[Blindtlk] learning Jaws

[David Andrews]

Window-Eyes is not as bad as you make it out to be.  It is a good 
screen reader -- just not the market leader.  Unless you have no 
aptitude for computers, learning a new screen reader isn't the end of 
the world.  Many of the concepts and principles are transferrable.

Don't set yourself up for failure -- just get on with it.

Dave

At 10:13 PM 3/18/2013, you wrote:
>David,
>
>
>     YIn hine sight, Jaws is the more powerful screen reader with
>numerous functionality and script writing that GW-Micro simply doesn't
>have. I wish that my Vocational Rehabilitation counselors would have
>informed me of this reality not allow me to learn it on my own.
>Instead the assistive technology instructors at E.H Gentry in Alabama
>being experimental just allowed me to blindly use window-eyes.
>Honestly I feel like I was setup for failure cause at that time that
>hardly anybody thought that I'd graduate from community college and
>ultimately get a scholarship from a major four year university like
>Auburn. I agree with all of your statements David that Window-Eyes for
>all intensive purposes is like Apple for personal usage and Jaws is
>better for professional usages so W.E is just a toy at this point in
>time.
>
>
>     How long do you guys or gals think it will take to learn Jaws with
>skills enough for a entry level in the federal government? I'm a
>pretty quick learner like four months is all it took for me to learn
>braille literary I and II with contractions and that is pretty fast
>for Gentry. I'm also the first blind student to come threw their halls
>to pass the GED the first time too! I
>'m looking at perhaps a week of evaluation, four weeks of Jaws and
>food preparation training with a little outside orientation and
>mobility and perhaps a three month temporary work paid experience with
>a federal agency whether Social Security, Veterns Administration,
>Department of Treasury or Labor that could perhaps lead to a perminent
>job with those agencies! Any ideas or suggestions on the screen reader
>or programs to consider or what Windows application to master with
>Jaws would be nice. I don't know whether to try to push the braille
>display or if just the IRS TSR or other jobs only require it or what
>the emphasis should be on. This is my challenge being blind that I
>don't know without any clear guidelines of the usajobs.gov job
>descriptions of what applications they use. However, I do know
>Microsoft word, Excell and internet explorer are musts in any federal
>job.
>
>
>Thanks,
>Peter
>
>On 3/18/13, David Thomas <david.w.thomas at me.com> wrote:
> > I believe that learning jaws is paramount to a blind persons success.
> >
> > Yes there is window-eyes but that is not the most popular screen reader.
> > Jaws is used in the government and in most businesses.
> >