[Electronics-talk] Electronics accessibility of apple products andmainstream level playing field

Sun Feb 20 04:32:15 UTC 2011

Arizona is cheap they are now using this freeware speech synthesizer, [I 
forget the name] but it sounds like the computer in the old Tron movie.
I typed in the phrase: "Want to play a game?", and it sounded just like it. 
The voice also reminds me of Marvin the Martian from the Bugs Bunny cartoon.
 I am the only one that has JAWS.  Arizona is to cheap to purchase more 
licenses.
Vince

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Shaw" <tshaw2007 at hotmail.com>
To: <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 8:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Electronics accessibility of apple products 
andmainstream level playing field

>
> Texas does purchas Apply computers and laptops for consumers fi they have 
> a reason that they can show the Apple  is what they need rather htan a PC 
> with assitive tech. As far as the contracts yeah if you are a state or 
> federal worker you are screwed. When I was working for the state I didn't 
> even get the flexibility of WHICH assistive program beneifited me more 
> like the consumers did. They sent me to ee evaluated on software, and when 
> they got the recommendations they were pretty much like "Oh well I am 
> sorry, but that software isnt our standard, our standard is JAWS and 
> ZoomText for employees thats it"   So I dont know why they even bothered 
> showing me the other software.
>
>> Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 22:01:36 -0500
>> From: jdashiel at shellworld.net
>> To: electronics-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Electronics accessibility of apple 
>> products andmainstream level playing field
>>
>> This isn't a State problem, it's a Federal problem. The Computer
>> Accommodations Program Office in the Pentagon buys thousand dollar screen
>> readers for the Veterans as well as Federal employees and States pretty
>> much use those same C.A.P. office contracts. It's all been standardized.
>> Deal with States and you only hack away at the tentacles of the octapus
>> you need to go for the head then the tentacles in time will change.On 
>> Sat,
>> 19 Feb 2011, fred olver wrote:
>>
>> > Wouldn't it be nice if state services for the blind would consider the
>> > accessability of Apple products instead of having on-going contracts 
>> > with
>> > sellers of thousand dollar products which can only do one thing.
>> >
>> > Fred Olver
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message ----- 
>> > From: "Sharon Ballantyne" <sballan at nexicom.net>
>> > To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>> > <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> > Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 6:33 PM
>> > Subject: [Electronics-talk] Electronics accessibility of apple products
>> > andmainstream level playing field
>> >
>> >
>> > > Hi again,
>> > >
>> > > As I said earlier I am a brand new Mac user. I made the switch for a
>> > > number of reasons. The software is all there right out of the box and 
>> > > I
>> > > don't have to buy expensive software to be a screen reader or pay for
>> > > expensive SMA agreements. Not only is there support at the apple 
>> > > store but
>> > > any person who is a Mac user can simply turn their own voice over on 
>> > > and
>> > > start looking around a bit. Instead of being a party of one using 
>> > > JAWS (or
>> > > what can feel like that) I can have any number of conversations with
>> > > plenty of Mac users and they can more easily troubleshoot with me in 
>> > > a way
>> > > that I not experienced as a PC user. I also have the magic track pad
>> > > along with the keyboard and these gestures fully place me on the same
>> > > playing field with iphone, ipod touch and ipad users who can explain
>> > > gestures to me as I need. The help of keyboard description when 
>> > > turned on
>> > > voice over plus the letter k not only lets you sort out the keyboard 
>> > > but
>> > > the track pad is also put into a key describer mode as well, which is
>> > > really good for me as a new user.
>> > >
>> > > I agree the Mac product is not cheap but there are no added softwares 
>> > > to
>> > > add or a blind only niche market and while I am still brand new, even 
>> > > with
>> > > all my exploring I have never had voice over cut out or had things 
>> > > freeze.
>> > > The fact that Macs are not experiencing the windows crash kind of 
>> > > things
>> > > on the PC side I really look forward to.
>> > >
>> > > I am really enjoying the voice. It is different and there is actual 
>> > > amore
>> > > human sound to it. While I am quite accustomed to JAWS and am fine 
>> > > with
>> > > that, I have been experiencing that people can understand voice over 
>> > > Alex
>> > > whereas they can't get their head around the JAWS voice and call it 
>> > > robot
>> > > headache.
>> > >
>> > > If I don't get my head around this I am thinking about calling up the
>> > > local high school and speaking to the computer teacher there to see 
>> > > if he
>> > > or she has a bright teenager who would be willing to turn on voice 
>> > > over
>> > > and figure some things out and just hiring someone to come in and 
>> > > tutor
>> > > me. Our young people are not intimidated by these machines at all.
>> > >
>> > > That's my novel of feedback!
>> > >
>> > > Sharon
>> > > _______________________________________________
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>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
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