will probably be an ongoing challenge as I move to graduate school.

 

Ai Squared (the makers of ZoomText) has tried to work with Blackboard for years and it seems that the ball is in Blackboard's court. I hope that others will contribute their experiences so that Blackboard will see that this is a consistent problem.

 

I look forward to your responses.

 

Thank you.

 

Anita Keith-Foust

919-430-1978

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