[BlindRUG] RStudio for blind statistics students

[Liz Hare]

Hi Hannah,

Your findings are correct. RStudio can't be used with a screen reader. That GUI that comes with an R installation also doesn't work well, at least on a Mac.

Blind R users come up with other solutions like using the 
https://code.visualstudio.com

I use the Emacs editor in the Mac Terminal with the Emacspeak screen reader.
https://code.visualstudio.com
The learning curve for Emacs and emacspeak is steep at first but if you are going to work with R a lot, it's worth it.

I'm sure other list members have other suggestions for solutions. 

Please note that educational programs should not require or expect the use of RStudio in their materials since it is not for everyone.

Liz


Liz Hare, PhD
Dog Genetics LLC
doggene at earthlink.net
http://www.doggenetics.com

> On May 9, 2022, at 12:04 PM, Hannah.King via BlindRUG <blindrug at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Good afternoon,
>  
> My name is Aitch, I work at The Open University as an Accessibility and Usability Tester (predominantly accessibility). I’m currently doing some accessibility testing work on RStudio for a statistics module creation team who are considering it for the course. 
>  
> If you don’t mind, I’ve been investigating RStudio – and testing it using NVDA and keyboard short cuts to access – and I’ve come across an issue that is proving hard to figure out and I wondered if I could ask some questions.
>  
> I can’t get the screen reader to read the output of commands in the console. It will read the commands as I type them, but the output itself remains stubbornly illegible. Is there a way to make it read them that I simply haven’t figured out yet?
>  
> If not, I wonder if there are any workarounds that you know of, or if you could maybe let me know how blind users do their statistics work? That last may be a more complicated question than I intend!
>  
> Thanks very much in advance,
>  
> H 
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> If contacting by video/voice, please send a quick message to warn me so I am prepared for the call.
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> Hannah King | Usability and Accessibility Tester (They/Them)
> Online Student Experience | Learning Experience and Technology (LXT), CIO Portfolio
> The Open University, Level 7 Perry, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
> Tel: ---- | hannah.king at open.ac.uk | www.open.ac.uk
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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