[blindlaw] track changes, etc.

[Cody J. Davis]

I’ve kept an eye on this thread and have found it quite interesting. On the topic of track changes, I have avoided using it because I could never figure out an efficient way to use it, either with JAWS or Voiceover. It sounds like Voiceover handles track changes in Word pretty well, so I’ll have to look into how that is done. 


With the general access issues presented by JAWS and FS, I have always preferred apple products, including iPhone, iPad Pro, and Mac. I have found that Apple developers are more responsive than FS when it comes to improving their screen readers and other assistive technologies. The problem is, JAWS and MIcrosoft Windows are the predominate platforms in the workplace. For this reason, I have, with great reluctance, used JAWS at work. 


FS, in my opinion, has no motivation to improve it’s product like JAWS because they have a sort of monopoly. They are well aware that JAWS is the leading screen reader in the workplace, so they have no reason to improve their products or be more responsive to complaints. Who else will blind users turn to?

NVDA is an option, but it doesn’t seem to be a popular one. I think Apple’s voiceover is the foremost competitor with JAWS. But, until Apple machines become more pro inmate in the office, FS and JAWS will have too strong of a foothold to be threatened by Apple’s competing screen reader. 

Best,
Cody Davis

Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 24, 2018, at 12:03 PM, Elizabeth Rene via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Dear Listmates,
> This all seems like an access to justice issue to me. OK, access to productivity. Same thing, really, because it means access to equal employment opportunity and professional advancement.
> Maybe pressure needs to be brought to bear on a larger stage.
> Maybe articles need to be written to the leading technological journals that address accessibility to let them know that the market is changing and that the expectations of customers aren’t being kept up with by the developers who were supposed to be opening doors for them. Maybe even magazines like Geekwire aught to be encouraged to take up the issue. Because I don’t think it’s just blind people who are finding them selves captive to unresponsive technology. As devices are expected to do more and more things, some apps may be becoming less and less robust.
> When I go to the App Store in Apple, I always read the reviews before I buy a new app. Maybe we ought to start writing reviews of JAWS, etc., on the Internet. We could use Yelp, write posts to LinkedIn, or claim any forum that might get Freedom Scientific’s attention. If FS doesn’t step up to the plate, maybe its competitors will.
> Thanks,
> Elizabeth 
> 
> Elizabeth M René 
> Attorney at Law 
> WSBA #10710 
> KCBA #21824
> rene0373 at gmail.com
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