[Blindmath] Version 0.0.19 of SVGDraw01 with AudioTac is now available for download

Tue Nov 15 04:02:31 UTC 2011

On Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 8:48 AM, Pranav Lal <pranav.lal at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Richard and all,
>
> I had a go at the audiotac display in this latest version.
> 1. I can read the descriptions and texts of the shape without any problems.
> This is true for both NVDA and Jaws.
> 2. Thanks to this, I am much better at identifying the shape I am on. I can
> supplement my navigation with feedback if I need it. It would be nice to
> have automatic announcement of shapes but this would have to be a
> customizable option.
>

rgb] Great!

>
> 3. You may want to add an option for speaking the SVG element. I can leave
> the name and description blank or enter junk values. When I would review
> the
> drawing later, I would be stuck. Speaking the SVG element name will give me
> an idea of what I have done. Of course, this would not be true for the path
> and polyline elements but that is beyond anyone's control.
>

rgb] Good idea and easy to do. I just put it on the list.

>
> 4. I don't know if we need a display window with the name of the shape. I
> do
> not want that additional step of pressing enter to dismiss that dialog.
> However, as of now, leave it there since as far as I know, you would need
> to
> implement screen reader specific functionality to get the screen reader to
> speak the output without displaying it on the screen.
>

rgb] I would prefer not to require you to dismiss the dialog, but for now
that is the only way I know how to make it work. Maybe later I will learn
how to make Java speak on its own and not have to rely on the screen reader
for speech.

>
> 5. This may be an issue of a lack of practice but we will need to make the
> tones used for each shape more different. I am ok with the 3 sets of tones
> in a given shape but a circle and a line can have remarkably similar tones.
> This is currently mitigated by the speaking of the name and description of
> the shape since I can check what I am on.
>

rgb] Don't know if this will help or not, but the next release will allow
you to press the W key to switch between a wide-angle and narrow-angle
 probe. As it stands now, the wide-angle probe can be touching two or more
shapes at a time when they are close together or even when they cross. In
those situations, you will be able to press the W key and reduce the area
of the probe down by a factor of nine. The problem with separating
freaquencies more is that it doesn't take very many shapes to drive the
frequencies up to a point where they are very difficult to separate. You
suggested earlier using the sounds of instruments instead of single tones.
I am pondering using midi to use musical notes instead of pure frequencies.
I have much to learn in this area.

>
> 6. As regards NVDA, I did not notice any improvement with it as compared to
> using Jaws. The only difference was that NVDA was speaking the elements on
> the screen while I was moving around so if I reached a window title, it
> would speak that window title. This is how NVDA works by default. This
> feature is useful but can get too verbose after some time. This is beyond
> your control so let it be for now.
>

rgb] OK

>
> 7. I still cannot import a file into my drawing. When I try to invoke the
> import option from the file menu or via its hotkey, nothing happens.
>

rgb] Can you zip and send a copy of the file to me and let me see what I
can determine?

>
> 8. If I close the program without saving my drawing, I should be given the
> option to save the drawing. This will prevent the accidental discarding of
> a
> drawing. This is how programs such as Excel and Word work.
>

rgb] Good idea. I will look into this.

>
> 9. When I close the program, I do not need a warning telling me that the
> program is about to close. I have answered "yes" to closing and that should
> be that.
>

rgb] I agree.  I have that in there to insert a delay while some cleanup
takes place, but it's probably not necessary. I will look into removing it.

>
> 10. The program should pick up my screen resolution and set the audiotac
> display's parameters accordingly. As an end-user, I do not want the hassle
> of going into my control panel and checking the resolution slider.
>

rgb] I agree. I will have to figure out how to do that, but it can
obviously be done.

>
> 11. Getting to the home position of a shape. Is it possible to get to the
> home position of a shape? For instance, for squares etc, the top left
> position, that is closer to the origin can be the home position while for
> circles and other curves, the home position could be the center. I am
> suggesting this feature since it is possible for me to move my hand in any
> way on a shape. Suppose I have a rectangle, I can move my hand in a
> circular
> motion. If this was a tactile diagram, I would feel the shape but because
>  I
> need to trace the shape here, I need some way of guiding my hand. I realize
> this becomes complex with paths and polylines therefore I am asking here as
> to how do we show the shape and guide the user's movement?
>

rgb] I will have to think about this, but it is an excellent suggestion. In
fact, all of your suggestions are good ones and I will put them on the
to-do list.

Thanks,
Dick Baldwin

>
> Pranav
>
>
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-- 
Richard G. Baldwin (Dick Baldwin)
Home of Baldwin's on-line Java Tutorials
http://www.DickBaldwin.com

Professor of Computer Information Technology
Austin Community College
(512) 223-4758
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