[BlindRUG] SPSS with JAWS?

Wed Apr 7 04:58:33 UTC 2021

Hello Amy et al.,

SPSS is good software for what it is good for. If it was rubbish software, it wouldn't exist today. 

Professors make decisions about software for any number of reasons; some good reasons and some not so good. These reasons almost certainly do not include the access needs of a diverse range of students. I know decisions get made on the grounds of licencing and cost and occasionally on the grounds of pedagogy.

I wouldn't contemplate fighting with SPSS  again or suggest any novice do so, but I did for the following publication:

Godfrey, A.J.R. and M. T. Loots (2014, July). Statistical software (R, SAS, SPSS, and Minitab) for blind students and practitioners. Journal of Statistical Software, Software Reviews 58(1), 1-25.
It's now 7 years since we wrote the paper of course, but things have got better for R, slightly better for SAS, not any better for SPSS, and much worse for Minitab users.

A link to the (very readable HTML) pre-print is https://r-resources.massey.ac.nz/papers/JSS.v58.s1/

I suggest you read that paper, and take it along to a meeting with the professor in question. Section 2 of the work is quite timeless. Section 8 presents our findings when using SPSS.

I don't understand why you need to "buy" it. There must be a way for your professor  to put a demo version of JAWS on a PC running the software, unplug their mouse, and let you give them hints on how to use their software choice with a screen reader. This will prove very instructive for both of you. They need to find out how much work they will have to undertake to support your use of SPSS in their class.

BTW: The last few bits of advice are what I offer anyone using any new software, whether that be statistical or something else.

I would love to learn that SPSS is fully accessible. I might choose R today, but the choice is pretty much made for me for so many reasons. It would be an empowering position to be in were I able to have a meaningful choice between software options.

Hope that helps,
Jonathan

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindRUG <blindrug-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Vincent Martin via BlindRUG
Sent: Wednesday, 7 April 2021 4:22 PM
To: 'Blind R Users Group' <blindrug at nfbnet.org>
Cc: vincentfmartin2020 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [BlindRUG] SPSS with JAWS?

It's been four years since I used it.  I think it was version 23 back then and the scripts that were JAWS based  made it somewhat accessible.  With some sighted assistance and proper use of when to use keyboard commands as opposed to driving the menu driven GUI, a first semester Statistics course could be mostly completed.  
I am unsure of what changes have been made since then, so I can't vouch for any level of accessibility now.

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindRUG <blindrug-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Amy Albin via BlindRUG
Sent: Tuesday, April 6, 2021 10:48 AM
To: blindrug at nfbnet.org
Cc: Amy Albin <amyralbin at gmail.com>
Subject: [BlindRUG] SPSS with JAWS?

Hello,

Hope everyone had a great holiday whatever you celebrate or else a great weekend!

I am going to preface the question by saying I'm not interested in opinions about whether SPSS is a good program, should professors be teaching it, et cetera. I really don't care right now.

All I want to know is, I'm going to be taking a class next semester where they use a recent version of Grad Pack Premium for IBM-SPSS.

1. Is it accessible with JAWS?
2. If so, how can I make sure when I'm buying that I'm setting it up to be accessible with JAWS?
3. If it is not accessible with JAWS, is there documented proof/demo of why it is not accessible in case I need to explain to higher ups why I cannot use it?

Thank you.

Best,

Amy Albin

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More information and useful links about using R as a blind person can be obtained at:
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Look for help using R commands by reading the accessible e-book "Let's Use R Now" compiled by Jonathan Godfrey at:
http://R-Resources.massey.ac.nz/lurn/front.html

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More information and useful links about using R as a blind person can be obtained at:
http://R-Resources.massey.ac.nz

Look for help using R commands by reading the accessible e-book "Let's Use R Now" compiled by Jonathan Godfrey at:
http://R-Resources.massey.ac.nz/lurn/front.html