[blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

Tue Dec 9 16:40:22 UTC 2014

Dear Susan and Melanie:

I installed Windows Eyes and ZoomText stopped working. Because my vision is
so low, I cannot see anything without the magnification.

So, I called Ai Squared (the maker of ZoomText and cooperative with Windows
for Windows Eyes) and Dave of technical support said that they do not work
together. Bummer!

Blackboard has got to step up.

Thanks.

Anita Keith-Foust
919-430-1978

-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Kelly [mailto:Susan.Kelly at pima.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 10:55 AM
To: 'Anita Keith-Foust'; 'Blind Law Mailing List'; 'Michal Nowicki'
Subject: RE: [blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

I'm not really sure about Window Eyes - the resident magnification program
in Windows is what I was first using.  I think they are separate.  I
currently use JAWS and MAGic at work, and Voice Over at home.  If you have
access to an iPad or Mac, Voice Over is pre-loaded and seems to handle
almost everything - but I agree - countless companies with countless
different computer apps / programs need to learn and follow the law.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anita Keith-Foust [mailto:anitakeithfoust at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2014 8:36 AM
To: Susan Kelly; 'Blind Law Mailing List'; 'Michal Nowicki'
Cc: AnitaKeithFoust at gmail.com
Subject: RE: [blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

Dear Melanie and Susan:

So, is Windows Eyes a reader or just magnification?

I need a reader that will work with Blackboard and ZoomText. 

Note: JAWS is expensive, so that is not in the cards as a purchase to use
Blackboard. Blackboard has got to step up.

Thanks.

Anita Keith-Foust
919-430-1978 

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Susan Kelly
via blindlaw
Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 10:02 AM
To: 'Michal Nowicki'; 'Blind Law Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Blackbard Compatibility Issues with ZoomText

>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

_______________________________________________
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/mnowicki4%40icloud.com

_______________________________________________
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/anitakeithfoust%40gmai
l.com